Legal Question in Traffic Law in Virginia
i was recently driving home from shopping into my neighborhood and noticed children crossing the street, it was a four way intersection with no stop signs for going north or south, however there were stop signs on both streets perpendicular to the road i was on. i slowed down but by that point the children were already safely on the other side of the street. as i went through i heard a honk and looked to my right and saw a school bus moving toward the stop sign running perpendicular to the road i was still traveling on. i thought nothing of it and proceeded home, which was a left and a right turn away. when i pulled into my driveway i noticed the school bus had followed me and slowed down in front of my house and then after a few moments drove away. am i legally liable for passing a stopped school bus? as i said, the bus was not loading or unloading children. it was moving, and the lights were NOT flashing and the sign was NOT extended. i assumed that since it was moving without any sort of flashing lights that it constituted a normal vehicle that had to obey the stop sign. and since i had no stop sign i went down the street i was already going down and now i'm worried she might have reported me as i have heard she is a particularly bitter old woman and she feels the need to report parents all the time
1 Answer from Attorneys
Legally liable under these facts(assuming they're true)? No, drivers frequently pass stopped school buses under the facts as described and do so quite legally.
Related Questions & Answers
-
Can a police officer run radar from someone's front yard in Virginia Asked 3/24/11, 9:46 am in United States Virginia Traffic Law
-
What happens when ur caught with the wrong tag on your car Asked 3/21/11, 12:58 pm in United States Virginia Traffic Law