Section 19-143-11 - Driving of school buses All school bus carriers, their officers, agents, representatives, and employees responsible for the management,, maintenance, Operation, or driving of school buses, or hiring, supervising, training, assigning, or dispatching of drivers, shall comply with the following:
(1) Drivers shall not permit standees on school buses. Drivers shall not put a school bus in motion until all students are safely seated. When unloading students, the driver shall not allow students to leave their seats until the bus comes to a complete stop.(2) Drivers shall not reverse school buses on the school grounds or at any point where students enter or leave the bus unless there are no other safe alternatives. If reversing is necessary, the driver shall activate the horn immediately before and intermittently during reversing or obtain the assistance of any adult.(3) Drivers shall not operate school buses with any trailer or other vehicle attached when the school bus is being used to transport students,(4) The driver shall not smoke or permit other passengers to smoke on the bus whenever students are being carried.(5) The school bus driver shall not permit firearms, explosives, flammables or other articles likely to endanger the safety of passengers to be carried on a school bus,(6) Passengers in school buses equipped with seat belts shall wear them whenever the vehicle is in motion. Type II and III school buses shall be equipped with seat belts for the driver and passengers. Drivers shall see that all passengers have their seat belts fastened whenever the bus is in motion. The driver shall also fasten their seat belts before the school bus is in motion.(7) Whenever passengers are on board, the driver shall not put the bus in motion until all the doors are closed and shall not open the doors until the bus comes to a complete stop. The driver may open the door whenever passengers are not on board for purposes of improving the driver's visual field.(8) The driver shall see that windows located on sides of buses which can be opened either from the upper or lower half shall be opened only on the upper half. The lower half shall be kept closed.(9) Drivers shall not deviate from the routes assigned by the employers. Drivers or owners shall report any hazardous conditions on a school bus route to the agency that is responsible for the area.(10) Except in a bona fide emergency, drivers operating state contracted school buses shall stop only at school bus stops designated or approved by the state agency responsible for establishing bus routes. Where bus stops have not been designated by the State, bus drivers may stop at locations designated by their employer.(11) Drivers shall see that their school bus is clean and sanitary when transporting students.(12) All school bus drivers shall activate the warning signal lamps whenever the school bus is stopped to load or unload passengers on highways as specified by state law.(13) Drivers of type I school buses equipped with seat belts shall wear them whenever the vehicle is in motion.(14) The following provisions of chapter 19-141, motor carrier safety regulations, shall be observed; 390.32, 392.3, 392.4, 392.5, 392.6, 392.7, 392.8, 392.9, 392.9, 392.9,, 392.14, 392.15, 392.20, 392.22, 392.24, 392.30, 392.31, 392.32, 392.33, 392.40, 392.41, 392.42, 392.50, 392.51, 392.52, 392.61, 392.62, 392.63, 392.66, 392.68, 395.1, 395.2, 395.3, 395.7, 395.8, 395.11, and 395.13.[Eff APR 27 1989] (Auth: HRS § 286-181) (Imp: HRS §§ 286-181, 291C-95)