What should you do if you encounter a school bus with its stop sign extended?

When you encounter a school bus with its stop sign extended, stopping your vehicle is essential for the safety of the children who may be boarding or disembarking from the bus. This law is designed to protect those students, as they are often in close proximity to the road and may not always be aware of their surroundings.

In Washington State, and many other regions, the law mandates that vehicles must come to a complete stop when the stop sign on a school bus is extended, regardless of the direction you are traveling. This means that both vehicles approaching the bus from the front and those coming from the opposite direction must stop. This measure ensures that children can safely cross the street without the threat of oncoming traffic.

Other options, such as passing the bus quickly or waiting for the stop sign to retract without stopping, do not provide the necessary safety precautions for children and violate traffic laws. Similarly, honking at the bus driver does not address the situation appropriately and could potentially create confusion or danger. The only correct action is to stop and remain in place until the bus retracts its stop sign and resumes its normal operation.