PRINTER'S NO. 734
No. 678 Session of 1999
INTRODUCED BY SALVATORE AND WAGNER, MARCH 24, 1999
REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION, MARCH 24, 1999
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
2 Statutes, further providing for meeting or overtaking school
3 buses and for safety regulations for school buses.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Sections 3345(d) and 4551(a) of Title 75 of the
7 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes are amended to read:
8 § 3345. Meeting or overtaking school bus.
9 * * *
10 (d) Use of amber signals.--The amber visual signals shall be
11 actuated by the driver of every school bus not more than 300
12 feet nor less than 150 feet prior to making a stop for the
13 purpose of receiving or discharging school children and shall
14 remain in operation until the red visual signals are actuated.
15 Amber signals shall not be used unless the red visual signals
16 are to be actuated immediately following. The department shall
17 include in its driver's license manual an explanation of the
18 importance of observing the operation of amber signals and how a
1 driver should respond to their operation.
2 * * *
3 § 4551. Safety regulations.
4 (a) General rule.--All school buses and all other vehicles
5 used in the transportation of school children, owned by or under
6 contract with any school district or parochial or private
7 school, shall conform to standards prescribed by the department.
8 Regulations shall be promulgated by the department governing the
9 safe design, construction, equipment and operation of vehicles
10 engaged in the transportation of school children. Regulations
11 under this subsection shall require operators of school buses to
12 maintain information about the medical history of each child
13 with a disability in case an injury occurs on a school bus. The
14 department shall establish forms for this information.
15 * * *
16 Section 2. This act shall take effect as follows:
17 (1) The amendment of 75 Pa.C.S. § 3345(d) shall take
18 effect in 180 days.
19 (2) The amendment of 75 Pa.C.S. § 4551(a) shall take
20 effect in 60 days.
21 (3) This section shall take effect immediately.
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