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New Hampshire driving lesson · Turning, Intersections, and Parking

School buses and school zones

A 2-minute lesson from the New Hampshire course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
2 minutes
Course unit
Turning, Intersections, and Parking
Checkpoint questions
5
Source pages
22, 28, 34, 38, 43

Children are hard to see and may dart into the road. NH requires you to stop for a school bus loading or unloading children, and to slow down in posted school zones.

Know the rule

Stop at least 25 feet away, in any direction, from a school bus stopped with red lights flashing and/or stop arm extended, unless the roadway is separated by a physical barrier.

Handbook p. 34 ↗
25 feet

Minimum stopping distance from a stopped school bus

Handbook p. 34 ↗

Know the rule

Stay stopped until the bus moves again or its flashing red lights stop. Then proceed slowly, watching for children.

Handbook p. 34 ↗
Meeting a stopped school bus
Traffic in both directions stops for a school bus

Know the rule

The only exception: traffic on a roadway separated from the bus by a physical barrier.

Handbook p. 34 ↗

Know the rule

Posted school zone: 10 mph below the usual limit from 45 minutes before opening until opening, and from closing until 45 minutes after.

Handbook p. 22 ↗

Know the rule

Near a school zone with flashing lights or children present, obey the school zone limit. Stop and yield if a crossing guard signals you to.

Handbook p. 43 ↗
School zone
Pentagon school crossing sign

Know the rule

Increase your following distance behind vehicles that must stop at railroad crossings, like school buses.

Handbook p. 38 ↗

Put it into practice

On a two-lane road, a school bus coming toward you stops and extends its stop arm. You must stop too, at least 25 feet away, and stay stopped until the lights go off or the bus moves.

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 much lower than the usual posted speed is a posted school zone speed limit?
  1. 20 mph below the usual posted speed
  2. 5 mph below the usual posted speed
  3. 10 mph below the usual posted speed
  4. 15 mph below the usual posted speed

Answer: 10 mph below the usual posted speed

A posted school zone speed limit is 10 mph below the usual posted speed.

Handbook p. 22 ↗
How far must drivers stop in any direction from a school bus with red lights flashing and stop arm extended?
  1. At least 50 feet
  2. At least 25 feet
  3. At least 10 feet
  4. At least 15 feet

Answer: At least 25 feet

Drivers must stop at least 25 feet in any direction from a school bus in this situation.

Handbook p. 34 ↗
When may a driver proceed past a stopped school bus with flashing red lights?
  1. When the flashing red lights cease or the bus resumes motion
  2. After waiting exactly 30 seconds
  3. As soon as no children are visible
  4. Once the stop arm begins to fold

Answer: When the flashing red lights cease or the bus resumes motion

Drivers must remain stopped until the lights stop or the bus moves again.

Handbook p. 34 ↗
Under what condition are drivers NOT required to stop for a school bus with flashing red lights?
  1. When the bus is stopped at a school building
  2. When traveling at night
  3. When the roadway is separated by a physical barrier
  4. When the driver is more than one block away

Answer: When the roadway is separated by a physical barrier

The stop requirement is waived when the roadway is separated by a physical barrier.

Handbook p. 34 ↗
A driver may pass a school bus stopped with red lights flashing once the children have reached the sidewalk.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: False

Drivers must stay stopped until the bus resumes motion or its flashing red lights stop.

Handbook p. 34 ↗
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