SLS 16RS-1029 ORIGINAL
2016 Regular Session
SENATE BILL NO. 379
BY SENATOR MARTINY
TRAFFIC. Requires oncoming traffic on a two lane road with a continuous left turn lane
to stop for school buses. (8/1/16)
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 32:80(C) and 83(A)(2), relative to motor vehicles; to provide
3 relative to overtaking and passing a school bus; to require a driver on a highway with
4 a dedicated left-turn lane to stop for a school bus; and to provide for related matters.
5 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
6 Section 1. R.S. 32:80(C) and 83(A)(2) are hereby amended and reenacted to read as
7 follows:
8 §80. Overtaking and passing school buses
9 * * *
10 C. (1)The driver of a vehicle upon a highway with separate roadways need
11 not stop upon meeting or passing a school bus which is on a different roadway or
12 when upon a controlled access highway and the school bus is stopped in a loading
13 zone which is a part of or adjacent to such highway and where pedestrians are not
14 permitted to cross the roadway.
15 (2) A highway with one or more lanes in each direction and with a
16 dedicated two-way left-turn lane shall not be considered a divided highway with
17 separate roadways for purposes of this Section.
Page 1 of 3
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 379
SLS 16RS-1029 ORIGINAL
1 (3) The driver of a vehicle upon any highway that has a dedicated
2 two-way left-turn lane shall stop upon meeting or passing a school bus as
3 provided in Subsection (A)(1) of this Section.
4 * * *
5 §83. Driving on highways with two-way left-turn lanes and dedicated left-turn lanes
6 A.(1) * * *
7 (2) A highway with two or more lanes in each direction and with a designated
8 two-way left-turn lane shall not be considered a divided highway with separate
9 roadways except when it is divided by a median or neutral ground. Dedicated
10 two way left-turn lanes, dedicated left-turn lanes, and double yellow lines shall
11 not be considered a median.
12 * * *
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Sharon F. Lyles.
DIGEST
SB 379 Original 2016 Regular Session Martiny
Present law (R.S. 32:80(A)(1)) requires the driver of a vehicle upon a highway meeting or
overtaking from any direction any school bus that has stopped for the purpose of receiving
or discharging any school children to stop the vehicle not less than thirty feet from the school
bus before reaching such school bus when there are in operation on said school bus visual
signals as required by R.S. 32:318, and provides that said driver shall not proceed until such
bus resumes motion or the visual signals are no longer activated.
Present law (R.S. 32:80(C)) provides that the driver of a vehicle upon a highway with
separate roadways need not stop upon meeting or passing a school bus which is on a
different roadway.
Proposed law specifies that a highway with one or more lanes in each direction and with a
dedicated two-way left-turn lane is not a divided highway with separate roadways for
purposes of present law and requires the driver of a vehicle upon any highway with a
dedicated two-way left-turn lane to stop upon meeting or passing a school bus as provided
in present law.
Present law (R.S. 32:83(A)(2)) provides that a highway with two or more lanes in each
direction and with a designated two-way left-turn lane is considered a divided highway with
separate roadways.
Proposed law modifies present law by specifying that a highway with two or more lanes in
each direction with designated two-way left-turn lanes is not considered a divided highway
with separate roadways except when it is divided by a median or neutral ground.
Proposed law provides that dedicated two-way left-turn lanes, dedicated left-turn lanes, and
double yellow lines shall not be considered a median.
Page 2 of 3
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 379
SLS 16RS-1029 ORIGINAL
Effective August 1, 2016.
(Amends R.S. 32:80(C) and 83(A)(2))
Page 3 of 3
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.