Passing a school bus

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sweetheart111

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What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? GA

I was exiting a townhouse subdivision last Friday afternoon and about 100 feet down the road a police officer pulled me over. I had no idea what for. I don't ever speed, I didn't make any U-turns or changed any lanes. He said I passed a school bus. The problem is - neither I nor my friend that was in my car saw a school bus. I did look to the right and left when exiting the neighborhood because I was taking a left. I also didn't see any other cars stopping and they would have if there was a school bus there, right?

If I did pass it - I am truly sorry, and I feel terrible about it. I try my hardest not to ever break the law, let alone do it on purpose. I just don't know what I should say in court since I didn't even see any buses. I think if I say I didn't see the bus it might look even worse - but if I said I did how should I explain it if I didn't even see it??? Also, what kind of penalty should I prepare myself for. I'm terrified that I might have to go to jail...! I had another ticket 2 years ago for improper lane change that I pleaded nolo for (I wasn't at fault but couldn't afford a lawyer ).

I'm going to take a defensive driving course and hope that it will at least help with the possible jail time (oh my God, the thought of it is terrifying...) and/or points. I am just trying to figure out what I should say/plead in court...

Thanks for your help!
 
Thanks for the response.

I've gone to that link a couple of days ago and while it does provide some (extremely scary) information I was still hoping to maybe hear some stories from people that have been through the same thing. As terrible as I feel about my (possibly) passing a school bus which I would never ever do on purpose it still seems completely crazy to me that they would put somebody in jail for this.
I would hire a lawyer but it would be stupid IMO if all I had to do is pay a $ 500 ticket - plus probably a $ 1,000 if I hire a lawyer. I'm sorry if I sound stupid but I've never had to deal with this before.

Also, I was wondering if it's possible to find out the school bus's schedule because my friend said there is no way there was a school bus there at 4:30 PM on Friday (my friend lives there).
 
You could ask for it but what if the bus driver had to drop off a kid or kids on a different school schedule or kids with special needs? Or maybe, dropping off kids due to a mechanical problem with the bus or because the kids where on a special activity and were scheduled to be dropped off at a different time? Tell the judge, if you cannot do the attorney thing, that you will do watever the court asks you to do so you can have reduced charges. Try talking to the DA prior to that so you can gauge the case from their side. Good luck to you!
 
Thank you so much for your response.

I feel terrible - obviously, if I was at fault, I'm ready and willing to do whatever it takes - pay the fine, get the points. I just don't know how I am supposed to go to work if my license gets suspended because I live by myself. If I go to jail ... oh God, that would just be incredible embarrassing because I'm one of those people who's extremely careful and would never break the law. I'm terrified of the police officers, too.

I would like to try to get the schedule for that bus but unfortunately have no idea where to start since I didn't see the bus number (or the bus for that matter...).
 
im sorry if im not of much help, but heres my bit.

i did some quick research about passing school buses and its quite an offense to do so. however, i noticed that most of the descriptions talk about passing a school bus when its stopped, loading and unloading passengers. the law states that drivers must be at least 25 feet away from the school bus, make a complete stop, and then proceed at 10 mph to make the pass.

based on your descriptions, is it possible that from your position that you dont even qualify that statement? if the bus stopped behind you, then i dont see how you can pose a threat at all. if the bus was in front of you (after you made the turn), i dont see how you guys could have possibly missed seeing it.

from what information you have given me, i think your situation is rather silly and i hope you make it out fine. perhaps taking some measurements and photos of the scene would be a good idea.
 
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