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The general School Bus Rule:Undivided Roads and Highways

On undivided roads and highways (those without medians or barriers in the middle), the general rule is that if you are approaching a school bus that has stopped in the road, STOP! No matter which direction you are approaching the bus from, you MUST stop until at least one or more of the following things have occurred:

1. The school bus resumes motion; or

2. You are signaled by the school bus driver to proceed; or

3. The visual signal used by the bus (usually blinking lights) is turned off.

This rule applies to all roads that do not have driving medians or barriers. The rule applies to roads with turning lanes (these are not considered to be medians or barriers), and the rule applies no matter how many lanes the road has.

Here are some specific examples.

Two lanes.
2-way traffic.
No median or barrier.
No turning lane.

The situation:

The school bus is stopped in a 2-lane street or highway, with no median or barrier, and no turning lane (2-way traffic).

The school bus rule:

If you approach a stopped school bus from any direction, you MUST stop until one or more of the following occurs:

1. The school bus resumes motion; or

2. You are signaled by the school bus driver to proceed; or

3. The visual signal used by the bus (usually blinking lights) is turned off.

The situation:

The school bus is stopped in a 4-lane street or highway, with no barrier or median, and no turning lane (2-way traffic).

The school bus rule:

This is exactly the same as the rule above:If you approach a stopped school bus from any direction, you MUST stop until one or more of the following occurs:

1. The school bus resumes motion; or

2. You are signaled by the school bus driver to proceed; or

3. The visual signal used by the bus (usually blinking lights) is turned off.