Are You in Favor of Stricter School Bus Passing Laws in Maine?

As a parent and a driver, I am always super cautious whenever I need to drive near a school bus.  Two of my biggest fears are my kids being injured in a crash and me causing someone else's kids to be injured in a crash.

I believe that most people believe the same way that I do.  Most people are very cautious whenever they are near a school bus.

Most people, but not everyone.

Over the last few years, we have seen a slew of cases when people passed by stopped school buses.

In one case, a teen driver sped past a stopped school bus, nearly hitting a child getting off the bus.  The only thing that saved the kid was a quick-thinking bus driver who grabbed the child's backpack, holding the kid back.

Sadly, in at least a few of these cases, the child getting on (or off) that bus was hit by the driver and injured.

Everyone knows how dangerous passing a stopped bus is, but these incidents still happen.  So, is the problem that the penalties are too lenient?

According to the Maine Legislature website, the current penalties are as follows:

 a $250 minimum fine for the first offense and a mandatory 30-day suspension of a driver's license for a 2nd offense occurring within 3 years of the first offense.

The above does not seem too lenient...  Until you compare it to the penalties from our neighbors to the north.

According to a WCSH 6 article from 2018, Prince Edward Island, Canada currently imposes fines of between $1,000 and $5,000 for first-time offenders.

Those who pass by a stopped school bus will also lose their license for up to three months.

After those three months, they need to take a driving course and pay a license reinstatement fee.

What do you think?  Should we have penalties that are more in line with what Prince Edward Island is doing?

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