School Bus on a Divided Highway at 7:10 a.m.
At 7:10 a.m. you are westbound on a four-lane divided highway. The posted speed is 55 mph, and the two westbound lanes are separated from the two eastbound lanes by a raised grassy median about 30 feet wide. Ahead on the eastbound side, a yellow school bus stops, turns on its red flashing lights, and extends the stop arm. Children are stepping off. You are in the right westbound lane. A pickup behind you is tailgating. On the next stretch, a MoDOT mowing crew is working on the right shoulder with a flashing arrow board. You plan to continue west. The bus is across the median, not on your side. The median is clearly raised and continuous, not just a painted turn lane.
1. Must you stop for the school bus? Explain using the median.
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No. Missouri requires stopping for a school bus with red lights and stop arm when you are on the same roadway, but not when the bus is on the opposite side of a divided highway separated by a raised median. This median is 30 feet wide and continuous, so it is a true divider. Still slow and scan for children who may cross the median. If the median were only a painted two-way left-turn lane or a shared center lane, you would have to stop.
2. What should you do about the tailgating pickup?
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Do not slam on the brakes. You are not required to stop for the bus across the median, but you should slow modestly for the bus and the mower ahead. A tailgater is a reason to increase your own following distance and brake early and gently, not to speed. Check your mirror; if the pickup is very close, signal early and slow gradually. Do not change lanes abruptly into the left lane without checking.
3. How should you handle the mowing crew with the arrow board?
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Treat the flashing arrow as a lane-closure warning: move left if safe and legal, and if you cannot move over, reduce speed substantially and pass with room. Missouri's move-over law covers highway workers and equipment. The wet road increases stopping distance, so slow before the arrow board, not at the mower.