OHIO COUNTY, W.Va. (WTRF) – West Virginia Code 7 states that any driver that passes a school bus from either direction while they are stopped with their flashing lights on is charged with a misdemeanor, will receive a fine of no less than $500, and automatically lose their license for 60 days on the first offense.
If you violate West Virginia Code 7 more than once, your fine continues to double.
That means you could receive up to a $2,000 fine, have your license suspended for a year, and spend up to six months in jail.
After they confirm what car violated the code, they issue a warrant for the OWNER of that car.
In Ohio County, there has already been over 25 recorded incidents where drivers have failed to comply to West Virginia code.
Sheriff Tom Howard and Director of Operations Brian Harto, Believe there will be more.
It’s a busy time for everybody. But no matter how busy you are, hitting a child that’s getting off the school bus is, there’s nothing that important that you need to do that
BRIAN HARTO/DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS/OHIO COUNTY
We’ve got all of the video and we are going to pursue charges on all of them
SHERIFF TOM HOWARD/OHIO COUNTY
Both are urging drivers to pay attention to the road during your commute. Howard says to make sure you obey all school zones, and laws for when abuses flashing lights are on.
