When a school bus is stopped ahead on your side of the road with its red lights flashing, you must:
- Slow to a speed no faster than 10 mph.
- Stop until the lights stop flashing. ✓
- Change lanes and pass cautiously.
Answer: B. Stop until the lights stop flashing.
You must stop and stay stopped until the school bus's red lights stop flashing.
Why this is the answer
The California Driver Handbook says that when a school bus flashes its red lights, you must stop from either direction. You stay stopped while the red lights are flashing, and you wait until the children are safely across the street and the lights stop. That is why the correct action is to stop, not just slow down or go around the bus.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Slow to a speed no faster than 10 mph. — Slowing to 10 mph is not enough, because the handbook requires you to stop for a school bus that is flashing red lights.
- C. Change lanes and pass cautiously. — Changing lanes and passing cautiously is wrong, because you are required to stop from either direction rather than go around the bus.
Remember it
Picture the red lights as a gate that stays closed until the flashing stops.