A 3-minute lesson from the Florida course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
A stopped school bus with its stop signal out means children may cross the road. Whether you must stop depends on your direction and on what separates you from the bus. Painted lines never count.
Know the rule
It's illegal for any driver to pass a school bus that displays its stop signal.
On a two-way street or highway, drivers in BOTH directions must stop for a stopped school bus picking up or dropping off children. Stay stopped until the stop signal is withdrawn and all children are off the road.
Two-lane road: traffic in both directions stopsMulti-lane paved road: traffic in both directions stops
Know the rule
On a highway divided by a raised barrier or an unpaved median at least five feet wide, you don't have to stop if you're moving in the opposite direction from the bus. Proceed with caution.
Buses with camera enforcement are marked 'CAMERA ENFORCED' with a camera symbol. The registered owner of a violating vehicle faces a $200 civil penalty. (Pending 2023 legislation.)
Crossing guards are the first to enter and the last to leave a crosswalk. When they are present in a crosswalk, yield and stop at the stop line, not in the crosswalk.
On a four-lane road with only a painted center line, a school bus stops in the opposite lanes with its stop arm out. You must stop too. Painted lines aren't a barrier, and only a raised barrier or an unpaved median of 5 feet or more would let you continue.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
On a two-way street, when a school bus is stopped with its stop signal displayed, which vehicles must stop?
All vehicles, both directions
Only vehicles in the lane beside the bus
Only vehicles behind the bus
Only oncoming vehicles
Answer: All vehicles, both directions
On a two-way street, all drivers moving in either direction must stop for a stopped school bus picking up or dropping off children.
