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REFERENCE TITLE: stopped school buses; lights |
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State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-first Legislature First Regular Session 2013
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HB 2170 |
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Introduced by Representatives Fann, Barton, Borrelli: Brophy McGee, Dial, Livingston, Petersen, Pierce
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AN ACT
amending sections 28-857, 28-928 and 28-930, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to school buses.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 28-857, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
28-857. School bus signs; overtaking and passing school bus; violation; driver license suspension; civil penalty
A. On meeting or overtaking from either direction a school bus that has stopped on the highway, the driver of a vehicle on a highway shall:
1. Stop the vehicle before reaching the school bus, if the school bus is displaying the signal as provided in subsection D of this section and if alternately flashing lights are in use.
2. Not proceed until the school bus resumes motion or the signal and alternately flashing lights are no longer displayed.
B. A bus used for the transportation of school children shall have on the front and rear of the bus a plainly visible sign containing the words "school bus" in letters not less than eight inches in height.
C. A school bus operated on a highway shall cover or conceal all markings indicating "school bus" unless the bus is operated for the transportation of children to or from any of the following:
1. School.
2. School sponsored academic activities.
3. School sponsored vocational and technological technical education.
4. School sponsored athletic trips.
5. School sponsored extracurricular activities.
D. A bus used for the transportation of school children shall have a signal with the word "stop" printed on both sides in white letters not less than five inches high on a red background. The signal shall be an eighteen inch reflectorized octagon. The operator of the school bus shall:
1. Manually operate the signal in a manner so that the signal is clearly visible from both front and rear when extended from the left of the body of the bus.
2. Display the signal and alternately flashing lights if passengers are being received or discharged while the bus is stopped on the roadway or a private road or driveway as defined in section 28‑601.
E. The driver of a vehicle on a highway with separate roadways need not stop on meeting or passing a school bus that is:
1. On a different roadway.
2. On a controlled access highway and the school bus is stopped in a loading zone that is a part of or adjacent to the highway and where pedestrians are not permitted to cross the roadway.
F. For the purposes of subsection E of this section, a lane or group of lanes on either side of a two‑way left turn lane is not considered a separate roadway.
G. A person who is responsible for a violation of subsection A of this section is subject to a civil penalty as follows:
1. The court shall impose a minimum civil penalty of two hundred fifty dollars for the first violation.
2. If a person violates this section a second time within a period of thirty-six months, the court shall impose a minimum civil penalty of seven hundred fifty dollars and shall direct the department to suspend the driver license of the person for not more than six months.
3. If a person violates this section three or more times within a period of thirty-six months, the court shall impose a minimum civil penalty of one thousand dollars and shall direct the department to suspend the driver license of the person for at least six months but not more than one year.
Sec. 2. Section 28-928, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
28-928. Applicability of lighting laws
The sections of this article, including sections 28‑929 through 28‑934, relating to clearance and marker lamps, reflectors and stoplights, apply as stated in those sections to vehicles of the type enumerated in the those sections, namely passenger buses, trucks, truck tractors and certain trailers, semitrailers and pole trailers, respectively, when operated on a highway, except that the requirements of section 28-930 also apply when these vehicles are operated on private property. These vehicles shall be equipped as required and all lamp equipment required shall be lighted at the times mentioned specified in section 28‑922, except that clearance and side marker lamps need not be lighted on a vehicle when operated within any municipality where there is sufficient light to render clearly discernible persons and vehicles on the highway at a distance of five hundred feet.
Sec. 3. Section 28-930, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
28-930. School bus lighting equipment; standards and specifications
A. The director may adopt standards and specifications applicable to lighting equipment on and special warning devices to be carried by school buses consistent with and supplemental to this article. The standards and specifications may designate and permit the use of alternately flashing warning signal lights on school buses for the purpose of indicating when children are boarding or alighting from a school bus. The standards and specifications shall correlate with and, as far as possible, conform to the current specifications as approved by the society of automotive engineers.
B. A person shall operate an alternately flashing warning signal light on any school bus when the school bus is a minimum of one hundred feet from a stop or is stopped on a highway for the purpose of permitting school children to board or alight from it.
C. A school bus may be equipped with alternately flashing red strobe lamps on the octagonal signal manually operated by the school bus operator pursuant to section 28‑857, subsection D.