Mich. removes exception to school bus stop law

LANSING, Mich. — Motorists in Michigan are now clearly prohibited from passing school buses in any case when they are loading or unloading students, under a bill passed last week.

The state vehicle code previously allowed cars to pass stopped school buses at less than 10 mph and "with due caution" at intersections controlled by a traffic signal or an officer. The new legislation removed that exception.

"The safety of our students always comes first, and this will eliminate any confusion as to when it is and is not OK to pass a parked school bus," Gov. Rick Snyder said in signing the legislation, which went into effect immediately.

The school bus stop law exception was highlighted in a column in The Grand Rapids Press last fall.