Be vigilant. Always watch out for children and parents who may be waiting at a school bus stop or running to catch the bus before it leaves. For more information on school bus safety and awareness, please visit: School buses are responsible for safely transporting children to and from school. When approaching a bus, please note the following rules: Drivers are required to stop for a stopped school bus if they are driving on a two-lane highway. You will need to stop for a stopped school bus with flashing lights loading or unloading passengers. In most cases, you will need to stop for a school bus when the driver signals a stop with the flashing lights and stop sign. The only time you can go further is when a median strip separates your lane from the bus. After stopping for a school bus unloading schoolchildren, watch out for schoolchildren walking along the road. You must stay at the stop until the bus moves or the driver notifies you that you can continue. Proceed with caution.
A conviction for crashing a stopped school bus with flashing lights and an outstretched stop arm results in the suspension of a person`s driver`s licence. If the owner(s) of the vehicle was not driving at the time of the offence, he must inform the Public Prosecutor`s Office of the name of the person driving the vehicle, failing which the registration of the vehicle will be suspended for three months. If you illegally pass a school bus in a school bus zone and cause a “culpable collision” in which a person is injured or killed, you can go to jail for up to one year or up to 15 years. (MCL 257.601b(2) and (3); 257.320a(1)(l)) Children aged 4 to 8 (K-3) are most likely to die on school buses. These children, although they represent less than 35% of students, were involved in 69% of deaths (79 out of 114). Factors that may contribute to these statistics: You will need to stop for school buses stopped with flashing red lights and an extended stop sign when approaching from any direction on a highway, private road, or school entrance. Stop and stay stopped until everyone is free and the bus runs again. When a school bus stops, its yellow (yellow) lights start flashing.
If the bus stops with flashing red lights and an outstretched arm, you must stop at least 10 feet from the bus, whether you are behind it or approaching it in the same lane or approaching an intersection where the school bus is stopped. Stay stationary until the red lights stop flashing, the stop arm has been retracted and the children have reached a safe place (see photo below). Where there are school buses, there are usually children. Children are likely to do something unexpected, so be prepared. If you come to a school or religious bus that is stopped on a street to load or unload passengers, you will need to stop. By law, you must remain stationary until all people have left the lane and the bus is moving. A stop is NOT necessary if you are approaching a bus stopped from the opposite direction on a four-lane highway. However, a stop is required if you are following a bus that stops on a two-lane road, or if you are going in the opposite direction of the bus on a highway with less than four lanes, as they are usually not divided. After a school bus stops to let students off, watch out for children on the side of the road.
Shared highways (roads): Unless signs indicate otherwise, you do not need to stop for a school bus if you are driving in the opposite direction on a shared road. The driver of a motor vehicle on a two-lane road or private combination, or when passing a school bus with flashing yellow lights, must reduce the speed of his vehicle to a maximum of twenty miles per hour and proceed carefully in front of the school bus. If the driver of a motor vehicle approaches a school bus with the red traffic lights flashing, the driver must bring the vehicle to a complete stop within fifteen feet of the school bus and must remain stationary until the flashing red traffic lights go out. The driver of a motor vehicle on a highway with two or more lanes in each direction does not have to stop when passing an oncoming school bus, even if the school bus is stationary and its red traffic lights are flashing. The driver of a motor vehicle travelling on a road with two or more lanes in each direction must stop when approaching a school bus going in the same direction, when the school bus is stopped and its red traffic lights are flashing. Flashing yellow lights – Flashing yellow lights are activated at least 100 feet before a school bus stops in a speed zone of 35 mph or less, and at least 300 feet before stopping in a speed zone greater than 35 mph. It is illegal to drive on the right side of a school bus while showing red or yellow flashing lights. The dangers of distracted driving bring distracted drivers and everyone on the road.
Michigan law does not explicitly permit or prohibit a driver from passing a school bus on a dotted line.