School bus stopping laws by state
When you must stop for a school bus with its red lights flashing, including on divided highways, and how far back to stay.
By state
| State | School bus rule |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Stop at least 20 feet from a school or church bus with its stop arm extended and red lights flashing, from either direction, and stay stopped until the arm retracts and the lights go off. This includes 4-6 lane undivided highways. No stop is required on a divided highway of four or more lanes for a bus in the opposing roadway, or one in a loading zone where pedestrians can't cross. Amber warning lights come on at least 300 feet before the stop in rural areas and 100 feet in municipalities.Source |
| Alaska | Stop for a school bus with red lights flashing and stop arm extended, whether meeting or following it; remain stopped until the stop sign retracts, lights stop and (when following) the bus moves or the driver signals. Not required for a bus going the opposite direction on a highway with separated roadways of two or more lanes each way. |
| Arizona | Stop for a school bus loading or unloading (flashing lights and stop arm) regardless of direction; not required when traveling the opposite direction on a divided roadway with a physical barrier (striping alone does not count). Stay stopped until the bus moves or the lights and arm are off.Source |
| Arkansas | Stop for a stopped school bus with flashing red lights from any direction (same lane, opposing lane, or at an intersection) until the lights go off and the bus moves. Exception: opposite direction separated by a median 20 feet or more wide. Fine $250-$1,000 and/or up to 90 days in jail; causing a death is a felony (Isaac's Law).Source |
| California | When a school bus flashes red lights, stop from either direction and remain stopped until the children are safely across and the lights stop flashing. No need to stop if the bus is on the other side of a divided or multilane highway (two or more lanes in each direction). Flashing yellow lights mean slow down and prepare to stop. Failing to stop: fine up to $1,000 and possible one-year suspension. No stopping distance is given in the handbook. |
| Colorado | Stop at least 20 feet from a school bus with flashing red lights and stop arm; wait until the lights stop and the arm retracts. Two-lane roads and four-lane roads without a median: both directions stop. Divided highways of four or more lanes with a median, or five+ lanes with a shared center turn lane: only traffic behind the bus stops. The Right-of-Way section (PDF p.14) also says you need not stop when a median or other physical barrier separates you from the bus.Source |
| Connecticut | Stop for a school bus with flashing red lights whether it is on your side, the opposite side, or at an intersection you are approaching; not required when the bus is on the other side of a median or physical barrier. Statute: stop at least 10 feet from the front or rear of the bus (C.G.S. 14-279); fine $450 for a first offense, $500-$1,000 and/or up to 30 days in jail for later offenses (14-279(b)). Ice cream trucks with flashing lights and extended arms: stop at least 10 feet away, then pass at up to 5 mph.Source |
| Delaware | Stop before reaching a school bus loading or unloading children from either direction, except on the opposite side of a highway with four or more lanes (even then proceed slowly). Yellow lights come on about 10 seconds before the red lights; wait until the red lights stop and the stop arm retracts. First offense: $115-$230 fine and/or 30-60 days jail, 1-month suspension, 6 points.Source |
| Washington DC | Stop at least 20 feet from the front or rear of a school vehicle with alternating flashing red lights until the lights are off; not required on a divided highway when the school vehicle is on the other side.Source |
| Florida | On a two-way street or highway, traffic in both directions must stop for a school bus displaying its stop signal and stay stopped until the signal is withdrawn and children are clear. On a highway divided by a raised barrier or an unpaved median at least 5 feet wide, opposite-direction traffic need not stop (painted lines are not a barrier). Penalty: minimum $265 fine ($465 if passing on the side children enter and exit), 4 points, and a basic driver improvement course.Source |
| Georgia | When a school bus stops with red lights and stop arm, all traffic in both directions must stop on two-lane roads, two-lane roads with a center turn lane, four-lane roads without a median, and roads of four or more lanes with a center turn lane; on a divided highway with a median, only traffic following the bus must stop. Stay stopped until the bus moves or turns off its signals and passengers have cleared the road. Penalties: mandatory court appearance, up to $1,000, up to 6 points (manual PDF p.19, p.45). No stopping distance is stated.Source |
| Hawaii | When a school bus is stopped with alternating red lamps flashing, drivers in the bus's lane and all adjacent lanes must stop before reaching it and wait until it moves or the lights go off. Vehicles going the opposite direction on a divided highway (roadways separated by a strip not for vehicles) need not stop. Fine up to $1,000 (HRS 291C-95). No stopping distance stated (p.96).Source |
| Idaho | Stop for a school bus loading/unloading while its red lights flash and/or the stop arm is out, and stay stopped until children are clear. Traffic going the opposite direction need not stop on highways with four or more lanes (two each way). |
| Illinois | Stop before meeting or passing a school bus stopped to load or unload, on any road, highway, private road or school parking lot, and stay stopped until the stop arm is retracted and the lights are off or the driver signals. Exception: you need not stop on a four-lane roadway when the bus is stopped facing the opposite direction. Buses warn at least 100 feet ahead (200 feet in rural areas). Penalty: license suspension, a mandatory $300 fine and community service.Source |
| Indiana | Stop for a school bus with red lights flashing and stop arm extended. On a roadway divided by a barrier or unimproved median, stop only if traveling in the same direction as the bus. Disregarding a stop arm is a Class A misdemeanor (Level 6 felony with injury, Level 5 felony with death). |
| Iowa | On roads with 3 lanes or fewer, all traffic stops; on 4 or more lanes, only traffic approaching from the rear stops. Stop no closer than 15 feet from the rear; when meeting a bus with amber lights, slow to no more than 20 mph and prepare to stop. Violations: license suspension up to 180 days. |
| Kansas | Stop for a school, church or day care bus stopped with red lights flashing and/or stop arm extended, whether it is on your side or the opposite side, including two-lane roads, roads with a center turn lane, multi-lane highways and intersections. Stay stopped until the bus moves or the red lights and stop arm are off, then wait until children have left the roadway. You don't have to stop if the bus is coming toward you on a roadway separated by a median or other physical barrier (K.S.A. 8-1556: separate roadways). No stopping distance is specified.Source |
| Kentucky | Stop for a stopped school or church bus loading or unloading, from either direction on all roads; remain stopped until everyone is clear and the bus is moving. Exception: opposite direction on a road of four or more lanes separated by an elevated barrier or unpaved median.Source |
| Louisiana | Stop at least 30 feet from a stopped school bus loading/unloading, whether meeting or following it. Not required when the bus is in a loading zone off the roadway, or when on the opposite side of a roadway separated by a ditch, median or barrier, or on a 4-5 lane road separated by a two-way left-turn lane. A two-lane road with a center turn lane is not a divided highway — must stop. |
| Maine | Stop (front or rear) for a stopped school bus with red lights flashing on any undivided highway, school property or parking area, from either direction; wait until the bus moves or the driver signals. On a divided highway with a solid divider, traffic on the other side need not stop. Passing a stopped school bus with red lights flashing: 30-day suspension. |
| Maryland | Stop at least 20 feet from the back of a stopped school bus with flashing red lights when behind it, or at least 20 feet from its front when meeting it; don't move until the bus starts moving or turns off its red lights. Exception: multi-lane road divided by a physical barrier, with the bus on the other side (manual pp. 38-39). Fine up to $1,000 (TR §21-706). |
| Massachusetts | Stop for a school bus or school pupil transport vehicle with flashing red lights and stop sign extended, no matter which side of the road you are on; stay stopped until lights stop and sign folds. Only exception: bus on the other side of a divided highway with a barrier. First violation: $250 fine and license suspension. No stopping distance stated (p.105).Source |
| Michigan | Stop at least 20 feet from a school bus with flashing red overhead lights and stay stopped until the lights go off or the bus moves. Not required for a bus on the other side of a highway divided by a barrier (median, island or other structure). Flashing yellow overhead lights: prepare to stop. Fines are doubled.Source |
| Minnesota | Stop at least 20 feet from a school bus with flashing red lights (even if the stop arm is not out), whether facing the front or back, and stay stopped until the red lights stop. Exception: divided roadway, opposite side. No passing on the right while yellow or red lights flash. Fine at least $500 and loss of driving privileges; arrest possible within 4 hours. Buses activate yellow lights 100 feet before stopping where the limit is 35 mph or less, 300 feet where it is more than 35 mph (manual p.1, p.41-42).Source |
| Mississippi | Stop at least 10 feet from a school bus with red lights flashing and/or stop sign extended, regardless of direction of travel, until children have crossed and the bus resumes motion with lights off and stop sign retracted. Exception: on a highway of four or more lanes with at least two lanes in each direction, traffic going the opposite direction may continue; also no stop needed when the bus is in a loading zone where pedestrians may not cross. |
| Missouri | Amber lights flash 500 feet before the bus stops; when red lights flash and the stop arm is out, traffic from both directions must stop on a two-lane road. No stop needed when traveling the opposite direction on a divided highway with separate roadways, on a highway with four or more lanes, or when the bus is in a school loading zone where students may not cross. Remain stopped until the bus moves or the driver signals. Conviction: 5 points; 90-day suspension (first and second offense within 5 years), 180 days for a third.Source |
| Montana | When meeting or passing from either direction a school bus stopped with red lights flashing, stop at least 30 feet from the bus and stay stopped until the red lights are turned off. Slow down for a bus with flashing yellow lights. No stop needed for a bus on a different road or stopped in an adjacent loading zone where pedestrians may not cross.Source |
| Nebraska | Amber lights: slow to 25 mph and prepare to stop. Red lights and stop arm: stop a reasonable distance away and stay stopped until the arm is retracted and the lights are off. The only exception is approaching from the opposite direction on a road divided by a median. Violating a school bus crossing is 3 points.Source |
| Nevada | Stop at any location for a school bus that is loading/unloading students or displaying flashing red lights; do not pass until the bus driver turns the red lights off (NRS 484B.353). On a divided highway (median or physical barrier) only traffic traveling in the same direction as the bus must stop; on all other roads traffic in both directions stops. No stopping distance is published. Bus drivers may report violators to the school district and DMV (owner gets a warning letter). |
| New Hampshire | Stop at least 25 feet away in any direction from a school bus with red lights flashing and/or stop arm extended, unless the roadway is separated by a physical barrier; stay stopped until the bus moves or the lights stop.Source |
| New Jersey | Stop at least 25 feet from a school bus with flashing red lights on a two-lane road, on a multi-lane highway where lanes are separated only by lines, or on a private road. On a dual highway on the other side of a safety island or raised median, slow to 10 mph. When the bus is stopped directly in front of a school, you may pass from either direction at no more than 10 mph (manual p.77).Source |
| New Mexico | Stop for a school bus stopped with red lights flashing whether it is on your side, the opposite side, or at an intersection you are approaching; not required if the bus is coming toward you on a roadway separated by a median or other physical barrier. Wait until children have left the roadway (manual p.12). No stopping distance is given.Source |
| New York | When a stopped school bus flashes red lights, traffic from either direction must stop before reaching it (at least 20 feet away), including in front of schools and in school parking lots and on the opposite side of a divided highway; it applies on all roadways. Wait until the bus moves or the driver or a traffic officer signals you on. Fine from $250 (first) up to $1,000 (three in three years); three convictions in three years = revocation of at least six months. Stop-arm camera owner penalties $250 / $275 / $300 (MV-21 p.40). |
| North Carolina | Stop when a school bus shows its mechanical stop signal or flashing red lights to load or unload. Do not pass until the stop signal is withdrawn, the red lights are off and the bus has started to move. Traffic in both directions must stop on a two-lane road, a two-lane road with a center turning lane, and a four-lane road without a median. Only traffic following the bus must stop on a road of four or more lanes with a center turning lane, or a divided highway of four or more lanes with a median. The handbook gives no stopping distance. Passing a stopped school bus is 5 license points (handbook PDF pp. 36, 49-50).Source |
| North Dakota | When a school bus is stopped with flashing red lights, drivers from both directions must stop until the bus moves, the driver signals vehicles to pass, or the red lights stop flashing. Yellow lights warn the bus is about to stop.Source |
| Ohio | On roads with fewer than four lanes, traffic in both directions must stop at least 10 feet from the front or rear of a stopped school bus with red lights and stay stopped until the bus moves or the driver signals. On roads with four or more lanes, only traffic going the same direction as the bus must stop. Amber lights mean prepare to stop.Source |
| Oklahoma | Stop for a school or church bus with flashing red lights and/or STOP sign; stay stopped until the bus moves, the driver motions you on, or the lights go off/sign is pulled back. Not required when the bus is on a different roadway, in a loading zone by a controlled-access highway where pedestrians may not cross, or for approaching traffic on a divided highway. Failing to stop = mandatory one-year revocation; 4 points. No stopping distance stated (p.30).Source |
| Oregon | Flashing amber = prepare to stop; flashing red = stop before reaching the bus and stay stopped until the red lights are turned off. On a divided highway with an unpaved median or barrier, only traffic on the bus's side must stop; a painted median or center turn lane does not divide the road, so all lanes stop. Church/worker buses with these lights are treated the same. No stopping distance is stated (pp.55-56).Source |
| Pennsylvania | Stop at least 10 feet away when a school bus has red lights flashing and stop arm extended, whether behind it, meeting it, or approaching an intersection where it is stopped; stay stopped until the lights stop, the arm is withdrawn and children are safe. Only exception: opposite side of a divided highway (barrier or median). Penalty: 60-day suspension, 5 points and a fine. |
| Rhode Island | Stop from either direction when a school bus has flashing red lights, on public highways, private roads and parking lots, until the red lights stop; exception for the opposite side of a divided highway. First violation: $250-$500 fine and/or up to 30-day suspension. |
| South Carolina | Stop for the whole time a school bus is stopped or preparing to stop with red or amber lights flashing or stop arm extended: on any two-lane highway (both directions), and on four-lane/multi-lane highways when behind the bus. Traffic moving in the opposite direction on a multi-lane highway (at least two lanes each way) need not stop; no stop needed when the bus is in a loading zone completely off the main lanes and pedestrians may not cross. Never pass a bus with red or amber signals flashing. No distance is specified. Manual cites SC Code §56-5-2760 (PDF pp. 83-85).Source |
| South Dakota | Stop for a school bus with red lights flashing or stop arm extended unless the roadway is separated by a physical barrier; proceed slowly after the lights stop and the arm is no longer visible (manual p.43). No stopping distance is given.Source |
| Tennessee | Stop for a school or church bus with red lights flashing and stop arm out, from both directions, and stay stopped until the arm is withdrawn and the bus moves (or the driver waves you on). Exception: oncoming traffic on a highway divided by a median or barrier unsuitable for vehicles; a center turn lane is NOT a barrier. Fine $250-$1,000 (Class A misdemeanor); 8 points.Source |
| Texas | Stop when approaching a school bus from either direction that is displaying alternately flashing red lights; do not pass until the bus resumes motion, the driver signals you to proceed, or the lights stop flashing. No stop needed for a bus on a different road or on a controlled-access highway where the bus is in a loading zone and pedestrians may not cross. Fine $500-$1,250 for a first conviction. The handbook gives no stopping distance.Source |
| Utah | Stop for flashing red lights: two-lane road both directions; four-lane road without median both directions; divided highway with median, only traffic behind the bus; five or more lanes with a center turn lane, only traffic behind the bus. Fines up to $3,000.Source |
| Vermont | Never pass a stopped school bus with red lights flashing, from any direction, even in a school yard. Exception: divided highway when the bus is traveling the opposite direction (e.g., concrete barrier). Violation: substantial fine and 5 points.Source |
| Virginia | Stop for a school bus with flashing red lights and extended stop sign from any direction on a highway, private road or school driveway, and remain stopped until everyone is clear and the bus moves; also stop if the bus is loading/unloading with signals off. Exception: traveling the opposite direction on a road divided by a median or barrier. No stopping distance in feet is given in the manual. |
| Washington | Stop when red lights flash and the stop sign is extended; don't pass using a center turn lane. Two-lane road: all traffic stops. Multilane road: opposite-direction traffic need not stop if there are three or more lanes or lanes separated by a median/barrier. Go when lights stop, sign retracts, arm returns. Fines doubled for passing a stopped school bus. |
| West Virginia | Traffic in both directions must stop for a school bus with red lights flashing on all highways, streets, parking lots, private roads or driveways; only on interstate highways may traffic on the other side of the median proceed. Penalty: at least 60-day suspension and at least $500 fine or up to 6 months jail (first offense).Source |
| Wisconsin | Stop at least 20 feet from a school bus with red lights flashing, whether it is on your side or the opposite side of the road; proceed once the red lights stop flashing. On a divided highway, traffic on the other side of the barrier does not need to stop. |
| Wyoming | Stop when meeting or overtaking, from either direction, a stopped school bus with flashing red lights; wait until it moves or the lights stop. Exception: a physical barrier or separate roadways between you and the bus (on a divided roadway only vehicles on the bus's side stop). No stopping distance stated (pp.50-51).Source |
More rules of the road
From each state's driver handbook or licensing agency; laws change, so check your state's current handbook.