Crossing Four Lanes With a Distracted Driver in the Far Lane
At 3:40 p.m. you stop a 48-passenger bus on a four-lane road with two lanes in each direction and a posted 45 mph speed limit. There is no median, only a painted center turn lane. Three students must cross from the right-side door to the west side of the road; their homes are on that side and no same-side stop is available. You activate the red lights and stop arm. The two near lanes stop. In the far lane, a pickup truck is approaching at about 40 mph and shows no sign of slowing; the driver is looking at a phone. A parent on the far side waves the students to come across. The students are standing at the open door, and one has stepped onto the first step.
1. What should you do before allowing any student to leave the bus?
Read the worked answer
I would keep the students on the bus and tell the one on the step to stay there or step back inside. Before releasing anyone, I must see all lanes of traffic stopped or clearly clear. The near lanes being stopped is not enough because the far lane is the one the students must cross. The pickup is approaching at about 40 mph and the driver is visibly distracted, so the situation is not safe. I would not return the parent's wave; the parent does not control traffic and may not see the far lane. My hand signal to cross comes only after a complete scan shows no moving vehicle in any lane that could reach the crossing area.
2. The pickup passes without stopping. What should you do next?
Read the worked answer
After the pickup passes, I would rescan the entire roadway, including the far lane in both directions, before giving any signal. A single vehicle passing does not prove the road is clear; another vehicle may be behind it. If the road is clear, I would give the students a clear hand signal and watch them cross. If the far lane continues to fail to stop, I would not release the students. I would keep them aboard, contact dispatch, and request that the stop be moved to the same side of the road or that law enforcement assist. Repeated unsafe crossings are a reason to change the route, not to hurry students across.
3. What are the risks of accepting the parent's wave?
Read the worked answer
The parent's wave is a social cue, not a traffic control. The parent is on the far side, may not see the pickup, and has no authority to stop traffic. If I wave back or let the students go because a parent gestured, I transfer my judgement to someone who cannot see what I see from the driver's seat. The legal and safety responsibility for the crossing remains with me. I would acknowledge the parent only after the students are safely across, and I would explain that I must wait for all lanes to stop. If a parent repeatedly interferes, I would report it to the transportation supervisor.