Section 14-279 - Vehicles to stop for school bus. Penalties. Written warning or summons(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.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-279
(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 .)
Amended by P.A. 24-0107,S. 1 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2024 Regular Session, eff. 7/1/2024.Amended by P.A. 18-0164, S. 18 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2018 Regular Session, eff. 7/1/2018.Amended by P.A. 14-0221, S. 2 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2014 Regular Session, eff. 10/1/2014.Amended by P.A. 11-0255, S. 1 of the the 2011 Regular Session, eff. 7/1/2011. Evidences legislative intent to create a safety zone within which school children can safely cross a street after alighting from a school bus. 180 Conn. 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.
See Sec. 14-111g re operator's retraining program.