Q: I’ve received a few questions about stopping for school buses in various non-traditional scenarios, like these: Do I have to stop for a school bus pulling out of a parking lot when I am driving on the road? What do I do if a school bus puts its stop paddle out at an intersection when I have a green light?
A: We’ve covered the basics of when to stop for a school bus in a previous article, so if you’re in need of a refresher you can find here with the clever title, “When to Stop for a School Bus.” But not every scenario matches the basic descriptions found there, so let’s dig into some core principles of school bus laws.
I’ll begin with the first sentence of the law on encountering school buses: “The driver of a vehicle upon overtaking or meeting from either direction any school bus which has stopped on the roadway for the purpose of receiving or discharging any school children shall stop the vehicle before reaching such school bus . . .” and goes on to say it applies when the red lights are blinking and the stop sign is extended. That’s the default – you have to stop when a school bus is picking up or dropping off kids. The next few sentences provide a limited list of scenarios where drivers don’t have to stop, but mostly, if you encounter a school bus loading or unloading kids, you have to stop.
Continue reading “More of When to Stop for a School Bus”
