You are driving in a residential area. There is a bus at the bus stop on the other side of the road. Why should you be careful?
- Pedestrians may cross the road from behind the bus. ✓
- A car may swerve around the bus onto your side of the road.
- The bus may move off suddenly.
- The bus may back up.
Answer: A. Pedestrians may cross the road from behind the bus.
Be careful because pedestrians may step out from behind the stopped bus, where you cannot see them until they are in the road.
Why this is the answer
The handbook warns that a stopped public transit bus can block your view of pedestrians who are about to cross the street. In a residential area, someone may come around the bus and enter your lane with little warning. That is why you should slow down and be ready to stop when you pass a bus at a stop.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. A car may swerve around the bus onto your side of the road. — The handbook does not describe a car swerving around a bus onto your side of the road as the reason to be careful here; the warning is about your view of pedestrians being blocked.
- C. The bus may move off suddenly. — A bus pulling out is something the handbook mentions, but for a bus stopped at a stop the specific hazard it tells you to watch for is hidden pedestrians about to cross.
- D. The bus may back up. — Nothing in the handbook says a transit bus at a stop may back up, so that is not the hazard to expect.
Remember it
If a bus hides the sidewalk, expect a person to appear from behind it and ease off the gas.