school bus shuffle

Kids have gone back to school over the last couple weeks and that means a new routine for drivers with more people, cars and buses on the road. I know my new daily routine has to change allowing for a couple extra minutes knowing I will pass through a couple school zones on the way into work.

New to the routine are also a bunch of yellow school buses – which are counted by Mary as we drive to school.

However, I wanted to make sure I was up-to-date on the law as it relates to when we need to stop for school buses. Here is what I found out:

• Motorists are required to stop in both directions on a two-lane road when a school bus has activated red flashing lights.
• On a four-lane road, only motorists traveling in the opposite direction may process, those traveling in the same direction must stop.

Updates/Clarifications: Thank you to those who wrote in about this post. I appreciate the dialogue. As with many laws, they are confusing. I did check the Ohio Revised Code on this one . Here is what is says:

(A) The driver of a vehicle, streetcar, or trackless trolley upon meeting or overtaking from either direction any school bus stopped for the purpose of receiving or discharging any school child, person attending programs offered by community boards of mental health and county boards of developmental disabilities, or child attending a program offered by a head start agency, shall stop at least ten feet from the front or rear of the school bus and shall not proceed until such school bus resumes motion, or until signaled by the school bus driver to proceed.

(C) Where a highway has been divided into four or more traffic lanes, a driver of a vehicle, streetcar, or trackless trolley need not stop for a school bus approaching from the opposite direction which has stopped for the purpose of receiving or discharging any school child, persons attending programs offered by community boards of mental health and county boards of developmental disabilities, or children attending programs offered by head start agencies. The driver of any vehicle, streetcar, or trackless trolley overtaking the school bus shall comply with division (A) of this section.

This law does vary state-by-date. Please share if you know of any additional information.

Let’s keep those kids safe out there!