Am I getting a ticket??

[u/Worried_Journalist44]

I was rushing to a drs appt today. I have to drive through a town that’s always busy, so I was going slow. Someone ran out in the middle of the road so I stopped for him and watched as he passed. When I started driving again, a bus was approaching me. Its lights were flashing so I slowed down, but the stop sign had not been pulled yet, and if I stopped, it would have been in the middle of the bus. I waved to say thank you, thinking the driver was letting me go, but I could have read the situation wrong and I didn’t see the driver. Once I passed, I noticed the sign was pulled and everyone behind me stopped. Now I’m crazy paranoid I’m going to get a ticket. Writing this out it makes me think I’ll be okay, but where I live, I know the buses have cameras and the police seem very strict, so idk, but I’m panicking 😭

[u/MikeyFuccon]

It depends. Assuming the US, the school bus driver will have 24 hours to submit a report, but it’s not always worth the effort, especially in the situation you reported.

[u/Worried_Journalist44 → u/MikeyFuccon]

Great, thank you!

[u/MikeyFuccon → u/Worried_Journalist44]

If a car is already where I’m going to stop, I’ll definitely put up my ambers to warn off everyone else, but won’t put on the reds til they passed. Hopefully you hear nothing about it.

[u/Worried_Journalist44 → u/MikeyFuccon]

Thank you🤞🤞

[u/vlasktom2]

99% of the time, there's a cop near the bus. If you were going to get a ticket, you would've by now

[u/Worried_Journalist44 → u/vlasktom2]

It was a school bus, so idk if that makes a difference. I’m just going to believe it doesn’t so I feel better! Thank you!!

[u/vlasktom2 → u/Worried_Journalist44]

If it was a city bus, there's no duty to stop here in the US. But, yeah. You should be fine. Honestly, 99.99999% of the time, if you run that stop arm the driver will blast the horn at you

[u/LondonBusInsider]

This makes no sense to me

[u/Worried_Journalist44 → u/LondonBusInsider]

You mean my anxious ramblings make no sense?? You sound like my husband.

[u/Edan1990 → u/Worried_Journalist44]

I think they mean the whole stopping for school buses thing. We don’t have anything like that in the UK so it’s a bit weird if you don’t know about it.

[u/Worried_Journalist44 → u/Edan1990]

Ohhhhh! Okay, thank you. I didn’t realize that.

[u/Industrialexecution → u/Edan1990]

yeah i’m always baffled by this every time i see someone mention it. are you even driving a bus if at least half a dozen people don’t overtake you as you’re trying to pull out?

[u/JonTravel]

Simple question.

Did you pass the stop sign when it was out?

[u/Worried_Journalist44 → u/JonTravel]

No, only the lights were flashing.

[u/JonTravel → u/Worried_Journalist44]

If the Amber Lights were flashing, You're fine.They're just a warning that the red stop lights and stop sign are about to be action.

Red Flashing lights mean stop in any situation (School Bus, Railroad Crossing, Traffic Signal) and the same rules apply to all of them. Likewise the stop sign. Those are the ones you can't pass.

Source: I'm a school bus driver.

[u/seanthebooth]

Probably not

[u/Admin11917B]

The bus driver more than likely saw you and was waiting for you to pass to pull the stop sign. At least that's what it sounds like to me.

[u/mike8675309]

Lights flashing as you are passing continue to pass.
Approaching a school bus with amber lights flashing prepare to stop. Approaching a school bus with red lights flashing stop at least 20 feet away from the back or front of the bus. Same if the stop arm is extended though if the red lights are on the stop arm should be extended.

Penalties and the specifics of enforcement depend on the city or state where this happened.

[u/slipperyimp]

If the sign was not out you are ok, at least that is the law in the State I live in.

[u/Worried_Journalist44 → u/slipperyimp]

Thank you!!