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Automotive & MechanicsStopping for a school bus
When a school bus stops to load or unload passengers, Georgia law says when you slow down, when you stop and when you may go on, and the answer depends on the kind of road. Passing a stopped school bus carries up to 6 points, the most on Georgia's points list. It is the school bus stop law of the Georgia DDS Drivers Manual.
Free to startScenarios
- A two-lane road, with or without a center turning lane.
- A four-lane road without a median.
- A divided highway of four lanes or more with a median.
The steps
- Flashing yellow lights: the bus is getting ready to stop; slow down and be prepared to stop.
- Watch for passengers walking along or crossing the road.
- Once the lights turn red and the stop arms extend, stop: passing the bus while it loads or unloads is unlawful.
- Two-lane road: all traffic in both directions stops.
- Two-lane road with a center turning lane: all traffic in both directions stops.
- Four-lane road without a median: all traffic in both directions stops.
- Road of four lanes or more with a center turning lane: all traffic in both directions stops.
- Divided highway with a median: only traffic following the bus stops; on the other side, stay alert for people walking along or crossing.
- Stay stopped until the bus moves again or turns off its warning signals and every passenger has cleared the roadway.
Safety rules that stop the station
- The warning comes in advance from the flashing red or amber lights on the front and rear of the bus.
To pass
- Unlawfully passing a school bus means a mandatory court appearance, a fine of up to $1,000 and up to 6 points on your driving record.
- For a driver under 21, a conviction suspends the license.
- The traditional road test is scored as a whole: you need at least 75%, and at the end the examiner shows you the score sheet and discusses the results with you.
- If you fail, wait until the next day to take it again; after a second failure, wait 7 days.
Official source
Georgia · DDS, Drivers Manual
Drivers Manual
The Georgia Department of Driver Services publishes its Drivers Manual free: the road test, the rules of the road and each maneuver.
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