Sgt. Jesse Grabow
Question: I have a question about the lawful thing to do in regards to a school bus with lights flashing. If I am driving down a two-lane street with no stop sign and approaching an intersection with a cross street. A bus approaches from the cross street (my left) and stops somewhere before the intersection with red lights activated.
Should I stop before the through-street (the intersection,) or continue on with caution. The law says to stop 20 feet, but unless you are observant, you might not catch the bus with the lights in operation from the side street.
Answer: The school bus cannot be expected to control cross traffic. The cross traffic does not have the ability to see the lights or stop arm to warn them of the school bus stop. Cross traffic is not expected to stop in this situation (no stop sign – through intersection.)
Motorists must stop at least 20 feet from a school bus that is displaying flashing red lights, regardless of whether the stop arm has been extended. This applies when approaching from behind the bus and from the opposite direction on undivided roads. If you were turning onto the cross street (to your left) with the bus in this example, you would need to stop.
Be mindful and aware of pedestrians crossing as you would need to yield their right of way.
A portion of state statutes were used with permission from the Office of the Revisor of Statutes. If you have any questions concerning traffic related laws or issues in Minnesota, send your questions to Trp. Jesse Grabow – Minnesota State Patrol at 1000 Highway 10 West, Detroit Lakes, MN 56501-2205. (You can follow him on “X” @MSPPIO_NW or reach him at, jesse.grabow@state.mn.us).
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