School Zone, Crossing Guard, and Opposing School Bus
At 7:50 a.m. on a clear Tuesday, you are southbound on a two-lane residential street posted 25 mph. Yellow school-zone beacons are flashing. A school building is on your right, and children are on the sidewalk. A crossing guard in an orange vest steps into the crosswalk ahead and raises a stop paddle. About 80 feet beyond the crosswalk, a school bus is stopped in the northbound lane with its red lights flashing and stop arm extended. You are late and traveling 32 mph. The street has no median, just a double yellow line. A car behind you is close. You see no children in the crosswalk yet, but the guard is in it. The bus is facing you. You have not touched the brake.
1. What must you do about speed and the crossing guard?
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The flashing beacons and the school setting require extra caution, and 32 mph is over the 25 mph limit. More immediately, a crossing guard in the crosswalk with a raised stop paddle has the same effect as a stop sign: you must stop before the crosswalk and remain stopped until the guard and any pedestrians clear. You may not proceed just because no child is in the crosswalk yet; the guard is controlling it.
Brake early and smoothly, check your mirror for the close car, and stop well before the painted lines so you do not block the crosswalk.
2. Must you stop for the school bus in the opposite lane?
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Yes. This is an undivided two-lane road with only a painted double yellow line, not a raised median or physical barrier. On that type of road, traffic in both directions must stop for a school bus with red lights flashing and the stop arm extended. You must stop at least 20 feet from the bus and wait until the red lights stop flashing.
The crosswalk and guard are before the bus, so after the guard clears you still must remain stopped for the bus. The painted center line does not create an exception.
3. The car behind is close. How does that change your stopping?
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The close car does not excuse a failure to stop. You should signal and brake earlier and more gradually than usual to give the driver behind time to react, while still stopping before the crosswalk. Do not swerve around the guard or bus, and do not roll through the crosswalk to avoid a rear-end collision.
If the car behind is truly unable to stop, your best option is still to stop in a controlled way and sound the horn if necessary. The legal duty to stop for the guard and the bus remains.