Passing A Stopped School Bus In Asheville, NC

Passing a stopped school bus is a very common Asheville area traffic violation that I deal with. Make no mistake, this charge is not a simple pay it ticket, this is a class 1 misdemeanor, with a mandatory court appearance. Passing a stopped school bus carries a hefty $500 fine, and you can forget your trusty PJC request, the statute prohibits that solution on this charge.

If the criminal consequences aren’t enough, passing a stopped bus carries 5 license points, and you’ll see a near doubling of NC liability insurance premiums with a conviction. This is definitely a charge you’ll want to call your Asheville Speeding Ticket Lawyer to handle!

These charges happen to good folks, who usually are caught not paying attention in a bizarre type traffic situation, such as 4 lanes without a median, a bus stopped in the school parking lot (Yes I had a teacher assistant charged this way once!), or other different scenarios where the bus passing wasn’t as clear as you’d think. In fact, it’s rare that I see passing a stopped school bus as a clear cut, and blatant disregard for the stopped bus by just blasting around it’s flashing red lights in the left lane. I’m glad to report this. However, make no mistake, if Deputy Dog or Barney Fife are in the vicinity, and see what they believe is an arguable case, they’ll often write you up by the book! But don’t give up yet, there is hope here, call an experienced Asheville traffic attorney to save the day!

First off, If we’re on the job, you’ll likely never need to appear in court for this charge. Typically, taking into consideration a decent driving record, I’ve been able to achieve complete dismissals of these charges in selected cases. Even when a dismissal wasn’t available, we can typically get you to a benign level moving violation, infraction 1 point offense. The costs/fines are greatly mitigated in these cases as well, often compensating for a significant portion of the attorney fees you’ll pay.

I also realize that these charges are often filed after the event, sometimes with law enforcement knocking on your door later. Don’t hesitate to call for a free assessment of your unique situation:

CALL NOW: 828-575-8417