Do you know School Bus Traffic Laws? With school starting this week in Rutherford County, Know the “DOs” and “DON’Ts” when a School Bus Stops in your Path

Do you know School Bus Traffic Laws? School starts this week in Rutherford County! Before kids head back to school, it’s important to know the “dos” and “don’ts” when a school bus stops in your path.

Do you know School Bus Traffic Laws?

MURFREESBORO, Tenn.— School starts this week in Rutherford County! Before kids head back to school, it’s important to know the “dos” and “don’ts” when a school bus stops in your path. It’s hard to believe it, but school is back in session starting Wednesday, Aug. 6. Several other counties are back to school this week as well, including neighboring Wilson and Williamson counties.

As school gets back in swing, Tennessee law enforcement is reminding people to heed the rules of the road when it comes to school buses and school zones to keep kids safe.

With the 2025-2026 K-12 school year is here, below is the motoring public of applicable law relating to school buses. Tennessee Code Annotated 55-8-151 states in part, “The driver of a vehicle upon a highway shall stop the vehicle before reaching the school bus. The driver shall not proceed until the school bus resumes motion or is signaled by the school bus driver to proceed or the visual signals are no longer actuated.”

Depending on if you are traveling on a two-lane road, multi-lane road, or divided highway will determine if you need to stop or not. On a two-lane road, everyone stops. On a four-lane highway with a center turn lane, everyone stops. If the four-lane has a divider, like a median or an unpaved area at least 5 feet wide, traffic in the opposite direction can proceed cautiously. Only traffic behind the bus must stop.

Two-Lane Roads: Can you pass?

Answer: Absolutely NOT!

This one should be a no-brainer. If you see a school bus stopped with its lights and stop arm out on a two-lane road, vehicles on both sides of the road are required to stop until the kiddos are safely on or off and the bus begins moving again. Pay attention, and wait until the bus turns off its flashing lights and begins moving again before you move.

Multi-Lane Roads (4 or more lanes)

“People just don’t pay attention. How can you miss a 40 foot long yellow bus with lights flashing in every direction? Either they are so busy and in their own world or they just don’t understand how, when and where to stop for a school bus. It’s terrible. Maybe it should be put on TV COMMERCIALS during the news,” Cindy Phillips Demonbreun, school bus owner and driver. 

Answer: NO WAY!

Just like with two-lane roads, traffic on both sides is required to stop when a school bus stops and has its lights and stop arm out. Even if you are on the opposite side of the road and there’s a painted center lane, oncoming traffic still needs to stop if there isn’t a physical barrier or unpaved median separating the two sides of the road.

Divided Highways (roads with a physical median)

Answer: Possibly!

This is the only time one side of traffic is allowed to continue moving when a school bus is stopped on the other side of the road. So long as there is a raised concrete median, at least 5 feet of unpaved surface, or some sort of physical barrier separating the two sides of the road, traffic on the side opposite the bus is allowed to keep moving with caution. Traffic on the same side as the bus still needs to stop and wait.

Lawmakers consider lowering the minimum age of Tennessee school bus drivers

What happens if you don’t stop and break the law?

Not only are you putting children in serious danger, you are putting your own future at risk when you ignore a stopped school bus. There are serious penalties for breaking this law in Tennessee.

School buses are equipped with cameras to record drivers who illegally pass them. Anyone caught passing a stopped school bus that’s loading or unloading children will, at minimum, face a Class A misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $250, up to a maximum of $1,000. Repeat offenders see the minimum fine increased to $500.

Drivers who hit a child could face felony charges and prison time. It’s a Class E felony in Tennessee if you hit someone while illegally passing a stopped school bus, which comes with a maximum sentence of up to six years in prison and a $3,000 fine. If a person dies, that becomes a Class C felony with a penalty of up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.