Missouri’s new school bus safety law increases fines and license penalties

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri residents could face up to seven years in prison and a $10,000 fine due to a new school bus safety law.

Missouri's new school bus safety law -- SB 1421 -- takes effect Aug. 28 and significantly increases fines and license penalties for drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses with flashing red lights and extended stop arms.

According to the law, the new penalties for illegally passing a stopped school bus are:

• First offense: Fine of $500 to $1,000, five points added to your driver's license, and a court-ordered 90-day license suspension.
• Second offense (within five years): Fine of $1,000 to $2,000, five points, and a 90-day license suspension.
• Third or subsequent offense (within five years): Fine of $1,000 to $3,000, five points, and a 180-day license suspension.
• If a child is physically injured: Class E felony, up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
• If a child is seriously physically injured: Class D felony, up to seven years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

No driver's license points are automatically attached to the ticket under current state law, and the standard fine for a first-time stop violation is about $130.

The new law also allows school districts to install and operate school bus safety cameras. These cameras would be used to detect stop-arm violations. The law requires that any video not used for enforcement action be deleted after 180 days.

Any image or video captured by a school safety bus may be introduced by a prosecuting attorney as evidence in a judicial proceeding.

Missouri State Sen. Nick Schroer (R-St. Charles County) sponsored the bill.

JoDonn Chaney, spokesperson at the Missouri Department of Revenue, said these convictions will show up on your record automatically.

"So within seven days from the time that there is a court conviction, it will be on your license ... Now it could certainly be quicker than that. It's in real time. So once we receive the information from the court, it will automatically be on your record," said Chaney.

Chaney said that if you receive a violation for five points, it will trigger a point warning letter from the Department of Revenue.

If a person receives eight points within 18 months, they will get a 30-day license suspension.

"If they have multiple points, if they have over eight points, if that five-point violation, if that accumulates to over eight points, then their license, if that eight points happens within 18 months, then they will receive a 30-day suspension," said Chaney.