Should Kalamazoo Have This Law?
With the horrible unbelievable increase of incidents involving cars, school buses and school kids, many cities and states are taking a second look at what can be done to reverse this trend. Apparently, it's not enough for some drivers to not only follow the traffic laws but also exercise simple, common sense. Unfortunately, patience is not a virtue in this case as young lives are at stake.
Perhaps it's time to put a bigger stake on the drivers who don't take the laws in this area as seriously as the consequences. According to an article on upnorthlive.com, a Canadian Province has already passed a law, taking effect on December 8th, that will get the attention of the irresponsible motorists and impose penalties that match the offense. Now the punishment for not stopping for a school bus will be 12 points (up from the current 8), a $5,000 fine (up from the current $1,000) and, most importantly, suspension of the offender's drivers license for 3 months. Frankly, if we changed our law I'd like to see more severe penalties including a year-long suspension of driving privileges.