A new law has been established in GA regarding how a driver approaches a stopped school bus on the road. In this article, let’s look at how you can proceed when approaching a stopped school bus safely and legally on any road.

PASSING A SCHOOL BUS IN GEORGIA

When approaching a stopped school bus, it’ll be helpful to remember this:
1) If the lights are flashing red and the STOP sign is out, drivers of BOTH directions must stop! It is against the law to pass the bus in this situation.
2) Never pass on the right side of the bus, where the children are getting off.

If you are a kid of parent, remember:

1) Line up away from the street.
2) Wait until the bus has fully stopped and the driver says it’s okay to get onto the bus.
3) Look left and right to make sure all traffic has stopped.
4) Never walk directly behind or in front of the bus.
5) Try to stand about 3 giant steps away from the bus until your driver says it’s safe.

THE RULES & THE NEW LAW

If you’re driving on a two-lane street, ALL TRAFFIC in both directions must stop.

If you’re driving on a two-lane street with a center turning lane, ALL traffic in both directions must stop.

Now, here are the changes to the law that has just been made.
If you are driving on a four-lane street with a median separation, you DO NOT have to stop anymore when approaching a stopped school bus on the other side of the divided highway.

The law was passed on July 1st and it states:

“The driver of a vehicle upon a highway that has separate roadways or a divided highway, including but not limited to, a highway divided by a turn lane, need not stop upon meeting or passing a school bus which is on a different roadway or on another half of a divided highway.”

For a two-lane road, it is still illegal to pass the bus. For four-lane roads now, it is completely legal to pass the stopped school bus as long as it’s on the other side of the road and there is a median separation.

This law has raised a number of concerns from parents and teachers, stating that it is making the roads more dangerous for their children.

What are your thoughts? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Read more about it here – http://www.fox5atlanta.com/good-day/traffic-law-tuesday-new-law-changes-when-drivers-have-to-stop-for-school-buses