California School Buses and School Zones: When to Stop

Near a school or school bus, watch for children who may be hard to see behind parked vehicles. Choose your speed early so you have room to stop.

Yellow lights: prepare to stop

Some school buses flash yellow warning lights before stopping to load or unload children. Slow down and prepare to stop. Do not accelerate to get past before the red lights come on.

Red lights: stop and remain stopped

When a school bus flashes its red lights, traffic approaching from either direction must stop, subject to the opposing-traffic exception below. Stay stopped until the children have crossed safely and the red lights stop flashing.

A child reaching the sidewalk does not give permission to pass while the red lights are still flashing. Likewise, keep watching for children even after the lights turn off.

When opposing traffic does not have to stop

The DMV handbook exempts traffic on the other side of a divided highway or a multilane highway with two or more lanes in each direction.

Your situation	Required action for flashing red lights
Behind the bus, on the same side of the road	Stop.
Opposite the bus on an ordinary two-lane road	Stop.
Opposite the bus on a divided highway, or a highway with at least two lanes in each direction	The opposing-traffic exception applies; continue cautiously.

A center turn lane is not another through lane in each direction. Do not assume that any road wider than two lanes qualifies for the exception.

School-zone speed

The current DMV handbook gives a 25 mph limit within 500 feet of a school while children are outside or crossing the street. Some school zones have limits as low as 15 mph. Follow applicable signs and crossing guards, and slow further when conditions require it.

The school-zone speed rule and the bus stop rule are separate. Traveling under 25 mph does not allow you to pass a bus when you must stop.

For visibility around crossings, see crosswalk parking buffers.

Official sources

Reviewed October 29, 2026. DMV handbook: Around Children and DMV Teen Driver Tips cover school-bus lights, stopping and school-area driving.