Assembly Bill No. 623

Assembly Bill No. 623-Committee on Transportation

CHAPTER

611

AN ACT relating to traffic violations; providing for the reporting of certain violations observed by the driver of a school bus; increasing the penalty for certain violations involving a school bus; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

[Approved July 16, 1997]

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. Chapter 484 of NRS is hereby amended by adding thereto a new section to read as follows:
1. The driver of a school bus who observes a violation of NRS 484.357 may prepare a report of the violation. The report must be signed by the driver and include:
(a) The date, time and approximate location of the violation;
(b) The number and state of issuance of the license plate of the vehicle whose driver committed the violation; and
(c) An identification of the vehicle by type and color.
2. The driver of a school bus who prepares a report pursuant to subsection 1 shall, within 2 working days after the violation, send the report to the superintendent of his school district and a copy to the department, which shall thereupon mail to the last known registered owner of the vehicle a notice containing:
(a) The information included in the report;
(b) The provisions of NRS 484.357; and
(c) An explanation that the notice is not a citation but a warning of the seriousness of the violation.
Sec. 2. NRS 484.357 is hereby amended to read as follows:
484.3571. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, the driver of any vehicle upon a highway, street or road, when meeting or overtaking, from either direction, any school bus, equipped with signs and signals required by law, which has stopped on the highway, street or road to receive or discharge any pupil and is displaying a flashing red light signal visible from the front and rear, shall bring his vehicle to an immediate stop and shall not attempt to overtake or proceed past the school bus until the flashing red signal ceases operation.
2. The driver of a vehicle upon a divided highway need not stop upon meeting or passing a school bus which is positioned in the other roadway. The driver of a vehicle need not stop upon meeting or passing a school bus where traffic is controlled by a traffic officer.
3. Any person who violates any of the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor [.] and:
(a) For a third or any subsequent offense within 2 years after the most recent offense, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $1,000 and his driver's license must be suspended for not more than 1 year.
(b) For a second offense within 1 year after the first offense, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $250 nor more than $500 and his driver's license must be suspended for 6 months.
(c) For a first offense or any subsequent offense for which a punishment is not provided for in paragraph (a) or (b), shall be punished by a fine of not less than $250 nor more than $500.
________