Sharing the road
You are on a divided highway. On the opposite side of the median, a school bus has stopped with its red lights flashing. What must you do?
- Stop, because the law requires it even when the bus is on the other side of a divided highway. Correct answer
- Continue with caution, because the median separates you from the bus.
- Slow down and pass only if no children are visible.
Why
In New York, when a stopped school bus flashes its red lights, traffic coming from either direction must stop before reaching it, and the manual states that this includes a bus on the opposite side of a divided highway. The rule applies on all roadways in the state, including in front of a school and in its parking lot. A median does not create an exception, and neither does not seeing any children. The manual adds a safety fact worth remembering: most deaths and injuries linked to school buses happen while children cross the street after getting off, not in crashes with the bus. After you stop, look for children along the road and drive slowly until you are past them.
Where this comes from
New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), April 2026 version. The correct answer is Stop, because the law requires it even when the bus is on the other side of a divided highway.
More on sharing the road
- A school bus ahead of you has stopped with its red lights flashing. What minimum distance from the bus does the manual tell you to keep when you stop?
- You have stopped for a school bus with flashing red lights. The children have finished crossing, but the bus has not moved and its red lights are still on. When may you drive on?
- A school district's stop-arm camera records the same vehicle passing a stopped school bus with flashing red lights for the second time within 18 months. What penalty does the vehicle owner face?
- A bicycle is ridden at night on a New York road. From how far ahead must its headlight be visible?