hobbit1966
Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Pennsylvania
I wonder if my concerns express a certain level of unfounded anxiety/paranoia which I can sometimes be (in)famous for, but I will pose my question no less. Please pardon the verboseness of my post, but read it carefully before responding because of the dynamic of this issue.
Recently, as I was on my way to work early in the morning, I turned onto a street where a school bus was about to embark from the opposite direction (the bus would be traveling eastward while I was headed west on that 2-lane roadway with parking spaces next to each curb). A few seconds after the bus turned onto said street from another road, its amber flashing lights came on. Being the careful, mindful driver that I strive to be, I almost immediately stopped my car. The school bus continued to pass me on the opposite side of the street and then the red stop lights and stop arm engaged. I remained at a full and complete stop until the driver released the stop lights and arm and then I carefully proceeded. I was able to see the flashing lights from behind/in my mirrors and made sure they were off before preparing to move on.
My issue is thus: Would I essentially be in the clear based on *my* stopping and remaining stopped despite the bus continuing to move toward the intersection that I turned from? I wonder if perhaps I stopped too soon and should have at least gone past the bus as long as the lights remained amber; I did not want to have the slightest chance of moving, when the stop arm was extended and the red lights were flashing, in violation of Title 75 PA CS section 3345, part (a) (meeting/overtaking a school bus -- duty of approaching driver when red signals are flashing). I feel like I was being especially mindful of part (b) (duty of approaching driver when amber signals are flashing). The latter seems to be worded such that it is perfectly reasonable to stop WHILE the amber lights are on if possible, which is what I did; I was essentially quite prepared but wanted to act sooner rather than later. When I stopped, my car was probably about 40 feet from the intersection but was still alongside the bus, but again the bus continued moving after I was no longer in motion. Therefore, I would be <10 feet from the bus (against the requirement in part (a)) even though it was I that stopped first and then waited to go until after the driver terminated the stop signaling system. The bus driver did not sound the horn at me in any case at this juncture. Would there be any defense that I need to produce? I sometimes worry that I might be cited even if I by and large remained compliant to the law based on some shortcoming or misapplication. With most such violations, you know, the motorist that meets/overtakes a school bus has failed to stop when required, but I stopped even before the bus and remained so until legally allowed to continue.
Is this sort of phenomenon actually rather common and not to be worried about? Despite going to work when school starts on weekdays, I do not actually encounter active buses much at all when commuting. I prefer to err on the side of being cautious when I do meet one and to convey an understanding of the importance of safety while not risking my legal standing as a licensed driver in Pennsylvania. I have not seen many questions about this kind of experience but I would suspect that there might be those that are similarly uneasy especially if being less than the statutory distance from the school bus even if they stopped before the bus did and remained so until the lights were extinguished. In the future, is there another possible way of acting that similarly minimizes the risk of passing a school bus as it is about to stop?
Thank you for your thoughts and suggestions, especially anyone from Pennsylvania or states with similar laws.
A lower-50's male driver living life in the computer help desk realm
I wonder if my concerns express a certain level of unfounded anxiety/paranoia which I can sometimes be (in)famous for, but I will pose my question no less. Please pardon the verboseness of my post, but read it carefully before responding because of the dynamic of this issue.
Recently, as I was on my way to work early in the morning, I turned onto a street where a school bus was about to embark from the opposite direction (the bus would be traveling eastward while I was headed west on that 2-lane roadway with parking spaces next to each curb). A few seconds after the bus turned onto said street from another road, its amber flashing lights came on. Being the careful, mindful driver that I strive to be, I almost immediately stopped my car. The school bus continued to pass me on the opposite side of the street and then the red stop lights and stop arm engaged. I remained at a full and complete stop until the driver released the stop lights and arm and then I carefully proceeded. I was able to see the flashing lights from behind/in my mirrors and made sure they were off before preparing to move on.
My issue is thus: Would I essentially be in the clear based on *my* stopping and remaining stopped despite the bus continuing to move toward the intersection that I turned from? I wonder if perhaps I stopped too soon and should have at least gone past the bus as long as the lights remained amber; I did not want to have the slightest chance of moving, when the stop arm was extended and the red lights were flashing, in violation of Title 75 PA CS section 3345, part (a) (meeting/overtaking a school bus -- duty of approaching driver when red signals are flashing). I feel like I was being especially mindful of part (b) (duty of approaching driver when amber signals are flashing). The latter seems to be worded such that it is perfectly reasonable to stop WHILE the amber lights are on if possible, which is what I did; I was essentially quite prepared but wanted to act sooner rather than later. When I stopped, my car was probably about 40 feet from the intersection but was still alongside the bus, but again the bus continued moving after I was no longer in motion. Therefore, I would be <10 feet from the bus (against the requirement in part (a)) even though it was I that stopped first and then waited to go until after the driver terminated the stop signaling system. The bus driver did not sound the horn at me in any case at this juncture. Would there be any defense that I need to produce? I sometimes worry that I might be cited even if I by and large remained compliant to the law based on some shortcoming or misapplication. With most such violations, you know, the motorist that meets/overtakes a school bus has failed to stop when required, but I stopped even before the bus and remained so until legally allowed to continue.
Is this sort of phenomenon actually rather common and not to be worried about? Despite going to work when school starts on weekdays, I do not actually encounter active buses much at all when commuting. I prefer to err on the side of being cautious when I do meet one and to convey an understanding of the importance of safety while not risking my legal standing as a licensed driver in Pennsylvania. I have not seen many questions about this kind of experience but I would suspect that there might be those that are similarly uneasy especially if being less than the statutory distance from the school bus even if they stopped before the bus did and remained so until the lights were extinguished. In the future, is there another possible way of acting that similarly minimizes the risk of passing a school bus as it is about to stop?
Thank you for your thoughts and suggestions, especially anyone from Pennsylvania or states with similar laws.
A lower-50's male driver living life in the computer help desk realm
