PRINTER'S NO. 427
No. 397 Session of 1985
INTRODUCED BY WESTON, FEBRUARY 13, 1985
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, FEBRUARY 13, 1985
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
2 Statutes, requiring seat belts for school buses; and
3 providing penalties.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Title 75 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
7 Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:
8 § 3716. Mandatory use of seat belts in school buses.
9 (a) Offense defined.--It is unlawful for a person to operate
10 or to permit the operation of a school bus to transport students
11 to or from school activities unless each student is properly
12 buckled into his seat by a seat belt.
13 (b) Penalty.--A person violating this section commits a
14 summary offense, punishable by a fine of $50 for the first
15 offense and a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500 for
16 a second or subsequent offense.
17 (c) Defense.--It is a defense to prosecution under this
18 section that a student, after having been properly buckled into
1 his seat by a seat belt, unbuckled the seat belt without the
2 knowledge of the operator of the school bus.
3 Section 2. Section 4552(d) of Title 75 is amended to read:
4 § 4552. General requirements for school buses.
5 * * *
6 (d) Seating.--Adequate seating space of safe design and
7 construction shall be provided for each passenger and no
8 passenger shall be carried for which adequate seating space is
9 not available and used. By January 1, 1987, all seats shall be
10 equipped with seat belts.
11 * * *
12 Section 3. (a) Section 1 of this act shall take effect
13 January 1, 1987.
14 (b) The remainder of this act shall take effect immediately.
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