School bus safety: Know the traffic rules

With the first bell of the school year about to ring in Central Florida, the roads will be full of school buses once again, and it’s imperative drivers know the laws for when to stop or pass for the safety of all children and drivers.

The Ocoee Police Department posted the following driving laws to its Facebook page last year:

• All drivers moving in either direction on two-way streets must stop for a school bus displaying a stop signal, and must remain stopped until the road is clear of children AND the school bus stop arm is withdrawn. (TWO-LANE Diagram)
• On highways divided by a paved median, all drivers moving in either direction must stop for a school bus displaying a stop signal, and must remain stopped until the road is clear of children AND the school bus stop arm is withdrawn. (MULTI-LANE Diagram)
• When traveling in the opposite direction and there is a RAISED BARRIER such as a concrete divider or at least five feet of unpaved space separating the lanes of traffic. Painted lines or pavement markings are not considered barriers.

Ocoee PD suggests slowing down and using caution as students are loading or unloading from the bus.