School bus traffic stop laws - wikipedia School bus traffic stop laws This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( July 2007 ) Some jurisdictions, mostly all in North America, require all surrounding vehicles to stop when a school bus is stopped with its red lights flashing. School bus stop laws are laws dictating what a motorist must do in the vicinity of a bus stop being used by a school bus or other bus, coach or minibus providing school transport. Contents 1 School bus stop laws in the United States and Canada 1.1 Exceptions 2 Controversy 3 Effects of laws 4 References 5 External links School bus stop laws in the United States and Canada Jurisdictions in the United States ( including overseas territories ) and Canada have adopted various school bus stop laws that require drivers to stop and wait for a stopped school bus loading or unloading, so as to protect school children boarding or alighting. Generally, if a stopped school bus is displaying a flashing, alternating red lamp, a driver of a vehicle meeting or overtaking the stopped bus from either direction ( front or back ) must stop and wait until the bus moves again or the red light is off. Police officers, school crossing guards, and even school bus drivers themselves may have the power to wave traffic on, even when a red light is flashing. On divided highways, most American and Canadian jurisdictions do not require vehicular drivers to stop when on the opposite side of the road from a stopped school bus. Those that do require vehicles to stop are : West Virginia upon a non-controlled - access highway ( § 17C - 12 - 7 ) Arkansas in case a divider has less than 20 feet ( 6 m ) in width ( narrow divider ). New York State American Samoa Guam British Columbia Nova Scotia Prince Edward Island Northwest Territories Nunavut American and Canadian jurisdictions have sought to deter illegal passing stopped school buses by increased enforcement and heavy penalties, including fines, application of demerit points against a driver 's license or even license suspension. Nevertheless, violations are common. An officer must witness the violation, and even when citations issued, getting convictions is often difficult ; sometimes traffic courts consider the evidence insufficient, or reduce the charge because the penalty for a first offense seems excessive. There are, however, exceptions. Missouri has Jessica 's Law, which grants the right of a school bus driver to report the offense, in which case the driver is automatically cited. Cobb County, an urban county in Metro Atlanta, has added bus cameras, as a deterrent, which can detect and automatically report vehicles passing a bus. Exceptions Drivers in Washington state are not required to stop for a school bus on any highway ( Under Washington law, any public road is defined as a highway ) with three or more lanes when traveling in the opposite direction. This has been interpreted to mean that when approaching a bus from the opposite direction on a normal road with a turn lane, or a road with two lanes in each direction, etc., a driver is not required to stop their vehicle. This is an unusual law, but arguably leads to a higher safety level for children, as they are then required to be dropped on the same side of the road as the bus exit on anything greater than a two - lane road as provided by RCW 46.61. 370. Ohio has a similar exception for roads with four or more lanes. Drivers in Idaho state are not required to stop for a school bus on any highway with four or more lanes when traveling in the opposite direction. Drivers in California do not have to stop on any highway that is divided or is multi-lane ( 2 or more lanes of travel in each direction ) when traveling in the opposite direction. In Pennsylvania, the only vehicle that may pass a stopped school bus with the red lights flashing is an emergency vehicle with its flashing lights and siren activated, but only after the emergency vehicle has come to a complete stop and proceeds with due caution for any students embarking or disembarking. Controversy The effectiveness of current school bus stop laws has been questioned. School bus stop laws in some other countries allow a driver to pass a stopped school bus at low speed. In New York State, an official estimate is that 50,000 vehicles pass stopped school buses illegally every day. However, as New York State requires traffic to stop for a school bus stopped on the opposing roadway of a divided highway, the estimate may include `` New York violations '' that would be legal in other states. The New York State Department of Transportation once recommended that the State Legislature exempt traffic from stopping for a school bus stopped on the opposing roadway of a divided highway, but this has not been done. In California, a vehicle driver approaching an intersection at which a school bus is stopped shall stop his / her vehicle at that intersection until the flashing red signal lights are no longer actuated. Supporters of this law may argue that children may dart out into an intersection, so traffic from the left and right must stop. Opponents may blame this law for being too vague ( with regard to what exactly at an intersection means ), non-standard and visitor - unfriendly ( as compared with laws in most other places ) and question how vehicular drivers can know and see if a school bus on a side road is loading or unloading, especially if buildings obstruct their vision. Effects of laws On a national basis, school bus drivers in the United States have reported a decrease in passing violators in recent years with improved warning devices. Despite an increase in traffic and school bus ridership, annual fatalities and injuries to children struck by other vehicles has decreased as well. However, it is unclear whether having reported a decrease in passing violators is due to difficulty to report or better compliance by motorists. When and where enforcement against violators becomes too hard, some residential streets may prohibit entry of vehicles other than school buses at certain times to effectively eliminate passing stopped school buses illegally. Bus drivers are prohibited to turn around at an intersection with students on the bus. This is in order to protect student from injury if the driver fails to obey laws. If laws are broken, the bus driver may be charged with including but not limited to : child endangerment and disobeying laws. This section may not include all laws or bylaws. References Jump up ^ TIP # 10 : SCHOOL BUS STOPS Archived May 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Arkansas Driver License Test Study Guide - Volume 1 '' ( pdf ) ( 4 ed. ). Arkansas State Police. August 2007. p. 22. Retrieved 2 February 2012. Drivers are not required to stop if the school bus is approaching along an opposite lane of travel separated by a median twenty feet or more in width Jump up ^ http://www.dmv.ny.gov/dmanual/chapter06-manual.htm, NYS Driver 's Manual Chapter 6 - School Buses Jump up ^ `` Learn to Drive Smart - your guide to driving safely '' ( pdf ). Insurance Corporation of British Columbia. 2012. p. 92. Retrieved 30 May 2013. when you see a school bus with alternating flashing red lights at the top, you must stop whether you are approaching it from the front or the rear. Vehicles in all lanes must stop. Jump up ^ `` Best Practices Guide : Reducing the Illegal Passing of School Buses ''. Nhtsa.dot.gov. Retrieved 2010 - 01 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Missouri Revised Statues, Section 304 - 050 ''. Retrieved 13 October 2011. Jump up ^ `` Video : Watch Out for School Bus Cameras ''. Jump up ^ `` RCW 46.61. 370 : Overtaking or meeting school bus -- Duties of bus driver ''. Apps.leg.wa.gov. Retrieved 2010 - 01 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Overtaking or meeting school bus -- Duties of bus driver ''. Apps.leg.wa.gov. RCW 46.61. 370. Retrieved 2010 - 01 - 15. Jump up ^ `` ORC 4511.75 ( C ) ''. Jump up ^ http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/idstat/Title49/T49CH14SECT49-1422.htm Jump up ^ https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1dmy&urile=wcm:path:/dmv_content_en/dmv/pubs/vctop/vc/d11/c8/22454 Jump up ^ http://www.justdrivepa.org/Traffic-Safety-Information-Center/School-Bus-Safety/ Jump up ^ `` Operation Safe Stop ''. Nysgtsc.state.ny.us. 2009 - 04 - 23. Retrieved 2010 - 01 - 15. Jump up ^ Schoolbus Signal and Schoolbus Stops Vehicle Code, Division 11, Chapter 6, Section 22112. California Department of Motor Vehicles. Retrieved 2010 - 04 - 20 Jump up ^ `` English Teacher Needed ''. External links U.S, Bureau of Transportation Statistics STN 100 Years of the School Bus National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services National Committee on Uniform Traffic Laws and Ordinances School Bus Stop Laws in the United States, Canada and Other Countries Traffic law and safety Rules of the road All - way stop Assured Clear Distance Ahead Australian Road Rules Boulevard rule Green Cross Code Move over law New Zealand Road Code Overtaking Right - and left - hand traffic Right - of - way School bus traffic stop laws Traffic code Turn on red Vienna Convention on Road Traffic Road user guides Driver 's manual The Highway Code The Highway Code ( Malta ) Road Users ' Code Rules of the Road ( Ireland ) Enforcement Breathalyzer Camera Enforcement Red light Highway patrol / State police Parking enforcement Road traffic control Textalyzer Traffic court Traffic guard Traffic stop Traffic ticket Warning Speed limit Advisory speed limit Assured Clear Distance Ahead National Maximum Speed Law School zone Speed limit enforcement Speed limits by country Category : Speed limits by country Moving violations Driving under the influence Canada United States Distracted driving Mobile phones and driving Texting while driving Reckless driving Street racing Tailgating Vehicular homicide Wrong - way driving Driver licensing Commercial driver 's license European driving licence Graduated driver licensing Inter-American Driving Permit International Driving Permit Learner 's permit Point system Driving licences by country List of countries by minimum driving age Traffic violations reciprocity Commercial Driver 's License Information System Driver License Agreement Driver License Compact Non-Resident Violator Compact Parking Alternate - side parking Decriminalised parking enforcement Disabled parking permit Double parking Parking chair Parking violation Wheel clamp Car safety Seat belt laws Click It or Ticket Clunk Click Every Trip Road safety Tachograph Digital tachograph Drivers ' working hours ( Europe ) Epilepsy and driving Hours of service ( US ) `` How 's my driving ? '' sign Old age and driving Sleep deprived driving Slow moving vehicle Vision Zero Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=School_bus_traffic_stop_laws&oldid=774061645 '' Categories : School buses Traffic law Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles needing additional references from July 2007 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November 2010 Articles with unsourced statements from June 2012 Articles with unsourced statements from August 2011 Articles with unsourced statements from March 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 6 April 2017, at 01 : 43. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. 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Question: when do you need to stop for a school bus
Answer: if a stopped school bus is displaying a flashing, alternating red lamp