Auto Accidents Archives - Godbey Law LLC - Mark Godbey - Cincinnati Personal Injury Attorneys

Three States, Three Rulebooks: What Tri-State Drivers Need to Know About Stopping for School Buses in 2026

Summary: Kentucky's new bus-stopping rule took effect July 15. Ohio's is coming. Indiana's is already the strictest. Here's what Tri-State drivers and parents need to know. If you commute anywhere in the Tri-State, you cross a state line without thinking about it. Down I-71/75 into Covington. Out I-74 toward Lawrenceburg. Over the Combs-Hehl and back. Most traffic rules travel with you. The rule about stopping for a school bus does not. As of this school year, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana each answer the same question — when do I have to stop? — a little differently. And Kentucky just changed its answer. Kentucky: the rule changed on July 15 House Bill 7 took effect in the middle of July, and it altered the one situation most drivers thought they had figured out. Under the old law, if you were traveling in the opposite direction on a highway with four or more lanes, you did not have to stop for a school bus. A lot of people learned that rule and drove by it for years. That is no longer accurate. Under HB 7, drivers must stop for a school or church bus with its stop arm out and red lights flashing when approaching from either direction on any highway — unless the road is divided by an elevated barrier or an unpaved median. Two details do most of the damage here: A center turn lane does not count as a median. If the only thing separating you from the bus [...]

New Ohio Traffic Stop Law (HB 492): What Drivers and Passengers Must Know

If you drive in Ohio, one of the most common interactions you'll ever have with law enforcement is about to work a little differently — and for the first time, the change applies to everyone in the car, not just the person behind the wheel. Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 492 into law on July 7, 2026. It takes effect 90 days later, in early October. After that date, a driver or a passenger who refuses to give an officer their name, address, and date of birth during a lawful traffic stop can be charged with a fourth-degree misdemeanor. This is one of those rules that touches nearly every Ohio household. Your commute, your teenager's first car, your carpool, your family road trip. Here's a clear, practical rundown of what actually changed. What the new law requires Under HB 492, if a peace officer has reasonable suspicion that someone in the vehicle violated Ohio's motor vehicle laws, that person has to disclose three pieces of information on request: Full name Address Date of birth That's it. Refusing is a fourth-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $250. One of the bill's sponsors, Rep. Sharon Ray of Wadsworth, explained during the legislative process that the misdemeanor classification was part of the point: a fourth-degree misdemeanor gives jails the authority to fingerprint and identify a person before release, which a fine-only offense does not. What the law does not require This is [...]