For many motorists, back to school first of all means that morning and evening rush hours will be more difficult ...
...but we definitely must not forget that this also announces the return of school buses on the roads.
Open your eyes
The question is not whether or not to stop when seeing a bus with intermittent lights on a residential street. However, do you have to stop if the bus is traveling in the opposite direction on a boulevard? If it is stopped at an intersection? On a road at 90 km/ h? On the other side of a median strip?
Here is what is allowed and what it is not:
- Under no circumstances may you overtake a school bus with its intermittent lights on;
- You can pass by a school bus with intermittent traffic lights only if there is a physical separation between you and the bus (median strip, fence, cement wall, etc.).
So, no matter how many lanes or the traffic speed, you need to stop at more than 5 meters - the length of a big car - from the bus.
…and the yellow lights, what are they used for?
Most buses are equipped with flashing yellow lights that the driver activates when preparing to stop to pick up or drop off children. Otherwise, the driver will activate the vehicle's hazard lights.
In front of these lights, just like at a yellow light at an intersection, you must stop, unless you are so close to the bus that the maneuver is risky.
Remember, these measures are designed primarily to protect schoolchildren. It's not worth taking the risk to save a few seconds!
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