Teenage driver prefers jail to writing 2,500 lines

A 19-year-old Clayton County woman says she would rather go to jail than write 2,500 times “I will not dishonor myself by passing a school bus,” her punishment for a March traffic offense. Nancy Nguyen said it would be a lie to write that sentence because she didn’t intentionally pass the stopped bus; two tractor-trailer trucks blocked her view, she said.

So she doesn’t feel she is dishonored. "I'm not going to demean myself and be demeaned by other people." Forest Park’s solicitor said it is common to require drivers younger than 21 to write those sentences if they passed a stopped school bus.

The idea is to impress upon them that it is a serious and dangerous traffic offense. "Writing something that many times ... it wouldn't teach me anything," Nguyen said. A school crossing guard said passing a stopped school bus can be deadly. "Kids will run, they [are] always running. So if you see the stop sign just stop," Pat Harris said.

By May 26, Nguyen is to have the sentences written and have completed 24 hours' community service and a defensive driving course. She also must have paid a $350 fine by then, her next court date. Her licence will be suspended for six months. Nguyen could be sent to jail if she has not completed all her sentence.