School Bus Traffic Laws

Contributor

By Victoria Ries
eHow Contributing Writer

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Every morning millions of school children use yellow school buses to go to school and home again in the afternoon. School bus traffic laws were made to keep children safe while in transit and there are stiff penalties given to violators for ignoring laws associated with school bus safety. School bus traffic laws differ slightly from state to state and if you are going to be traveling out of state, it is important to brush up on the laws of your destination state.

Considerations

It is illegal to overtake or pass a school bus that has stopped and has on its flashing red lights and the hexagonal stop sign is extended. Vehicles that are driving in the same direction behind the school bus must stop when they see the school bus red warning lights flashing and the stop sign arm extended.

Divided Highways

Oncoming traffic must stop when on a divided highway with no center barrier if a school bus is unloading or loading passengers. Only when passengers are loaded or safely across the highway and the red lights have stopped flashing and the stop sign arm is retracted, are drivers permitted to continue driving. Drivers on divided highways with center barriers physically dividing the roadways are not always required to stop for school buses on the other side of the center barrier although some states like Mississippi and Alabama require all drivers to stop.

School Bus Laws Differ State to State

New Hampshire Revised Statutes §265:54, I A, says that a driver, on seeing a school bus stopped to unload or load passengers with stop arm extended and red flashing lights in operation, must stop at least 25 feet from the back of the school bus and proceed only when the bus's red warning lights stop and the bus has resumed motion. New Mexico Statutes §66-7-347(A), call for a driver to stop more than 10 feet behind the school bus when it has on its red flashing lights and stop arm extended.

More Insight

Quoting New York Statute §375(20)(a), "A school bus driver must flash red lights whenever getting on or off passengers or whenever stopped within 50 feet (15 m) to the rear of another school bus flashing red lights." Quoting Oregon Revised Statutes §816.350(8), "Unless otherwise allowed, only school buses, worker transport buses (§801.610), and vehicles issued a permit under §818.260 may use red and amber bus safety lights."

Theories and Speculation

School bus drivers have reported less passing violations over the last several years and believe this is due to updated warning devices on school buses such as red flashing lights and the stop sign arm making school buses more visible in high traffic areas.