When it comes to driving around school buses, you have to be careful to avoid passing the bus illegally and incurring a ticket. The school bus violation penalty is serious and can have your driver’s license suspended.
However, when you pass a school bus illegally and a ticket is issued to you, how can you avoid paying the ticket?
You can avoid paying ticket for passing a school bus illegally by either contesting the ticket in court, or better still drive carefully to avoid getting the ticket in the first place.
How To Avoid Paying Ticket for Passing a School Bus
The best way to avoid paying a ticket for passing a school bus illegally is by contesting the ticket in court by presenting your defense and explaining why the ticket should be dismissed.
Indeed, you can avoid paying a ticket for passing a school bus illegally by contesting the ticket in court. If you’re lucky, you may be able to avoid the penalty.
However, truth be told. It is very hard to win a school bus ticket in the court. What excuse are you going to use? Imagine if your action injured or killed a school child. But there’s no harm in trying.
If you have tangable reasons why you passed the school bus illegally, you can go ahead to contest the ticket. If you win, you might not pay for the ticket, but might still be purnished in a way.
How To Avoid Paying Ticket By Contesting the Ticket
Here’s how you can contest a school bus ticket to avoid paying for it:
Step 1: Review the Ticket
You need to carefully read the ticket to understand the violation you are being charged with. You can’t pay for a crime you did not commit. You need to know what you committed and what you’re contesting to know how to go about contesting the ticket.
You also need to check for any errors or discrepancies in the ticket details, such as incorrect dates, times, or vehicle information.
There are so many wrong informations in a ticket that can get invalidate a ticket. For example, if the law enforcement that issued the ticket to you made a mistake in the make and model of your car, its a means to contest the ticket.
But you know that most times, school bus cameras records the violation which means you can get a ticket from a school bus camera. If there’s video evidence of the violation, it may be hard fighting the ticket with just the mistakes made on the ticket.
Step 2: Gather Your Evidence
After you’re done reviewing the ticket, the next thing to do is to collect any evidence that might support your case. This can include:
- Photographs or videos of the location where the incident occurred.
- Witness statements from passengers or bystanders who can corroborate your version of events.
- GPS data or dashcam footage from your vehicle, if available.
- Any relevant traffic signals, signs, or road conditions that may have impacted your ability to comply with the law.
If for example, the reason why you passed the school bus was because of a faulty brake that couldn’t work, you should be able to get evidence to prove that indeed your brakes were the culprit. I hope you understand what I mean. Gather your evidence and keep it ready.
Step 3: Prepare Your Defense
The next is to prepare your defense. Based on the evidence you have gathered, you need to prepare a clear and concise argument for why the ticket should be dismissed.
Your defense could include:
- You did not pass the school bus while its stop sign was extended or its red lights were flashing.
- The bus’s stop sign or lights were not visible or not functioning properly.
- You were directed by a police officer or other authority to proceed.
- You were not the driver of the vehicle at the time of the alleged violation.
If stopping would have caused an accident or was otherwise unsafe, you might be able to argue that it was safer to continue driving, rather than stopping.
Also, if weather conditions or other factors made it impossible to see the bus or its signals, you might have a valid argument.
Imagine if the school bus driver did not give you enough time to stop. Maybe 1 – 2 seconds, it will be hard for you to fully come to a stop within the range without risking being involved in a crash, probably rear-end crash.
You have to have a valid defence if not, you don’t stand a chance. It will end up brutal for you because you must pay for the ticket and pay for your lawyer if your hired one.
Step 4: Request a Hearing
Follow the instructions on the ticket to request a hearing or contest the violation. To do this, you have to submit a written request to the traffic court or administrative body within a stipulated period written on the ticket.
Don’t forget that you must be prepared to clearly and calmly present your evidence and arguments in court.
Step 5: Attend the Court Hearing
On the day of the court hearing, endevour to attend the court heraring. You must be punctual and be respectful. Show up on time and dress appropriately for court.
When its time for you to present your case, clearly present your evidence and make your arguments. Stick to the facts and remain calm and respectful throughout the proceedings.
If you have a clean driving record, highlight this in your defense as it can sometimes help in gaining leniency from the court.
Furthermore, if you were allowed to ask the officers questions, focus on any inconsistencies or mistakes in their testimony.
After both sides have presented their cases, the judge will make a decision. If the decision is not in your favor, you may have the option to appeal the decision or better still pay the ticket and save yourself the stress.
Like I always say, school bus ticket is one ticket that is very hard to contest, you have to have reasonable reasons to be able to win. The reasons must be reasonable enough else you don’t stand a chance.
Therefore, if your reasons for getting a ticket for passing a stopped school bus loading and loading children is not strong, don’t bother fighting the ticket, it will be a complete waste of time and you will have to pay for the ticket at the end.
Moreover, before attempting to contest a school bus ticket, ensure to consult with a traffic lawyer/attorney who can provide you with legal advice and represent you in court.
Conclusion
Since the best way to avoid paying a ticket for passing a school bus illegally is by contesting the ticket in court, you have to make sure that you have tangible reasons why the violation occurred, otherwise, the ticket will not be dismissed and you will end up paying for the lawyer that represented you in the court and the ticket as well.
However, I suggest you first of all contact a traffic attoney to be able know your chances. He/she will tell you whether you stand a chance of winning the case. If its not something feasible, he/she willl inform you to pay the ticket to avoid wasting everybody’s time.
