bus

School Bus Law for 2-Lane and 4-Lane Roads

Dr. Fay Sprouse, Superintendent

August 9, 2023

As I was driving toward Greenwood on US Highway 25 last week, one of our school bus drivers was completing the afternoon route. The bus was stopped on the opposite side of the 4-lane highway to let students off. Cars on my side stopped for the bus, which is not required by SC law. Cars traveling in the same direction are required to stop, of course, but those traveling in the opposite direction on multi-lane roads are not. 

Many drivers do not know when to stop and when not to stop for school buses, so here are the rules:

You must stop for the entire time a school bus is stopped or preparing to stop with its red or amber lights flashing or its stop arm extended. After the school bus’s red and/or amber lights have stopped flashing and the stop arm is no longer visible, proceed slowly, watching for children. Law requires these actions whether you are meeting the school bus or traveling behind it under the following conditions:

  • On any two-lane highway
  • On any four-lane or multi-lane highway only when traveling behind a school bus
  • When attempting to pass a school bus that has red or amber signals flashing.

You are required to stop for a stopped school bus when driving on a two-lane road. You must always stop on any highway when you are behind the bus. When you have stopped, you must not proceed until the school bus moves or the red lights are no longer flashing.

You do not have to stop around a school bus in the following circumstances:

  1. A driver of a vehicle does not have to stop upon meeting a stopped school bus when traveling in the opposite direction on a multi-lane highway or multi-lane private road. A multi-lane highway or multi-lane private road is defined as a highway or private road that consists of four lanes, having at least two traffic lanes in each direction. 
  2. When the school bus is in a passenger loading zone completely off the main travel lanes and when pedestrians are not allowed to cross the roadway.

SC Code Section 56-5-2770

For more information, please visit https://scdps.sc.gov/tz/backtoschoolsafety