New School Year, Same School Bus Rules
Kids are heading back to school and it’s everyone’s responsibility to ensure they arrive safely.
The last time most people thought about school buses was likely a few months ago, so if you need a reminder on the rules of the road, read below for a memory refresh!
Be mindful of your speed. If you’re driving behind a school bus, drive slowly and keep a car-length distance between yourself and the bus. If you can see the children at the back of the bus, you’re too close!
Look for the flashing yellow lights! This signals that the bus is stopping and will either be picking someone up or dropping them off. If you’re behind the bus, come to a complete stop. If you’re driving toward the bus, slow down. At most, you should only be going 20mph.
Stop for flashing red lights. Like the red lights on the streetlights, drivers should stop when school buses flash red lights. Traffic in both directions on a two-lane street should come to a complete stop, at least 15 feet from the bus. On a four-lane street, the lanes moving in the opposite direction don’t need to come to a complete stop, but do need to slow down to 20mph and remain aware of children crossing.
First time riding the bus? Teach your kids about street safety. Children should look both ways before crossing the street and need to be on the lookout for vehicles that don’t stop when they should. Let them know to never cross behind the bus, and when crossing, to always be within the bus driver’s line of sight.
Know your local laws. Traffic laws can change depending on the environment or location. Some towns may differ from others, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Remember that buses follow different rules. Buses are big, transport dozens of people, and make frequent stops. They cannot go over certain speed limits depending on where they’re driving through, must stay in certain lanes, and make complete stops before going over railroad tracks. Keep this in mind when driving behind or near school buses and be patient with them.
Let’s start the school year off right and prevent accidents before they happen.
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