x
Breaking News
More () »

Yes, Georgia's new school bus law is the toughest in the nation

'Addy's law' creates a minimum $1,000 fine for violators

GEORGIA, — This week, Governor Brian Kemp signed Addy’s Law, a bill that quadruples Georgia’s minimum fines for motorists who illegally pass school buses.  

For generations, school buses have had a special place in state law. When school buses stop to board or release children, school bus drivers activate flashing lights that signal other motorists to stop. In most cases, if they don’t stop, they’re breaking the law. 

Passed three weeks before adjourning for the year, Addy’s Law will fine motorists who violate it $1,000.

RELATED: Mom of girl killed getting on school bus advocates for law change 

THE QUESTION

A viewer has asked our Verify team if this would make Georgia’s minimum fine for this the highest in America.  

THE SOURCES 

  • Government and legal websites from all 50 states (Full list at the end of article) 
  • Justia.com 
  • AARP

THE ANSWER 

   

This is true.

 

The short answer is yes. 

WHAT WE FOUND 

To find out if it's the strictest in the U.S., we looked up school bus laws in all fifty states, using government and legal websites from California to Maine and Florida. The sites are at the end of this article.

We found that minimum fines of $250 and $500 were common. Neighboring Florida’s is $200, Alabama’s is $150, and Wisconsin’s is America’s lowest at $30. 

When Georgia enacts Addy’s law, its thousand-dollar fine will be tied to the country's largest minimum fine.

Utah’s legislature also passed a bill to increase the minimum fine to a thousand dollars this year. It takes effect in May, and Georgia's law will take effect July 1.

So, to be more specific, Addy’s Law would put Georgia among the two states with the highest minimum fines for passing a school bus with its lights on.  

And Georgia’s law also applies to those fines that can be levied based just on evidence from school bus cameras – another reason to be very careful driving around school buses.  

Hover over states or use the search function to view its school bus law minimums across the county; click here to see a bigger version of the map

FULL SOURCE LIST

  1. Alabama
  2. Alaska
  3. Arizona
  4. Arkansas and here
  5. California
  6. Colorado and here
  7. Connecticut and here
  8. Delaware
  9. Florida (section 5) and here
  10. Georgia
  11. Hawaii
  12. Idaho
  13. Indiana
  14. Iowa
  15. Illinois
  16. Kansas and here
  17. Kentucky
  18. Louisiana
  19. Maine
  20. Maryland
  21. Massachusetts
  22. Minnesota
  23. Missouri
  24. Michigan
  25. Mississippi
  26. Montana and here
  27. Nebraska
  28. Nevada
  29. New Hampshire
  30. New Jersey
  31. New York
  32. New Mexico
  33. North Carolina
  34. North Dakota
  35. Ohio
  36. Oklahoma
  37. Oregon and here
  38. Pennsylvania
  39. Rhode Island
  40. South Carolina
  41. South Dakota
  42. Tennessee
  43. Texas
  44. Utah
  45. Virginia
  46. Vermont and here
  47. Washington
  48. Wisconsin
  49. West Virginia
  50. Wyoming and here

Before You Leave, Check This Out