Session Laws

Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to immediately regulate the requirement of flashing lights on school buses, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

Section 7B of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 1984 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out clause (7) and inserting in place thereof the following clause:- (7) Each school bus shall be equipped with Type I Class A turn signal lamps, which shall have a four-way hazard warning signal switch to cause simultaneous flashing of the turn signal lamps which may be activated when a bus is approaching a stop to load or discharge school pupils and when needed as a vehicular traffic hazard warning. Each school bus shall also be equipped with front and rear alternating flashing school bus red signal lamps, which shall remain flashing when school pupils are entering or leaving the bus. School buses manufactured with a chassis of nineteen hundred and eighty-four model year and thereafter shall be equipped with the eight-lamp system, so-called, which, in addition to the aforementioned lamps, shall include alternating flashing amber signal lamps of the same size as, and placed adjacent to, said red signal lamps, and which shall be activated when said bus is approaching a stop to load or discharge school pupils. On buses equipped with the eight-lamp system, so-called, the use of the four-way hazard warning lamps for the purpose of warning motorists of the vehicle's impending stop to load or discharge school pupils shall be discontinued. Use of alternating flashing school bus red signal lamps for any other purpose, and at any time other than when the school bus is stopped to load or discharge school pupils, shall be prohibited. All aformentioned lamps shall comply with applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and any applicable rules and regulations promulgated by the registrar. Any person who operates such a bus shall not permit the boarding or discharging of school pupils therefrom unless the school bus is stopped as close as is practicable to the right-hand side or edge of the ways and shall announce when discharging passengers therefrom that all persons who wish to cross to the other side of the way shall do so by passing in front of the bus immediately upon alighting therefrom. No person shall operate a school bus on a way after discharging passengers therefrom unless all persons who wish to cross to the other side have done so.