Drivers still not stopping for school buses, North Bay police say
Ontario Provincial Police in North Bay say that despite repeated warnings, some drivers are still not stopping for school buses that have red lights flashing.
An incident Nov. 10 highlights the problem, police said: a vehicle drove past the morning school bus, even though the red lights were flashing.
“This is almost a daily occurrence and there is concern for the children getting on and off the bus,” police said in a news release Thursday.
“The OPP will be out on our local roadways conducting extra patrols looking for drivers not obeying the rules regarding school buses.”
In accordance with the Highway Traffic Act, new amber-yellow lights will flash as the school bus approaches a stop which will serve as a warning to drivers that the bus will be stopping soon.
Motorists encountering a stopped school bus that has its overhead red signal lights flashing (the stop arm does not need to be extended), must stop before reaching the bus.
Drivers can’t proceed until the bus moves or the overhead red signal lights have stopped flashing.
“This applies whether you are meeting or following a school bus and includes multi-lane roads,” police said.
“The only exception is when driving on a road with a median. Traffic coming from the opposite direction is not required to stop.”
Penalties include a fine of $490 plus six demerit points for a first offence and range from $1,000 to $4,000, plus six demerit points and possible jail time up to six months, for each subsequent conviction.
In Ontario, school-bus drivers and other witnesses can report vehicles that have illegally passed a school bus. Vehicle owners can also be charged if their vehicle illegally passes a stopped school bus, regardless of who was driving the vehicle at the time.
Click here for more information on bus safety.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.