Do You Have to Stop for a School Bus on Both Sides of the Road in Alabama?
Yes — traffic in both directions must stop for a school bus’s flashing red lights, not just the cars behind it. That rule holds on ordinary two-lane roads and on roads split only by a turn lane. The only exception is a divided highway with four or more lanes and a physical median, where only the traffic moving in the same direction as the bus has to stop.
Attorney David Greene went over this rule, along with a few other back-to-school driving issues, in a recent appearance on WKRG News 5’s Judge Knows.
What If You’re on the Opposite Side of the Road?
You still have to stop. David said this is the confusion he sees most often, drivers on the far side of the road who keep going because they assume the stop only applies to traffic behind the bus. It doesn’t. If the bus driver pushes the button that swings out the stop sign, every car within sight is required to stop, no matter which direction it’s traveling. Drivers can’t move again until the bus resumes its route or the driver waves them through.
Why Does This Rule Matter So Much?
Because of how bus stops actually work. Kids are often standing at the edge of the road by themselves for a few minutes before a parent or bus arrives, and younger children in particular tend to misjudge distance and speed. A driver who assumes the road is clear because the bus already passed is one of the more common ways these incidents happen.
What Should Parents Teach Their Teen Drivers?
Talk through phone use, music volume, and what to do when they see kids walking near a school, before handing over the keys. David talked about this too, since back-to-school season means a lot of new licenses on the road. His own household requires teenage drivers to sign a written agreement before they’re allowed to use a family car. It’s not a legal document, but it sets expectations early, and David recommends parents do something similar, even informally.
What About Driving Through School Zones Like Old Shell Road?
Leave a few minutes earlier than you think you need to, turn the music down, and put the phone away before you’re anywhere near a school zone, not after you notice a kid on the sidewalk. David pointed to Old Shell Road as an example, a stretch that runs past several schools, from McGill-Toolen up toward Faith Academy, with kids walking and parents dropping off along the way for much of the school year.
How Can Greene & Phillips Help After a School Zone Accident?
Sorting out what happened and who’s responsible can be harder than people expect, especially with kids, buses, and multiple witnesses involved. Greene & Phillips works with investigators who are former state troopers with existing relationships inside Mobile County and Mobile City law enforcement. That access matters for pulling reports, tracking down witness statements, and getting a clear picture of what happened at the scene, all of which can affect how a claim gets valued.
If you’ve been in an accident near a school or involving a bus, call Greene & Phillips Injury Lawyers at 251-478-1115 (Mobile) or 205-918-7800 (Birmingham), no appointment needed. You can also visit our contact page.
