For many Pennsylvania drivers, one traffic rule continues to cause confusion: When is it legal to pass a stopped school bus? The answer depends on the type of road you're driving on, and misunderstanding the law can lead to steep penalties.
When a school bus stops to pick up or drop off students and activates its red flashing lights and stop arm, drivers must stop at least 10 feet away. That requirement applies to vehicles approaching from behind and from the opposite direction. Drivers must remain stopped until the red lights stop flashing, the stop arm is retracted and children have safely moved away from the roadway.
The biggest source of confusion involves roads with multiple lanes. Many motorists believe they can continue driving if they are
on the opposite side of a wide roadway. Under Pennsylvania law, that is only allowed when traffic is separated by a physical barrier or divided roadway. Concrete medians, guide rails, grassy medians and similar barriers qualify. Painted lines and center turn lanes do not.
The rule differs from what drivers encounter with Pittsburgh Regional Transit buses. PRT buses make frequent passenger stops but do not use stop arms or red flashing lights to halt traffic. Because passengers board and exit at designated transit stops rather than crossing under the protection of a school bus stop arm, surrounding traffic is generally permitted to continue when a PRT bus stops.
That distinction is important because drivers may become accustomed to passing transit buses and incorrectly assume the same rules apply to school buses.
Violating Pennsylvania's school bus stopping law can result in a driver's license suspension, points on a driving record and significant fines. Safety advocates say when drivers are uncertain whether they must stop, the safest choice is to wait and protect children entering or leaving the bus.
This article by Gabby Sartori was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When can you legally pass and stopped school bus?
