It should be no surprise to anyone that drivers are required to exercise special care near school zones and school buses.
Children often act unpredictably and without regard for their own safety. This can result in a serious injury. For this reason, Arizona traffic laws impose special duties on drivers when they are near school crossings and school buses that are stopped.
The posted speed limit approaching a school crossing never exceeds 15 mph. There is no excuse for driving faster. These reduced-speed zones generally extend no more than a few hundred feet in length and impose very little on drivers.
Police officers will issue civil traffic citations to drivers who exceed the 15 mph speed limit.
A motorist who exceeds 35 mph in a school-crossing zone can be issued a criminal complaint, and, if convicted, is guilty of a class 3 misdemeanor. The maximum penalty for this violation is a $500 fine and a 30-day jail sentence.
One aspect of the law that is misunderstood by many Arizona drivers is the point at which normal speed many be resumed after slowing for a school zone. The law requires reduced speed only while “approaching a school crossing.”As long as it can be done safely, a driver may return to normal speed immediately after passing the crossing. It is not necessary to continue traveling et the school-zone speed until you reach the reduced speed sign warning drivers moving in the opposite direction.
Regardless of the number lanes in each direction, drivers also must observe the “no passing” rule in school zones. In other words, the slowest car controls the speed.
When approaching a stopped school bus with flashing lights and an extended “stop” sign, drivers are required to come to a full stop and remain stopped until the signals are withdrawn or the bus begins to move again.
The requirement to stop applies to vehicles moving in either direction on the roadway—not just to those behind the bus.
A driver who fails to stop for a school bus is subject to substantial financial penalty. Second and third offenses within defined time periods are even more costly and will result in the suspension of the violator’s driver’s license.
These laws are based on the special needs of children and our collective desire to keep them free from accidents and injury. Always use the extra care they demand.