A Chatham woman faces charges after allegedly failing to stop for a school bus.
Chatham-Kent Police Service officials say on Wednesday, November 22, at 8:52 a.m. a black Chevrolet car allegedly passed a school bus that was stopped on Thames Street in Chatham, with its clearance flashing red lights and flashing stop arm activated.
Police say the bus driver pressed on the horn to alert the driver to stop as the flashing stop arm was activated and visible to traffic.
This school bus, which is equipped with an exterior camera, showed the car driving passed the bus, making no attempt to stop or even slow down, police allege.
As a result, a 30-year-old Chatham woman was charged with failing to stop for a school bus.
The Chatham-Kent Police Service encourages all motorists to slow down and pay attention to the rules of the road.
Road safety is everyone’s responsibility, police say.
It is illegal to fail to stop for a stopped school bus that has its red lights flashing.
Police official say if you don’t stop, you can be fined $400 to $2,000 and get six demerit points for a first offence.
If you are convicted a second time within five years, the penalty is a fine of $1,000 to $4,000 and six demerit points.
You could also go to jail for up to six months.
In Ontario, school-bus drivers and other witnesses can report vehicles that have illegally passed a school bus.
If you are the vehicle’s registered owner, these same fines, but not demerit points or jail time, may be applied to you.
For more information, please click on the following link: https://www.ontario.ca/document/official-mto-drivers-handbook/stopping#section-2
