321.372A  Prompt investigation of reported violation of failing to obey school bus warning devices — citation issued to driver or owner.
  1.  The driver of a school bus who observes a violation of section 321.372, subsection 3, may prepare a written report on a form provided by the department of public safety indicating that a violation has occurred. The school bus driver or a school official may deliver the report not more than seventy-two hours after the violation occurred to a peace officer of the state or a peace officer of the county or municipality in which the violation occurred. The report shall state the time and the location at which the violation occurred and shall include the registration plate number and a description of the vehicle involved in the violation.
  2.  Not more than seven calendar days after receiving a report of a violation of section 321.372, subsection 3, from a school bus driver or a school official, the peace officer shall initiate an investigation of the reported violation and contact the owner of the motor vehicle involved in the reported violation and request that the owner supply information identifying the driver in accordance with section 321.484.
  a.  If, from the investigation, the peace officer is able to identify the driver and has reasonable cause to believe a violation of section 321.372, subsection 3, has occurred, the peace officer shall prepare a uniform traffic citation for the violation and shall serve it personally or by certified mail to the driver of the vehicle.
  b.  If, from the investigation, the peace officer has reasonable cause to believe that a violation of section 321.372, subsection 3, occurred but is unable to identify the driver, the peace officer shall serve a uniform traffic citation for the violation to the owner of the motor vehicle. Notwithstanding section 321.484, in a proceeding where the peace officer who conducted the investigation was not able to identify the driver of the motor vehicle, proof that the motor vehicle described in the uniform traffic citation was used to commit the violation of section 321.372, subsection 3, together with proof that the defendant named in the citation was the owner of the motor vehicle at the time the violation occurred, constitutes a permissible inference that the owner was the driver who committed the violation.
  c.  For purposes of this subsection, “owner” means a person who holds the legal title to a motor vehicle; however, if the motor vehicle is the subject of a security agreement with a right of possession in the debtor, the debtor shall be deemed the owner for purposes of this subsection, or if the motor vehicle is leased as defined in section 321.493, the lessee shall be deemed the owner for purposes of this subsection.
88 Acts, ch 1203, §1; 90 Acts, ch 1101, §1; 2004 Acts, ch 1164, §1; 2005 Acts, ch 92, §2, 3
Referred to in §321.378, 321.380, 331.653