Mississippi driving lesson · School Buses & Pedestrians
Stopping for school buses
A 3-minute lesson from the Mississippi course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Stopping for a school bus is one of the most-tested laws. When a bus shows flashing red lights or its stop sign, drivers stop in both directions, with only two exceptions.
Two-lane road: traffic in both directions stops
When a school bus has its red lights flashing and/or its stop sign extended, you MUST:
Come to a complete stop at least 10 feet away from the bus
Remain stopped until the children have crossed the roadway
…AND the bus has resumed motion, its red lights no longer flash and its stop sign is retracted
Exception 1, divided highway: on a highway with FOUR or more lanes and at least TWO lanes of travel in opposite directions, if you're traveling OPPOSITE the bus, you may continue on your side without stopping.
Divided highway: same-direction traffic stops; opposite-direction traffic may continue
Know the rule
Exception 2: if the bus stops in a loading zone that is part of or next to the highway, where pedestrians aren't allowed to cross the roadway, you do not have to stop.
On a four-lane divided highway, a school bus stops across the median with red lights flashing. You're going the opposite way, so you may continue. If it were on your side, you'd stop at least 10 feet back and wait for the children to cross, the bus to move, its lights to stop and its sign to retract.
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.
How far away must you stop from a school bus that has its red lights flashing?
At least 50 feet
At least 5 feet
At least 10 feet
At least 20 feet
Answer: At least 10 feet
You must come to a complete stop at least ten feet away from a school bus with flashing red lights.
You are traveling on a two-lane road (not divided) and meet a stopped school bus with flashing red lights coming from the opposite direction. What must you do?
Only stop if children are visible outside the bus
Stop, regardless of your direction of travel
Slow down but you do not need to stop
Continue driving since you're going the opposite way
Answer: Stop, regardless of your direction of travel
On an undivided road, you must stop for a school bus regardless of which direction you are traveling.
On a divided highway with four or more lanes and at least two lanes of travel in each direction, which drivers must stop for a school bus's flashing lights?
No drivers need to stop on a divided highway
All drivers, regardless of direction
Only drivers traveling in the opposite direction
Only drivers traveling in the same direction as the bus
Answer: Only drivers traveling in the same direction as the bus
On a qualifying divided highway, opposite-direction traffic may continue, but same-direction traffic must still stop.
