A question for Sassy Kims

http://www.auburnschools.org/S...op%20Law%20Flyer.pdf

This says you don't have to. I've seen ppl do it, so I learned something.

all lanes of traffic must stop....
(this is because the kid may have to cross the highway to get home!)

If the prints too small,

“The driver of a vehicle upon a divided highway having four or more lanes which permits at
least two lanes of traffic to travel in opposite directions need not stop the vehicle upon meeting
a school bus which is stopped in the opposing roadway …”

Trutooit=correct.

You should use caution passing the point where the bus is, though as willie says (judgement call) in case the kid goes across your lanes. Most bus stops are set up on purpose as "right side" stops so the passengers are closest to the side of the road that they live on.

"Divided" means a physical barrier, such as a median strip or concrete island-which makes the road you are on a totally separate road from the one the bus is on.

Sassy can correct me where I'm wrong-but this is pretty much the rule everywhere.

I would prefer to err on the side of caution and stop anyway. Puppy,I don't have children but if I did, I would want someone like you driving their bus. You are to be commended for your professionalism and attitude. You seem to take your responsibility seriously. Thanks for a job well done.

I would think that if the highway is divided, the bus will make a trip on each direction in order to prevent crossing lanes of traffic.
If the road is undivided all lanes must stop( I think?).

Who would want their kids to walk across four lanes and a wet, grassy median anyway. Bus routes are setup so this doesn't have to happen.

IF you make the decision to STOP be mindful of the traffic BEHIND you as they may not see you stopping.

Hell, this is Alabama. As I found out when I laid my Harley down one day, people don't need a reason to stop in the middle of the road.

How about if a bus pulls over on the side of the road? A bus in front of me did that one day, and Me and all the cars behind me went on, and the bus driver was blowing the horn like we were supposed to stop or something.

Youse're all correct. Glad to see that some folks use good common sense.

Yes-Bus routes are usually set up so that kids don't have to cross. Sometimes they DO have to but not usually on a big, busy highway. (Right side dropoff/pickup.

Right you are, soldier! I have seen that "A-Team" stunt maneuver up north where somebody'd stop for my bus and the guy behind would do a spinning jump-landing on it's roof over the car that stopped!

LOL seeweed. Yeah you right.

LELA: If the bus pulls over and the amber warning lights/red stop lights are not flashing-you pass it just like any other vehicle.
Dunno what that driver was thinking. Maybe te driver THOUGHT the lights were going. Maybe he/she was just HUA that day.
There ARE some incompetent drivers that go down the road with amber lights flashing for the helluvit, hazards going, driving around with a signal flashing, not stopping sat RXRs, etc. Where I work, we are slowly weeding out the defective drivers and retraining them.
Some bus drivers around here just don't give a sh!t. I've seen it. I mean, whaddya expect for $8-something an hour. Ya get what ya pay for.
Ya wanna pay peanuts? Ya get unskilled, indifferent drivers that barely pass the CDL and SDE tests. They're just in it 'cause Wal-Mart or McDonalds wasn't hiring that day.
Ya want trained professionals that take their jobs seriously? (usually veteran drivers-the indifferent ones/unskilled ones usually don't make it that far) It costs a bit more, but it's worth it.
The other day I hadda pull over on the side of Rickwood Rd. on my PM elementary trip to settle the bus down. (Just acquired the route, so the kids were testing me.) Hazards flashing (as per training) and over to the right side as far as possible (High curbs don't permit leaving the traveled portion of the road and no wide driveways were available). I even waved cars around me out the driver's window. Some cars went around-some didn't know what to do-even though others were going around.

The big YELLOW/RED lights are the key. If they're not on-proceed with caution. (Ya never know).
I've had oncoming cars run my red lights one day and then stop at the same place the next because I was stopped with only my left turn signal on. Go figure. I guess the driving test in Alabama is dirt simple. It must be judging by the way all the drivers around here operate their vehicles. I dunno.

blue: Thanks. It's nice to hear an 'attaboy' once inna while. I do take my job seriously. I joke with people that it's my religion. I've been at it for 25 years. No preventable accidents and no violations.
Some may not think that's sayin' much 'cause when I do something right-nobody remembers, but should I do something wrong-Nobody'd ever forget.

Wrong is just NOT an option in my book.

You don't have to stop on a divided highway anymore. At one time, all 4 lanes had to stop. A 2006 amendment changed the law. See subparagraph (d) below.

§ 32-5A-154. Overtaking and passing school bus or church bus; penalties and fines.


(a) The driver of a vehicle upon meeting or overtaking from either direction any school bus which has stopped for the purpose of receiving or discharging any school children on a highway, on a roadway, on school property, or upon a private road or any church bus which has stopped for the purpose of receiving or discharging passengers shall bring the vehicle to a complete stop before reaching the school or church bus when there is in operation on the school or church bus a visual signal as specified in Section 32-5A-155. The driver shall not proceed until the school or church bus resumes motion or is signaled by the school or church bus driver to proceed or the visual signals are no longer actuated.

(b) Every bus used for the transportation of school children shall bear upon the front and rear thereof plainly visible signs containing the words “school bus” in letters not less than eight inches in height, and in addition shall be equipped with visual signals meeting the requirements of Section 32-5A-155, which shall be actuated by the driver of the school bus only when the vehicle is stopped for the purpose of receiving or discharging school children. The visual signals shall not be actuated at any other time.

(c)(1) Every bus used for the transportation of passengers to or from church shall bear upon the front and rear thereof plainly visible signs containing the words “church bus” in letters not less than eight inches in height. Visual signals meeting the requirements of Section 32-5A-155, on a church bus, if any, may be actuated by the driver of the church bus only when the vehicle is stopped for the purpose of receiving or discharging passengers.

(2) A bus operated by the Association for Retarded Citizens of Alabama, or an affiliate thereof, transporting its clients shall be considered a bus to which this section is applicable.

(d) The driver of a vehicle upon a divided highway having four or more lanes which permits at least two lanes of traffic to travel in opposite directions need not stop the vehicle upon meeting a school or church bus which is stopped in the opposing roadway or if the school or church bus is stopped in a loading zone which is a part of or adjacent to such highway and where pedestrians are not permitted to cross the roadway.

....

I was not aware (till now)that the law had changed. I remember that I used to see signs along the higways that said something to the effect of "all lanes must stop when school bus stops" Personally I think all lanes stopping was a good idea.

Ive always stopped, wont be anymore. I was never sure and always figured it would be easier to talk my way out of an impeding traffic ticket than a running a school bus stop sign ticket.

Wonder what the law is in TN.....

You'll find several people in defensive driving class who are there for passing a stopped school bus because the fine is something like $500. In my class, our instructor told us about a woman who got a ticket when she didn't even pass the stopped bus; she made a right turn at an intersection behind the bus.

If any of you are familiar with Hoover, the lady was driving south on Lorna Road and turned right onto Patton Chapel Road. The bus was about 1/4 mile down Lorna Road, stopped and unloading kids at an apartment complex. What threw us is the lady did not cross the intersection at all. She turned right onto Patton Chapel when the bus was waaaay ahead on Lorna.

Another question: If you are on Lorna Road at the intersection and the your light turns green, can you not move up at all - even if moving up will just move you behind a line of cars that are stopped behind the bus? I don't understand why cars as far as 1/4 mile back - who may not even see the bus that far back - have to completely come to a stop when they are not coming anywhere near the bus, much less passing it.

The instructor said not all cops would write a ticket for such an "offense" and admitted that he wouldn't have. Anyway, the lady tried to fight it but lost and had to pay the fine.

(If you want to see the intersection I'm talking about go to googlemaps and plug in Lorna Road and Patton Chapel Road, Hoover. The apartment complex is on the side of the Chevron.)

quote:

Originally posted by bluetick:
I would prefer to err on the side of caution and stop anyway.

that is not erring on the side of caution. it is be so cautions that you may cause an accident.

the law is the law for a reason. you don't need to stop. school buses dropping kids off on divided highways are required by law to drop kids off so they don't have to cross. stopping for one while it's 200 feet away is just begging for someone like me to come along expecting everyone to obey the law and smack you in the rear end.

obey the lay and all is cool.

I have had training as a proffesional driver and have a commercial drivers license. I pride myself on being a safe driver and always look in the rearview mirror before stopping and try to pull to the side of the road for busses and funeral processions. This is of course circumstances permitting. I think very few drivers use their rearviews often enough. To be aware of your surroundings your eyes should never be still.

Looks like y'all hashed this one out pretty good. Proud of ya!

quote:

Originally posted by bluetick:
I have had training as a proffesional driver and have a commercial drivers license. I pride myself on being a safe driver and always look in the rearview mirror before stopping and try to pull to the side of the road for busses and funeral processions. This is of course circumstances permitting. I think very few drivers use their rearviews often enough. To be aware of your surroundings your eyes should never be still.

Exactly. I know what is in my review at all times. Gotta watch out for those sneaky LEOs (sorry Sassy) slipping up on ya!

I have been accused of wondering eyes, but I am aware of my surroundings at all times. Any public place I constantly am looking around, not only when driving, well especially when driving!

If i don't keep my eyes looking around, especially while driving, i get sleepy.