Passing a School Bus and a Cyclist on a Two-Lane Road
You are eastbound on a two-lane road with a double yellow center line. Ahead on your right, a school bus has stopped with its red lights flashing and its stop arm extended. The bus is on your side of the road. Just beyond the bus, a cyclist is riding east in the same direction, hugging the right edge. Oncoming traffic is light but a car is approaching about 400 feet away. The shoulder on your right is narrow and unpaved. You are late for an appointment.
1. What must you do about the school bus, and does the oncoming car change anything?
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When a school bus on your side of the road has red lights flashing and the stop arm out, you must stop and remain stopped until the lights stop flashing and the arm retracts, regardless of whether you see children. The presence of the oncoming car does not create an exception - it is irrelevant to your duty to stop. Do not pass the bus. Do not proceed just because you are late; the delay is required by law and by safety. Wait until the bus signals that it is safe, then proceed with caution, watching for children who may still be near the roadway.
2. After the bus releases traffic, how should you handle passing the cyclist given the oncoming car?
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Wait. With an oncoming car about 400 feet away and a double yellow line, you do not have a safe gap to pass the cyclist. Passing requires enough clear distance to complete the maneuver without crowding the cyclist or forcing the oncoming driver to react.
- Hold back at a safe following distance behind the cyclist until the oncoming car passes and you can see clear road ahead.
- When clear, and only where passing is legal (a double yellow generally prohibits passing, so look for a permitted zone or a break in the restriction), give the cyclist plenty of room - at least three feet, more at higher speeds - and do not return to the lane until you can see the cyclist in your mirror.
- Never squeeze between the cyclist and the narrow unpaved shoulder; a wobble or obstacle could put the cyclist under your wheels.