Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-279 (2025)

(a) The operator of any vehicle or motor vehicle, including an authorized emergency vehicle, as defined in section 14-1, shall immediately bring such vehicle to a stop not less than ten feet from the front when approaching and not less than ten feet from the rear when overtaking or following any registered school bus on any highway or private road or in any parking area or on any school property when such bus is displaying flashing red signal lights, except at the specific direction of a traffic officer. Vehicles so stopped for a school bus shall not proceed until such school bus no longer displays flashing red signal lights, except that a stopped authorized emergency vehicle may proceed as long as such authorized emergency vehicle is operated pursuant to section 14-283. At the intersection of two or more highways vehicular turns toward a school bus receiving or discharging passengers are prohibited. The operator of a vehicle upon a highway with two or more lanes for traffic separated by a safety island or physical barrier may proceed without stopping upon meeting or passing a school bus which is on the opposite side of such island or barrier.

(b) Any person who violates any provision of subsection (a) of this section shall be fined four hundred fifty dollars for the first offense and for each subsequent offense, not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days or both.

(c) Upon receipt of a written report from any school bus operator specifying the number plate, color and type of any vehicle observed by such operator violating any provision of subsection (a) of this section and the date, approximate time and location of such violation, a police officer shall issue a written warning or a summons to the owner of any such vehicle.

(1955, S. 1323d; February, 1965, P.A. 574, S. 21; 1967, P.A. 380; P.A. 80-245; P.A. 85-71; P.A. 86-155; P.A. 01-192, S. 3; P.A. 04-217, S. 29; P.A. 11-255, S. 1; P.A. 14-221, S. 2; P.A. 18-164, S. 18; P.A. 24-107, S. 1.)

History: 1965 act deleted “stop signal” as alternative to signal lights on school buses; 1967 act prohibited vehicle's moving until bus no longer displays “flashing” lights; P.A. 80-245 added Subsec. (b) re penalties for violation of provisions; P.A. 85-71 amended Subsec. (a) to include reference to flashing “red” signal lights and added Subsec. (c), providing for the issuance of a written warning to the owner of a vehicle violating Subsec. (a) upon receipt of a written report; P.A. 86-155 amended Subsec. (a) to require vehicle operator to stop when overtaking or following a school bus on any highway, private road or in any parking area or on school property when bus is displaying flashing red lights, and amended Subsec. (c) to eliminate reference to “other person eighteen years of age or older” making written report and to require police officer to issue written warning or summons upon receipt of written report; P.A. 01-192 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re authorized emergency vehicle, as defined in Sec. 14-1(a)(4) and making a technical change for the purpose of gender neutrality (Revisor's note: In Subsec. (a), “subsection (a) of” was added editorially by the Revisors before “section 14-1” for accuracy); P.A. 04-217 amended Subsec. (a) to eliminate reference to Sec. 14-1(a)(4), effective January 1, 2005; P.A. 11-255 amended Subsec. (b) to replace minimum $100 and maximum $500 fine for first offense with $450 fine, and amended Subsec. (c) to require issuance of warning or summons upon receipt of evidence file from live digital video school bus violation detection monitoring system, to add provision re vehicle observed by operator or recorded by camera and to add provision re criteria for sufficient proof for purposes of Sec. 14-107(b), effective July 1, 2001; P.A. 14-221 amended Subsec. (a) to add provision re emergency vehicle stopped for school bus may proceed as long as the authorized emergency vehicle is operated pursuant to Sec. 14-283 and to make technical changes; P.A. 18-164 amended Subsec. (c) to delete provisions re evidence file from live digital video school bus violation detection monitoring system, re vehicle recorded by camera affixed to school bus and re criteria for sufficient proof for purposes of Sec. 14-107(b), effective July 1, 2018; P.A. 24-107 amended Subsec. (a) to replace provision re passing school bus on highway with separate roadways with provisions re highway with 2 or more lanes separated by island or barrier and made a technical change in Subsec. (c), effective July 1, 2024.

See Sec. 14-111g re operator's retraining program.

Evidences legislative intent to create a safety zone within which school children can safely cross a street after alighting from a school bus. 180 C. 302.

State is not limited to proving a vehicle is a registered school bus by a certified copy of registration prepared by commissioner; it could prove this element by such other evidence as it sees fit. 4 Conn. Cir. Ct. 5.

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