A 3-minute lesson from the Washington course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Children getting on and off a school bus aren't always predictable or aware of danger. School bus lights work like traffic signals, and the rules about who must stop depend on which side of the bus you're on and how the road is built.
Know the rule
School bus lights: red means stop; yellow means caution or slow down.
It's unlawful to pass a school bus when its red lights flash. All drivers traveling the same direction must stop when the red lights flash and the stop sign is extended.
On a 2-lane road, oncoming traffic may resume when the lights stop flashing, the sign is retracted, and the metal arm returns to the bus's front bumper.
On a two-lane country road, a school bus coming toward you stops with red lights flashing and its stop sign out. You must stop too, and wait until the lights stop, the sign folds in, and the arm returns to the front bumper.
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 school bus, what do the yellow lights mean?
The bus is broken down
Caution, slow down
Stop immediately
Prepare to pass the bus
Answer: Caution, slow down
School bus lights work like traffic signals: yellow means caution or slow down.
