♪ The wheels on the bus go round and round ♪ … until they stop, then so must you.
Last week, I witnessed several people driving around a stopped school bus that was picking up passengers, and it caused me concern. Did those drivers not know the rules when encountering a school bus coming to a stop? A few days later, one of my students walked into my Zumba class, visibly upset. She saw a driver go around a school bus as one of her “kids” was boarding. She works with Special Olympics and is a retired schoolteacher.
I want to believe that those drivers really did not know what to do and their failure to stop and wait was not because they felt inconvenienced by doing so. But that certainly is not an ideal situation.
So, I am writing to appeal to all of us to educate ourselves on the rules of the road as it pertains to sharing the road with a school bus. For some of you, this may simply be a refresher, but it is an important one. School buses are not as common on the road as they once were. Most often, if you see one, it is serving our community with disabilities.
Watch for a bus slowing down, and be ready to stop
As a school bus approaches a stop, it will slow down and, if equipped, will turn on flashing yellow lights. The driver will use the right signal indicator and move the bus to the right of the road. They will then stop the bus approximately 10 feet behind the crosswalk or area where students are waiting for the bus, for safety reasons, so the students will need to walk toward the bus. The stopped bus will display flashing red lights and a stop arm or stop sign.
California Law, Vehicle Code 22454, requires any car approaching the bus from ANY direction to stop and not drive past the bus. Even if you are driving in the opposite direction of the bus, and you are on the same roadway, you must stop. It is the law.
The only time you are not required to stop is when you are driving in the opposite direction on a divided roadway or a multiple lane highway (two or more lanes which are traveled in the same direction). The middle turn lane does not qualify the road as a divided or multiple lane roadway.
For as long as the bus is stopped, all vehicles must remain stopped. This means that you must wait while the bus is loading and unloading. You are not allowed to proceed until the bus driver brings in the stop arm or stop sign and turns off the flashing red lights. Be patient, as you do not have the same visibility of the students as the driver does. Though it may seem safe from your vantage point, you cannot see what may be happening in front of or to the side of the bus.
But suppose you are in a rush, maybe you are even running late and time is money so you carefully pass or go around the school bus. Well, if time is money, then that few minutes you saved could cost you at least $691 here in Alameda—and that’s just the monetary penalty for passing a school bus with flashing signals. Additionally, it will also cost you one Department of Motor Vehicle point on your driver’s license. Then, there is the worst case scenario, which I am compelled to bring up. You were being so careful, but your action resulted in someone getting hurt. That life-changing situation is one that I do not wish any party involved to experience.
My auntie and my cousin’s son have disabilities. I work with Alameda Adaptive Arts, a program that serves many in our community with disabilities. Riding the school bus is a necessary resource for some of these individuals. Thanks for watching out for them and others that ride that iconic yellow school bus!
Contributing writer Denise Lum is a Health and Fitness Coach raising her family in Alameda. Contact her via [email protected] or FitnessByDsign.com. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Denise-Lum.
