Illegal school bus passing poses a significant threat to children and others on the road. You must stop at least thirty feet from a stopped school bus that is loading or unloading children. You must stop your car and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop-arm is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving, before you can start driving again. Passing a Stopped School Bus in Pennsylvania - Cornerstone Law Firm These warning lights may also be lighted at other times while the bus is transporting school children. While you can be directly ticketed by a police officer at the scene, you may also find yourself . (a.) I stopped for a moment and looked. When the bus stops with its red lights flashing and its stop arm extended, you must stop at least 10 feet away from the bus whether you are behind it or coming toward it on the same roadway or approaching an intersection at which the school bus is stopped. If you receive a visit or a phone call from a police officer you are probably going to receive a citation. I am assuming equipment malfunction, because normally, the lights are yellow as the bus is approaching. If you approach a bus from either direction that is slowing down in preparation to stop to load passengers, or a bus displaying a yellow flashing light, you must slow down and proceed carefully. Drivers meeting a stopped school bus on this type of road would be required to stop in both directions. School buses are equipped with both amber and red flashing lights. Many proposals has been made to change it. A conditional license may be issued following a suspension for a second offense after serving a minimum period of suspension without driving authority of three months. Learn more in the New Hampshire drivers manual. However, if the owner or lessee of the vehicle can prove that another person was driving the vehicle at the time of the stop arm violation, the driver not the owner or lessee will be charged with the violation. When the bus driver opens the bus door, the red stop lights and STOP arm. Violations carry severe penalties. After the school bus red lights have stopped flashing and the stop arm is no longer visible, watch for children along the side of the road and do not proceed until it is safe, after they have completely left the roadway. unloading passengers. These lights could be malfunctioning. When you see them, decrease speed and be prepared to stop. You should slow down and prepare to stop your vehicle. In this case, all lanes of traffic must stop. NY code requires you to stop for a school bus has that has stopped to receive or discharge any passengers and when there is in operation on said school bus a red visual signal. Yellow (or amber) lights still means caution. We dont mind stopping if you give us adequate warning. You must proceed with caution and watch for children by the side of the road. However, be prepared for unexpected actions by persons exiting the school bus. The testimony of the school bus driver, the supervisor of school buses or a law-enforcement officer that the vehicle was yellow, conspicuously marked as a school bus, and equipped with warning devices as prescribed in 46.2-1090 is prima facie evidence that the vehicle is a school bus. I noticed that the closest two cars that were already behind the bus, waited until the reds went off, rather than to take off. After the bus has stopped, the driver will activate the alternately flashing red warning lights. Children wait at least several feet away from a bus and often cross the street when theyre boarding or getting off the bus. Remember, children are often unpredictable and may not see you coming. Section 4511.75 - Ohio Revised Code | Ohio Laws Stop and remain stopped until the bus driver retracts the stop arm and deactivates the red warning lights. Learn more in the Arkansas driver handbook. Can you pass a moving school bus with yellow flashing lights? Stopping | Safe and Responsible Driving | ontario.ca It looked like a deliberate attempt to entrap drivers in Sufflk county NY. Yellow lights indicate that they're coming to a stop for a pickup or if they're already stopped, the driver is on break or waiting for a pickup time to leave. Remind your child that the bus stop is not a place to run or play. When a school bus is preparing to stop, its amber (yellow) lights will begin flashing. How Far Away Should I Stop for a School Bus? concrete/metal barriers, guide rails or trees/rocks/streams/grass median), you do not have to stop. NHTSA decided the best way to provide crash protection to passengers of large school buses is through a concept called compartmentalization. This requires that the interior of large buses protect children without them needing to buckle up. Drivers are allowed to pass the school bus only when the lights are turned off, and the stop sign is retracted, thereby alerting drivers that the children have finished boarding or exiting the bus. If you approach a bus with flashing red lights and/or showing a red STOP sign, it means that children are getting on or off the bus and you must stop. Hi, I passed a school bus with blinking yellow lights while traveling the speed limit - 40 mph. When I looked in my rear view other cars were stopping. The school bus was going north and I was going east on the other street. School buses are designed so that theyre highly visible and include safety features such as flashing red lights, cross-view mirrors and stop-sign arms. School buses may not be operated at a speed exceeding 50 mph. Image #2 of MultiLane traffic being required to stop is inaccurate (at least for Ohio its wrong). Always be careful around school buses and school bus stops. Motorists should slow down and prepare to stop their vehicles. The law enforcement agency will attempt to determine the identity of the driver, and if the identity is established, the reporting of the license plate number by the school bus driver establishes probable cause upon which to issue a citation. When a school bus is stopped and flashing its lights, traffic from either direction must stop on two-lane roads, multi-lane highways and even on divided highways. Flassing Yellow Lights Flashing yellow lights will be activated at least 100 feet before a school bus stops in a speed zone of 35 mph or less, and at least 300 feet before it stops in a speed zone of more than 35 mph. (MCL 257.907 (2) (l) and (4)) If you unlawfully drive around one in a "school zone" (30 minutes before and after school) or in a "school bus zone," the fine is doubled. The only time it's okay to pass a bus with red lights flashing is if you're going the opposite direction on a separated roadway. Fewer Maryland drivers are passing stopped school buses illegally but more must be done to protect children. The yellow flashing lights warn you to slow down and prepare to stop. When a school bus stops to load or unload school children, the driver activates the mechanical and electrical signaling devices to notify other drivers of an impending stop. Be alert for children that may try to return to the bus after unloading. (A) The driver of a vehicle, streetcar, or trackless trolley upon meeting or overtaking from either direction any school bus stopped for the purpose of receiving or discharging any school child, person attending programs offered by community boards of mental health and county boards of . School bus stop arm violations can occur any time during the school year but they seem to be more frequent at the beginning of the school year and near the end as well. between the lanes of travel in opposite directions. You must stop for any school bus with flashing lights if its stop-sign arm is out. It is against the law for any driver to pass a school bus when the school bus displays a stop signal. A requirement to come to an immediate stop at this point is, however, not the general rule. Must be waiting for kids to board but nobody is boarding. The operator of a motor vehicle on a highway providing two or more lanes in each direction need not stop when he meets a school bus which is traveling in the opposite direction even though the school bus is stopped and its red signal lights are flashing. When approaching a bus, please observe the following rules: Only on Interstate Highways does traffic coming toward a school bus stopped on the other side of the median not have to stop. Yellow flashing lights means the bus is preparing to stop or unload children. However, a stop is required when following a bus that is stopped on a two-lane road or you are going in the opposite direction of the bus on a highway that has less than four lanes, as they are generally not divided. If the bus is stopped on a street or road which has fewer than four lanes, all traffic approaching the bus from either direction must stop at least 10 feet from the front or rear of the bus and remain stopped until the bus begins to move or the bus driver signals motorists to proceed. You must stop: No driver of a school bus shall take on or discharge passengers at any location upon a highway consisting of four or more lanes of traffic, whether or not divided by a median or barrier, in such a manner as to require the passengers to cross more than two lanes of traffic. As the bus comes to a complete stop, the flashing red lights and stop signs will activate. What Do Flashing Yellow Lights On A School Bus Mean? Passing A School Bus With Flashing Lights - schoolslearning.info Any parking lot located on school property, Watch for children playing or congregating near bus stops, Be aware that children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking, Be prepared to stop when yellow flashing lights appear on the bus, which warn drivers the bus will be coming to a stop. School buses make frequent stops, including at all railroad crossings. You must stop for a stopped school bus with flashing lights that is loading or unloading passengers.