No Regrets When You DRIVE WITH CARE and STOP For School Buses
Back-to-school traffic safety reminders. Please help keep our children safe when they travel to and from school. Follow these safety tips and laws.
School Bus Safety Rules for Drivers
- Learn and obey the school bus laws, traffic signals and speed limits.
- Slow down near bus stop and watch out for kids.
- Be sure to acquaint yourself with the flashing light system that school bus drivers use to alert motorists.
- Yellow flashing lights mean that the school bus is preparing to stop. Motorists should slow down and be ready to stop their vehicles.
- Red flashing lights and an extended stop arm indicate that the school bus has stopped, and children are boarding or exiting.
- Two-lane road: all vehicles in both directions must stop.
- On a divided highway with a raised median, unpaved space, or a physical barrier of at least five feet: vehicles traveling in the opposite direction are not required to stop.
- Divided highway where no median or barrier exists: all vehicles are mandated to stop.
School Bus Safety Reminders for Students
- Arrive early.
- Don’t push or cut in line.
- Stay out of the “danger zone,” 10 steps away from the bus.
- Wait for the bus driver to open the door before trying to get on.
- Keep aisle clear of your backpack, bag, or books.
- Talk quietly during the entire bus ride.
- Keep your hands, arms, and head inside the bus at all times.
- Walk in front of the bus to cross the street, never behind it.


Motorists should always follow the law and drive carefully – especially when driving in school zones and around school buses!
The penalty for failure to stop for a school bus with its stop-arm extended and flashing red lights activated is $200.
Never pass a school bus on the right-hand side, where children are loading and unloading. Illegally passing on the side where children enter or exit is $400.
Florida law prohibits the use of a wireless communications device in a handheld manner while driving in a designated school crossing, school zone, or active work zone area.
Click here to learn more about Florida’s School Bus Safety laws.

Free Resources
Be a Community Traffic Safety Team “Virtual Volunteer.” Share these school bus safety reminders. Don’t forget to tag us on your social media accounts! @trafficsafetyteam on Facebook and Instagram or @trafficsafetyfl on Twitter and Pinterest.
Visit our “Safety for Kids” web page. You will find more child safety and bus stop safety resources, tips, and activity sheets.