Upper Marlboro, MD asked in Traffic Tickets for Maryland

Q: In MD, school bus' flashing lights came on while I was next to it headed in the opposite direction. Can I fight ticket?

I received a ticket (Maryland State 21, Subtitle 7 of the Transportation article violation) for driving past a stopped school bus with flashing lights and the stop sign extended in PG County, MD. I was on a two-lane road, going in the opposite direction from the bus. Looking at the footage, the front end of my car passed the front end of the bus as the bus turned its lights on. I was at the rear of the bus within 2 seconds. Should I contest the ticket? There was no way for me to stop 20 feet away from the bus because it turned on its lights when I was already next to it. And two seconds is not enough time even if I had a near zero response time to come to a screeching halt and not have passed the end of the bus.

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1 Lawyer Answer
Scott Scherr
Scott Scherr
Answered
  • Traffic Tickets Lawyer
  • Towson, MD
  • Licensed in Maryland

A: You should request a trial and go to court. The judge will watch the video and you can testify to what happened. The judge will decide the case. If it was a camera ticket (as opposed to being stopped by a police officer), then there are no points assessed.

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