For those of you just trying to get to and from work during morning and afternoon rush hour in Stamford, you don’t have to look very far on Stamford’s Bedford or Summer Streets to see Stamford police lying in wait to hit you with a speeding ticket, or worse…a school bus stop sign violation ticket under CGS 14-279. These school bus stop sign tickets are double-edged swords—first, a guilty plea by mail gets you a 4-point DMV penalty, and second, the fines are more expensive than a monthly car payment.
So can anything be done to fight these Stamford school bus stop sign tickets? Absolutely. Keep reading to learn how to get your Greenwich or Stamford School Bus Stop Sign ticket dismissed today.
Absolutely not. A guilty plea by mail or a guilty plea in court to a CGS 14-279 School Bus Stop Sign Violation will result in a 4-point violation to your Connecticut DMV driving record and a $450 fine for your first school bus stop sign guilty plea. Any subsequent guilty plea is punishable by a maximum $1000 fine and up to 30 days in jail. That’s right…possible jail for a subsequent conviction to running a school bus stop sign! Obviously Connecticut lawmakers and politicians supported such a harsh law because their primary concern is the safety of kids boarding and unloading from a school bus. It is an extremely routine yet dangerous scenario, especially during busy rush hour traffic when motorists are trying to get to work, running late, and possibly talking or fooling around on their cell phones and iphones while driving. But stiff fines, DMV points and jail time may not necessarily be the answer in solving the problem.
So you definitely do not want to plead guilty in Stamford or Darien Connecticut to a 14-279 School Bus Stop sign traffic violation without consulting a top Stamford Connecitcut speeding ticket lawyer. Plus, as any of the best Darien or Stamford Connecticut criminal attorneys and lawyers would inform you, 6 points triggers a driver’s license suspension if you do not attend a driver retraining course, and 10 points triggers an automatic license suspension for 30 days. Click here for more information on DMV Points in Stamford, Darien and Greenwich Connecticut. Additionally, and regardless of the consequences on your driver’s license, your automobile insurance premiums can be detrimentally impacted by your guilty plea to a School Bus Stop Sign ticket.
Top Greenwich speeding ticket lawyers and top Stamford Connecticut speeding ticket lawyers and attorneys frequently see Stamford police issue CGS 14-279 school bus stop sign tickets to drivers for running past school buses pulled over on the far right or far left lanes on Bedford and Summer Streets, which are both 3-lane roadways. In heavy rush hour traffic, with trucks, buses and other cars surrounding you, it is very difficult to see that a school bus is stationary and has their stop sign extended two lanes over from you. Yet as the best Stamford Connecticut traffic lawyers and speeding ticket lawyers would agree, every car in every lane behind a school bus stop sign is required to come to a complete stop. The towns of Stamford and Greenwich have tried to allay this problem by providing crossing guards for busy bus stops and intersections. These crossing guards will actually step into traffic to assist students and parents, as well as stop traffic with their large stop signs. But for the bus stops that don’t have their own crossing guards, it is the driver’s responsibility to come to a complete stop, no matter which lane they are driving in and no matter how obstructed their view is of the school bus stop sign at issue.
As you can see, pleading guilty to a Darien or Stamford Connecticut School Bus Stop Sign violation ticket can wreak havoc on your DMV record and auto insurance premiums. And subsequent guilty pleas can even land you in jail. So don’t let these Stamford school bus stop sign tickets get out of control. Get in front of them by getting in front of an experienced Stamford traffic and speeding ticket lawyer at Mark Sherman Law today. Give us a call today at (203) 358-4700.
