Around Children

School bus with red lights flashing and a crossing guard next to it. Students are near the bus. Cars are stopped around the bus. — All vehicles must stop for school buses.

The speed limit is 25 mph within 500 feet of a school while children are outside or crossing the street. Some school zones may have speed limits as low as 15 mph. When near schools, look for:

Bicyclists and pedestrians.
School safety patrols or crossing guards. Be sure to obey their directions at all times.
Stopped school buses and children crossing the street.
- Some school buses flash yellow lights when preparing to stop to let children off the bus. The yellow flashing lights warn you to slow down and prepare to stop.
- When the bus flashes red lights (located at the top, front, and back of the bus), you must stop from either direction until the children are safely across the street and the lights stop flashing. Remain stopped while the red lights are flashing. If you fail to stop, you may be fined up to $1,000 and your driving privilege could be suspended for one year.
- If the school bus is on the other side of a divided or multilane highway (two or more lanes in each direction), you do not need to stop.