32-32-5.2Use of red and amber lights by school bus operator--Violation as misdemeanor.

When stopping to receive or discharge pupils, the operator of a school bus to which § 32-32-5 applies shall cause the amber caution lights to be lighted at a distance of not less than three hundred feet nor more than five hundred feet from the point where the pupils are to be received or discharged from the bus. If the point of receiving or discharging pupils is:

(1)    On the roadway, as defined by § 32-14-1, in a rural, residential, and business district and off the roadway in a residential district, the operator shall bring the bus to a stop, turn off the amber caution lights, turn on the red flashing signal lights and extend the stop signal arm. After receiving or discharging pupils, the operator shall turn off the red flashing signal lights, retract the stop signal, and proceed en route; or

(2)    Off the roadway in a business district and rural district and when discharging or receiving passengers at a school location when the passengers need not cross the lane of traffic, the operator shall bring the bus to a stop and turn off the amber caution lights and not activate the red flashing signal lights. After receiving or discharging passengers, the operator shall proceed en route.

A violation of this section is a Class 2 misdemeanor.

Source: SL 1963, ch 255, § 3; SDCL, § 32-32-5; SL 1970, ch 175, § 33; SL 1974, ch 228, § 1; SL 1975, ch 211, § 1; SL 1976, ch 30, § 4; SL 1977, ch 266; SL 1989, ch 255, § 218; SL 1992, ch 230, § 1.