Yes, Georgia's new school bus law is the toughest in the nation

GEORGIA, — This week, Governor Brian Kemp signed Addy’s Law, a bill that quadruples Georgia’s minimum fines for motorists who illegally pass school buses.  

For generations, school buses have had a special place in state law. When school buses stop to board or release children, school bus drivers activate flashing lights that signal other motorists to stop. In most cases, if they don’t stop, they’re breaking the law. 

Passed three weeks before adjourning for the year, Addy’s Law will fine motorists who violate it $1,000.

RELATED: Mom of girl killed getting on school bus advocates for law change 

THE QUESTION

A viewer has asked our Verify team if this would make Georgia’s minimum fine for this the highest in America.  

THE SOURCES 

• Government and legal websites from all 50 states (Full list at the end of article) 
• Justia.com 
• AARP

THE ANSWER 

The short answer is yes. 

WHAT WE FOUND 

To find out if it's the strictest in the U.S., we looked up school bus laws in all fifty states, using government and legal websites from California to Maine and Florida. The sites are at the end of this article.

We found that minimum fines of $250 and $500 were common. Neighboring Florida’s is $200, Alabama’s is $150, and Wisconsin’s is America’s lowest at $30. 

When Georgia enacts Addy’s law, its thousand-dollar fine will be tied to the country's largest minimum fine.

Utah’s legislature also passed a bill to increase the minimum fine to a thousand dollars this year. It takes effect in May, and Georgia's law will take effect July 1.

So, to be more specific, Addy’s Law would put Georgia among the two states with the highest minimum fines for passing a school bus with its lights on.  

And Georgia’s law also applies to those fines that can be levied based just on evidence from school bus cameras – another reason to be very careful driving around school buses.  

Hover over states or use the search function to view its school bus law minimums across the county; click here to see a bigger version of the map

FULL SOURCE LIST

1. Alabama
2. Alaska
3. Arizona
4. Arkansas and here
5. California
6. Colorado and here
7. Connecticut and here
8. Delaware
9. Florida (section 5) and here
10. Georgia
11. Hawaii
12. Idaho
13. Indiana
14. Iowa
15. Illinois
16. Kansas and here
17. Kentucky
18. Louisiana
19. Maine
20. Maryland
21. Massachusetts
22. Minnesota
23. Missouri
24. Michigan
25. Mississippi
26. Montana and here
27. Nebraska
28. Nevada
29. New Hampshire
30. New Jersey
31. New York
32. New Mexico
33. North Carolina
34. North Dakota
35. Ohio
36. Oklahoma
37. Oregon and here
38. Pennsylvania
39. Rhode Island
40. South Carolina
41. South Dakota
42. Tennessee
43. Texas
44. Utah
45. Virginia
46. Vermont and here
47. Washington
48. Wisconsin
49. West Virginia
50. Wyoming and here