A 2-minute lesson from the Vermont course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
School buses use two sets of lights. Yellow means the bus is about to stop, and red means it has stopped and children may be crossing. Passing a stopped bus is one of the most heavily penalized violations in Vermont.
Know the rule
It is against the law to pass a school bus that has stopped with its red warning lights on. Never pass from any direction while the red lights are on.
On a two-lane country road, a school bus coming toward you stops and turns on its red lights. You must stop too, even though you're on the other side of the road. There's no divider or barrier between you.
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.
What must you do when a school bus has stopped with its red lights flashing on a two-lane road?
Stop only if you're behind the bus
Stop, from either direction
Slow down but you may continue past
Stop only if children are visible outside
Answer: Stop, from either direction
Passing a stopped bus with flashing red lights is illegal from any direction on a two-lane road.
You're driving on a divided highway with a raised concrete barrier, and a school bus is stopped on the opposite side with red lights flashing. Must you stop?
Yes, always, regardless of barriers
Only if you're within 100 feet
Only during regular school hours
No, because a physical barrier separates the lanes
Answer: No, because a physical barrier separates the lanes
You don't have to stop on a divided highway if a barrier separates you from the bus, or if it's going the opposite way.