A 19-year-old Clayton County girl has been sentenced to write "I will not dishonor myself by passing a school bus" 2,500 times, but it seems she would rather go to jail. In addition to writing the sentences, Nancy Nguyen was given a 6-month driver's license suspension for her March traffic violation of passing the stopped school bus. If she doesn't complete the sentences by her next court day, May 26, she could be sent to jail.

It is common in Georgia to require drivers younger than 21 to write these sentences for passing a stopped school bus. Prosecutors and law enforcement say their aim with the punishment is to try to get across to young people the danger and seriousness of passing a school bus. Kids can easily run out from around the bus and be hit by a passing car. Nguyen, however, does not believe writing the sentences will teach her anything.

 

Nguyen says she feels writing the sentences will be demeaning and a lie because she did not intentionally pass the bus. She says she did not see the bus because two tractor-trailer trucks blocked her view.

The teen driver was also ordered to complete 24 hours of community service and a defensive driving course, and she must pay a $350 fine for the traffic violation, all by her next court date.

 

Related Resources: