WHEN TO STOP FOR A SCHOOL BUS

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NOW THAT SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION…
We will be seeing a lot more cars back on the road, including school buses.

It’s always tricky to know when you have to stop for school buses and when you can keep on driving. So here are the rules as the apply to Louisiana roadways:

  • TWO LANE ROADWAY WITH CENTER YELLOW LINE
    Vehicles behind the bus and in the opposite lane must stop.
  • FOUR LANE ROADWAY WITH CENTER YELLOW LINE (TWO LANES ON EACH SIDE)
    All vehicles must stop, including vehicles traveling the opposite direction and vehicles traveling in the same direction but in the other lane. It’s also important to note that in Louisiana, vehicles must stop at least 30 feet behind a school bus.
  • THREE LANE ROADWAY SEPARATED BY CENTER TURNING LANE (TWO SINGLE LANES SEPARATED BY A TURNING LANE)
    All vehicles must stop, including vehicles traveling in the opposite direction and those in the turning lane.
  • FIVE LANE DIVIDED ROADWAY (TWO OR MORE LANES IN EACH DIRECTION DIVIDED BY A TURNING LANE)
    Only vehicles traveling in the same direction as the school bus must stop. Vehicles traveling on the other side of the turning lane in the opposite direction of the bus do not have to stop.
  • FOUR LANE ROADWAY DIVIDED BY A GRASS OR CONCRETE MEDIAN
    Only vehicles traveling in the same direction as the school bus must stop. Vehicles on the opposite side of the median do not have to stop.

Some people will say that they stop no matter what out of extra-precaution for the students on the bus. This could be dangerous too as drivers behind you may not be preparing to stop if it is not required. Stopping when you should not could possibly result in you getting a traffic ticket as well.

The bottom line is this…it is difficult to know when to stop for a school bus, but it is worth taking the extra time to learn the rules.