School Bus Passing Penalties Increased in Florida

Florida's governor approves the Cameron Mayhew Act, which imposes a $1,500 fine and a one-year license suspension for seriously injuring or killing a person while illegally passing a school bus.

Thomas McMahon・Executive Editor

June 28, 2017

School Bus Passing Penalties Increased in Florida — On Monday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott enacted a bill that targets stop-arm violators who cause serious injury or death. Scott is seen here signing a different bill earlier in June. Photo by Jesse Romimora

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On Monday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott enacted a bill that targets stop-arm violators who cause serious injury or death. Scott is seen here signing a different bill earlier in June. Photo by Jesse Romimora

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A newly enacted law in Florida poses tougher penalties for motorists who illegally pass a school bus and strike a student.

On Monday, Gov. Rick Scott approved HB 1239, a bill that targets 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.

“I was proud to sign the Cameron Mayhew Act to ensure tragedies like this never happen again,” Scott said on Twitter on Wednesday.

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 newly passed legislation, which was introduced in March by Florida Sen. Kathleen Passidomo and Rep. Dane Eagle, imposes 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 new penalties for those violators 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 attending a driver improvement course relating to the rights of vulnerable road users.

• Six points on the driver’s record, up from four for stop-arm violations that don’t result in serious injury or death.

The Cameron Mayhew Act takes effect on Saturday.

I was proud to sign the Cameron Mayhew Act to ensure tragedies like this never happen again: https://t.co/MZ5VCjJhBF @winknews
— Rick Scott (@FLGovScott) June 28, 2017

Topics:danger zone fatalities Florida law enforcement stop-arm running/illegal passing Management Safety

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