When Do You Stop for a School Bus? [PHOTO]

Quick! You're driving down the street and a school bus flashes the yellow and then red lights and the stop sign comes out, do you have to stop? Apparently it depends on the road you're on and you don't always have to.

I've always wondered what to do with a school bus in certain situations and now that school is back in session, this is the best time to go over the laws once again. The Albany Police Department posted the graphic below on their Facebook page to clear up what some people may think about the rules of the road.

Obviously if you're on the same side of the road as a school bus and you see the stop sign, you must stop but do you have to if you're on the other side of the road? If it's a two-lane road, yes, in this case everyone must stop for the bus. Let's say you're on the opposite side of the bus and it's multi-laned but with a paved median? Here too, everyone must stop no matter the side of the road. What gets tricky is if the road is multi-laned but the median is unpaved, raised, or there's a barrier. In this situation, if you're on the opposite side of the road, legally you don't have to stop, just be cautious.

Be warned that students getting off of the bus may also not be sure of the rules of the road so share this with you children so they're safe and continue to look out for kids getting off the bus this school year.