New Jersey school-bus rules: 25 feet, divided roads and exceptions

New Jersey’s driver manual requires a stop at least 25 feet from a school bus displaying flashing red lights on the ordinary roads described below. The opposite side of a safety island or raised median has a different instruction. Read the road layout before applying the number.

When the 25-foot stop applies

The manual includes two-lane roads, multilane highways separated only by painted lines, and privately maintained roads. Drivers approaching or following the stopped bus must stop at least 25 feet away when its red lights flash. Traffic traveling on the same side of a physically divided highway as the bus must also stop at least 25 feet away. Painted lines alone do not create the raised-median exception.

Remain stopped until the red lights are off and passengers are safely aboard or have reached the side of the road. Keep watching for children and people with developmental disabilities.

Yellow or amber lights warn that the bus is about to stop: prepare to stop. Do not rely solely on the lights, which could malfunction.

Opposite side of a safety island or raised median

A driver traveling on the opposite side of a safety island or raised median must slow to no more than 10 mph and maintain that speed until completely past the bus. This instruction depends on both direction and the actual divider. It does not apply merely because a road has several lanes.

A separate school-front situation

For a bus stopped directly in front of a school to pick up or drop off children or people with developmental disabilities, the manual allows passing from either direction at no more than 10 mph. The school must be on the same side of the street as the stopped bus, with passengers boarding directly from or leaving directly for the school. Merely being near a school does not establish this exception; do not apply it where passengers must cross the street.

Compare the scenarios

Situation	NJ handbook response
Following a bus with flashing red lights on a two-lane road	Stop at least 25 feet away.
Opposing traffic, separated only by painted lines	The ordinary stopping rule applies.
Opposing traffic across a safety island or raised median	Pass at no more than 10 mph until completely past the bus.

These are study summaries. They are not a universal US rule: New York’s school-bus rule has a different divided-highway requirement.

Review question to ask yourself

Before choosing an answer, identify the lights, your direction, the divider and whether the complete school-front conditions are stated. If the question changes one of those details, reconsider the rule rather than repeating “25 feet” automatically.

Sources and review

Official sources: NJ official driver manual, “Stop for School Buses,” NJ school-bus safety brochure, and MVC sample knowledge test, question 19. Obtain current multilingual editions from the official manuals page.