When do you need to stop for a school bus?
Sgt. Matt Southern, State School Bus Safety Coordinator for the Department of Public Safety explains that on a two-lane road, all motorists must stop for a stopped school bus. It's different on a multi-lane road.
Sgt. Southern says, "Where it gets confusing is on what we call a multi-lane highway, and that's a roadway that has more than one lane in each direction. If you're traveling the same direction as the school bus, once those yellow lights come on, you cannot overtake or pass the bus because ultimately the stop sign, and the red lights will come up shortly thereafter. If you're traveling in the opposite direction, though, you do not have to stop. And the reason behind that is when bus routes are designed on a multi-lane highway, students will never be required to cross those lanes of traffic, so they will only be discharged to the right-hand side of the bus."
For more information on school bus safety, visit the Department of Public Safety’s website at School Bus Safety | SCDPS.
