School Bus Passing Law:

Know When to Stop: A child's life may depend on it!

When to Stop

When approaching a stopped school bus with its overhead red lights flashing, all motorists must make a complete stop at least 30 feet from the bus and remain stopped until the flashing red lights are turned off. No matter where your vehicle is positioned with respect to the bus, whether it's in the same lane of traffic, opposing lane, or at an intersection, you must make a complete stop. Never attempt to pass in any direction (including intersections) until the school bus has finished receiving or discharging its passengers and turns its flashing red lights off.

At intersections, traffic must stop in all directions. At two land and four lane roads, all traffic must stop in both directions, even on a four-lane roads with a center turn lane.

Penalties

Drivers passing a stopped school bus with red lights flashing can be jailed for up to 90 days and fined from $250 to $1000, or both. Violators also face a mandatory suspension of their driver's license, and up to 400 hours of community work service. Violations that are reckless can lead to up to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.