How to Share the Road With School Buses

School buses are a familiar site on the highway. They are the safest means of highway transportation as they are responsible for our children. Before you head out on the road it is imperative that you learn to share the road with school buses. Read on to learn how to share the road with school buses.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Follow the rules of school zones. Even when school hours are over, many students participate in after-school activities. Stay alert when driving and slow down when you enter a school zone.
2. Keep your eyes on the road and be prepared for sudden stops. Drive carefully in a designated school zone or residential area where school children are picked up and dropped off daily. Make sure to check for children crossing the road, riding on bicycles and playing together near the road.
3. Stop when passing a school bus loading or unloading its passengers. It is illegal to pass a stopped school bus on its right side where children enter and exit the bus. In some states only drivers on the same side of a divided roadway are required to stop.
4. Learn the flashing light system. They are to alert the driver like a traffic light. The yellow light signals the driver to slow down. The red light means the bus has stopped and at this point you are expected to stop as well. Stay stopped until the school bus has retracted the stop signal arm.

Tips & Warnings

• Children can be unpredictable and it is completely possible that a child could run out into traffic with out any warning.
• You are more likely to encounter school buses during early morning and after school. To avoid them travel earlier in the morning and later in the evening when they are less likely to be on the road.
• Don't pass a stopped school bus. Even if you pass a school bus illegally and there are no cops around the school bus driver could report it or another motorist.