NORTH VERNON, Ind. – A Jennings County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) deputy clocked a Jennings County School Corporation bus traveling at 71 mph on State Road 3, in Lovett Township last Wednesday, just after 11 a.m.
He contacted the Jennings County School Corporation transportation supervisor to get the bus and bus driver’s information. Once the deputy reviewed the video, he spoke to the Jennings County prosecutor’s office.
An investigation determined that the driver has had other issues and incidents documented on camera, including speeding with children on the bus.
School buses must obey speed limits like all other vehicles. The penalty for speeding while driving a school bus is a class C misdemeanor punishable by 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.
JCSO wants to protect children in or out of school and reminds residents that if they see something, say something.
Concerning the maximum speed of school and special purpose buses, Indiana law states:
- A person may not operate said buses at a speed greater than 60 mph on a federal/state highway or 40 mph on a county/township highway
- If the posted speed limit is lower than the absolute limits set in this section or if the absolute limits do not apply, the maximum lawful speed of a bus is the posted speed limit
- A person who knowingly or intentionally exceeds a speed limit, he or she commits a Class C misdemeanor
