When Must A Driver Stop For A School Bus?
We see it all the time. A school bus is stopped to either pick up or discharge children. It’s red lights are blinking and the stop sign is activated for all drivers to see. But, some drivers are in a hurry and decide to put our children’s lives in danger and go around the bus instead of waiting the few seconds it will take for all the children to get where they are going safely.
Let me be clear: Like the law in most states, the law in Virginia is that a stopped school bus is not to be passed, whether you are behind it going in the same direction or in the travel lane coming towards the bus if you are on an undivided roadway. If you are approaching a stopped bus from the opposite dirction on a divided road or highway, you may proceed. If the bus is on a side street (not on the roadway you are on), you can go past. But that’s about it. Otherwise, you have to stop and wait for the red lights to go off, the red stop sign arm to be folded in, and the bus to begin moving before you can move.
Driving past a stopped school bus is a disaster waiting to happen. Cars are big and buses are bigger; children are small. No driver has any excuse to disobey this crucial law designed to save the lives of our children.
If your child was hit and injured by a car that was passing a stopped school bus, you should contact a lawyer who is experienced in representing children recover for their losses. I will be glad to answer your questions about getting compensation for your child. Give me a call at 703-273-9500, send me an email at srohrstaff@wrsattorneys.com, or contact me through my firm’s website, www.WRSattorneys.com. I answer your questions for free.
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