Florida Bill Would Boost School Bus Passing Penalties

The Cameron Mayhew Act, named for a 16-year-old who was killed last year, targets drivers who cause serious injury or death while committing a school bus stop-arm violation.

Thomas McMahon・Executive Editor

March 28, 2017

Florida Bill Would Boost School Bus Passing Penalties — Legislation filed in Florida targets motorists who cause serious injury or death while committing a school bus stop-arm violation. Staged photo by Brevard Public Schools

1 min to read

Legislation filed in Florida targets motorists who cause serious injury or death while committing a school bus stop-arm violation. Staged photo by Brevard Public Schools

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Motorists who illegally pass a school bus and strike a student in Florida could soon face stiffer penalties.

Two companion bills filed in the state Legislature in early March target drivers who cause serious injury or death while committing a school bus stop-arm violation.

The legislation is called the Cameron Mayhew Act, named for a 16-year-old student in Fort Myers, Florida, who was struck and killed by a car while crossing the street to board his school bus in June 2016.

The driver whose vehicle hit Mayhew received a $1,000 fine and had his license suspended for six months, which Mayhew’s parents considered a light sentence, according to The News-Press.

The new legislation, introduced by Florida Sen. Kathleen Passidomo and Rep. Dane Eagle, would impose a $1,500 fine and a one-year license suspension for motorists who seriously injure or kill a person while illegally passing a school bus. The penalties for those violators would also include:

• Serving 120 community service hours in a trauma center or hospital that regularly receives victims of vehicle accidents.

• Participating in a victim’s impact panel session in a judicial circuit or attend a driver improvement course relating to the rights of vulnerable road users.

If the legislation passes, the Cameron Mayhew Act would take effect on July 1.

Topics:danger zone fatalities Florida school bus stops stop-arm running/illegal passing Management Safety

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