School buses

Explanation

• Amber (yellow) flashing lights: the bus is slowing to load or unload children. Be prepared to stop.
• Red flashing lights and stop arm out: the bus has stopped. You must stop.
• Divided roads: if the road is divided by a barrier or an unimproved median (such as grass), you must stop only if you are going the same direction as the bus. Otherwise the general rule applies: you must stop when you approach a school bus with flashing red lights activated and its stop arm extended.
• The biggest danger to children is approaching or leaving the bus. Near bus stops, watch for children playing or gathering, and for late children who may dart into the street.
• Penalty for disregarding a stop arm: Class A misdemeanor; Level 6 felony if someone is injured; Level 5 felony if someone dies.
• School buses stop at railroad crossings. Rear-end crashes with buses stopped at crossings have increased, so be ready to stop behind them.

Example

On a four-lane street with only a painted center line, a school bus going the other way stops with its stop arm out. Because the road isn’t divided by a barrier or unimproved median, you must stop too.

Common mistake

Assuming you never have to stop for a bus on the other side of the road. You may continue only on a road divided by a barrier or unimproved median.

What the manual says

You must stop when you approach a school bus with flashing red lights activated and stop arm extended.

If you are driving on a roadway divided by a barrier or unimproved median, you are required to stop only if you are traveling in the same direction as the school bus.

Disregarding a school bus stop arm can result in a Class A misdemeanor, a Level 6 felony if the offense results in bodily injury, or a Level 5 felony if the offense results in death.