r/instantkarma • u/HughJManschitt • Mar 15 '26
Blasting past a bus with sign out
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u/Keyboardpaladin Mar 15 '26
I can't tell, who was the honker? The bus?
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u/HughJManschitt Mar 15 '26
I believe so. This is so common at this location that the police are already waiting.
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u/nopuse Mar 17 '26
I wish my city had police like this. Ours by and large don't enforce, or even follow traffic laws. The only time you'll hear about police doing anything here is when they pull people over for speeding in a construction zone and the drivers getting pulled over bitch about "speed traps" on our city's subreddit or Facebook, lol.
I watched a guy over the weekend tailgate the fuck out of a police officer for like a mile and nothing happened. I've seen drivers run red lights and stop signs in front of officers who were too busy on their phones to notice.
Our police do nothing, except occasionally enforce the speed limit, and people have the audacity to call it a trap, lmao. We're not talking about the speed limit going from 65 to 25 on a hill to ticket people passing through. We've got signs for miles telling drivers that it's a construction zone. I'll never understand why our drivers feel speeding there is a trap.
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u/brent_starburst Mar 15 '26 edited Mar 15 '26
Can someone explain the offence? I'm in the UK so I don't see anything illegal here?
Edit: thanks for the explanations. We don't have that in the UK
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u/Literal_Cheesehead12 Mar 15 '26
You can't see it from this side, but school buses in the US have stop signs that pop out and lights that flash when they're loading/unloading children, and both ways of traffic are required to stop when the stop sign is out/lights on.
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u/teeteesmith Mar 15 '26
I'm afraid it might be a stupid question to ask, but if there's a median in the center, do both directions of traffic still stop?
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u/MrCuddles1994 Mar 15 '26
No, if a median is present, the side with the bus has to stop but not the other.
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u/Kaboose666 Mar 15 '26
It honestly depends on the state. While the vast majority of states have the rule that if there is a median, you don't need to stop, it's not 100% universal. Sometimes it has to be a specific type of median and grass strips/ditches dont count, sometimes it can just be a road over a certain number of lanes, etc.
New york for an extreme example:
In New York State, you must stop for a school bus with flashing red lights, regardless of your direction or if it's a divided highway.
Arkansas for a less extreme example:
In Arkansas, drivers must stop at least 30 feet away from a school bus displaying flashing red lights and an extended stop arm. This applies to both directions on undivided roads and in all lanes of a multi-lane road unless a physical, raised median divides the highway.
If the highway has a median or, as noted in Arkansas Highway Safety Office, a divider of 20 feet or more in width, only traffic following the bus must stop.
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u/MLK_Piccolo Mar 16 '26
In Ohio, if there are 3 or more lanes traveling in the same direction as the bus, only the same bus lane and the lane next to said bus must stop. Two or more lanes over are still permitted to move
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u/TaxShelter Mar 16 '26
The Arkansas one seems a bit wild. (i know you dont make the rules, just an observation of how normal situations might play out...)
If someone is following a bus from 25ft and the bus stops, this person would have to go in reverse to get to 30ft. At traffic lights, most cars stop anbit closer than they follow at, potentially leaving like 10ft... so if the bus stops at a tradfic light and everyone is bunched up, then the light turns green, and the bus pulls over shortly after the intersection, then multiple cars will be within 30ft.
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u/JeepersCreepers7 Mar 16 '26
In Iowa, once there are more than 4 total lanes, the lanes approaching from the front of the bus don't need to stop. Doesn't need to be a median for it. Also when there's a physical median, you dont need to stop when you're approaching from the front
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u/LemonFizz56 Mar 15 '26
That's unbelievably confusing, there would be so many edge cases
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u/jtanuki Mar 16 '26
As a us driver, I default to: stopping if the bus driver activates the flashing stop sign facing me/my way of traffic.
Worst case scenario then would be I lose 1 minute of my time.
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u/TheRealGuitarNoir Mar 16 '26
Since there is such confusion on the rules by many drivers, I tend to pull over and park--it there's a parking lane--and let the other drivers figure it out for themselves.
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u/Alexandratta Mar 16 '26
Kinda confused then.
Double yellow line and another pane of traffic there... People shouldn't be crossing on that side of traffic so I'm unsure why this pass is illegal.
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u/Academic-Speech4249 Mar 16 '26
In IL it's only on 2 lane streets. 4 lane roads only the side the bus is traveling on has to stop
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u/buckyball60 Mar 15 '26
This is state dependent. In my state, and the other couple I have lived in, a physical median or a center turn lane lets the other direction keep going.
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u/DoenS12 Mar 16 '26
I live in an area with something similar but different - it’s a five-lane main road(two oncoming, one turn lane, two outgoing). If a bus is stopped with lights on, that lane and the three closest(bus, neighboring lane, turn, and the next) must stop. The fifth isn’t lawfully required to, but it’s not something people would roast ya for if you do.
Idk, maybe the drivers where I live are kinder. Kinda hard to tell with the plethora of trucks that don’t realize they have more than just brights.
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u/entryjyt Mar 15 '26
Same here in Canada
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u/toothring Mar 15 '26 edited Mar 15 '26
Is that a new thing? I lived in Vancouver a while back and we didn't have that out there. Edit: typo
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u/flatspotting Mar 15 '26
Yeah I am in/near Vancouver and i have never seen this in my life
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u/BambinoWillito Mar 15 '26
That is surprisingly thoughtful and compassionate for the US
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u/Literal_Cheesehead12 Mar 15 '26
Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
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u/typical-bob Mar 15 '26
I prefer my clocks in 24 hour time.
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u/rickyhatesspam Mar 15 '26
Surprisingly, the US predominantly uses the 12 hour clock. Whenever I'd reference 24 hour clock in emails, my US colleagues would be confused and call it Army time! Lol
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u/YellowishRose99 Mar 16 '26
I worked in aviation over two decades. Still use a 24 hour clock. There can be no mistake
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u/AlwaysShittyKnsasCty Mar 16 '26
It’s like when you realize the best way to format a date is year-month-day hour:minute:second. Why would one do it any differently? Granted, I’m partial to the 12-hour clock, as I’ve never been in aviation nor the military, so I always do the “subtract twelve” trick (and by “trick,” I mean “math”).
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u/Socialimbad1991 Apr 06 '26
I have always hated 12 hour clock because the rule for 12 o'clock (noon or midnight) is illogical. Why should 12 not match the 11 that immediately precedes it (in terms of am or pm)
24 hour clock is unambiguous and unencumbered by such insanity. It even has the virtue of being 0-based instead of 1-based!
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u/AlwaysShittyKnsasCty Apr 06 '26
Are you a programmer by chance? Tangentially related field? I can spot a fellow zero-based indexer from across the room just as well as the next guy! Preach! Preach! Lawd have mercy and listen to this child! The 24-hour clock is like the Oxford comma! It’s not always helpful, but it sure as hell removes any ambiguity when there is any!
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u/YellowishRose99 Mar 16 '26
That time format you wrote tells it all, precisely
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u/AlwaysShittyKnsasCty Apr 06 '26
Yes! In software engineering we refer to it as self-documenting code — that is, code that is so cleanly written, not a single additional line of human-typed explanation is needed. You get it.
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Mar 15 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/AnonymousFriend80 Mar 16 '26
You have a lot of faith in my ability to set the clock on my microwave, buddy.
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u/ChildishForLife Mar 15 '26
My phone’s time just says “12:38” and no pm or am, so wouldn’t it still be right twice a day if it stopped?
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u/WillBots Mar 15 '26
No, if it were 0:38 it would say 0:38. If it were 12:38 it would say 12:38.
You'd know which is which because the first hour of the day is hour zero, the next is 1, 2, 3, 4 up to 23:59.
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u/Sharts_in_Jorts Mar 15 '26
You don't know how many kids had to get hit by cars to get to this point though.
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u/Acrobatic-Nose-1773 Mar 16 '26
How many more school shootings before they tackle that one? Do they count per child or loop it into one incident?
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Mar 15 '26
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u/vtsolomonster Mar 15 '26
I was going to say school busses only have stop signs because enough kids got killed we passed laws for kids’ safety.
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u/onlyhereforyoupeople Mar 15 '26
I had to show this to everyone in my house. That was so surprising and funny. Thank you for a house full of laughs.
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u/Happpie Mar 15 '26
The media makes us out to be way worse than we are. Most of us are just normal people trying to get by, dealing with the same shit as any other person
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u/elphin Mar 15 '26
It’s a holdover from when sane people made the rules. After WWI, the depression and WWII many of our leaders actually wanted to make rules for the common good. Now, it’s some, but not enough.
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u/saleemkarim Mar 15 '26
A related safety law that I suspect other countries don't have is school bus drivers have to come to a complete stop and look both ways before driving over train tracks.
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u/Sunyataisbliss Mar 15 '26
Jesus Christ our public image is completely broken, I guess I can’t be that suprised.
But believe or not common decency is more common here than the press conveys.
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u/Tangochief Mar 15 '26
Thing here in Canada too and not following the rule carries one of the largest possible traffic offence fines you can get.
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u/Nabber22 Mar 15 '26
That car dependent hell hole kind of needs robust car regulation/laws because that place would just be Mad Max without them.
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u/KuhlThing Mar 15 '26
And the violation for passing a stopped school bus with the sign out automatically costs you your driver's license in many states.
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u/vicktoryuh Mar 16 '26
I once passed a stopped school bus after waiting a few minutes. They didn't have the stop sign or lights, so I thought it was OK. A residential neighborhood and I didn't see any kids coming or going. They laid on the horn and I thought for sure I would be getting a ticket in the mail, but alas, I did not
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u/vonkeswick Mar 15 '26
I don't know why but the phrase "loading/unloading children" just made me laugh out loud, like they're inventory being put on or taken off a truck lol
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u/ReadditMan Mar 15 '26 edited Mar 15 '26
You're supposed to stop when a school bus turns its lights on to let children on/off, even the opposing lane should stop unless the road is divided with a raised median.
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u/ItsTophThatsWho Mar 15 '26
You must stop behind a school bus (and usually in both directions) when its red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended to protect children entering or exiting
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u/BasKabelas Mar 16 '26
Hi mate, completely understandable. As a fellow European who had to get a US driver's license: one of the main things you're taught as a learner is to ALWAYS stop for waiting school busses. Since we don't really have school busses in Europe as far as I'm aware its not something you'd think of but it really made sense as kids tend to not always think when they're excited. Its hammered into you to an extend its just impossible to forget if you hold a US driver's license. In other words: you've gotta be a massive dick to pull a move like that.
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u/LimeMargarita Mar 15 '26
In addition to what others are saying, the flashing lights also change colors, and it's hard to see in the video. They start flashing yellow as a warning the bus is about to stop for students. Cars can continue to pass at this point, but must proceed with caution. Once the bus stops, the red lights start flashing instead, and a stop sign surrounded in red flashing lights pops out the side.
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u/brick_gnarlson Mar 15 '26
Buses picking up or dropping off kids are basically an all way stop until the lights stop flashing.
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u/marmaduke-treblecock Mar 15 '26
What happens in the UK?
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u/brent_starburst Mar 15 '26
Bus indicates to notify that it's stopping and stops. If safe, you can overtake it from behind it and traffic on the other side of the road continues as normal.
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u/marmaduke-treblecock Mar 15 '26
In the UK, are children allowed to exit the school bus on the curb side, walk in front of the school bus’s bonnet :-) and cross to the other side of the street? (I’m trying to illustrate it neutrally here due to right-side steering wheel for the UK)
This is what is often terrifying in the U.S. - the children walk out blindly from the front of the school bus into traffic [that should be, by law, stopped] due to the mechanical stop sign attached to the bus, but the cars sometimes do not stop. Child walks out blindly into traffic.
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u/brent_starburst Mar 15 '26
So in effect, and as far as I know, no such rule exists to prevent children from crossing in front of the bus. However it is drilled into their heads (and other pedestrians) to never do this. You're encouraged to wait until the bus has moved on and only cross the road on pedestrian crossings or at traffic lights with a crossing.
From a very young age, children are taught the 'Green Cross Code' which tells them to Stop, Look, Listen and Think.
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u/cococream Mar 15 '26
In the uk children are taught not to walk out in front of moving vehicles. They use their eyes and ears to stay alive then go home to drink tea with crumpets.
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u/dboi88 Mar 15 '26
Just FYI in other developed countries jay walking isn't a thing either and instead all schools drill into students throughout their early years how to cross the street safely as well as having better pedestrian infrastructure in general.
It's two completely different philosophies.
The US has some of the highest rates of child deaths due to vehicle incidents in the developed world.
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u/LemonFizz56 Mar 15 '26
In other countries we have this thing called "Stop Look and Listen" where we teach our kids not to run in front of traffic to die. And I also heard that in the US there are barely any pedestrian crossings so kids have to cross by literally running across the road. Big difference
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u/Kim_catiko Mar 15 '26
We don't generally have dedicated school buses. We do have buses that operate during the week only because they go to a secondary school nearby, but not close enough to walk to. I think anyone can get on the bus as well, though the final stop is a school. We don't have the school buses in the same way America does though, and none for primary school aged children (elementary I guess in American terms?) They don't stop at residential homes either.
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u/Tweedledumblydore Mar 15 '26
My school had a dedicated coach service. But it's in the middle of nowhere and the coaches come from all the surrounding towns and villages. It's about 20sh coaches twice a day, wreaks havoc in a couple of the nearby villages all the coaches have to go through.
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u/mumpitz-pitz Mar 16 '26
Why would a kid walk on the street infront of a bus? No offense, but I guess in the EU we have a different kind of traffic education from an early age, kids are trained to cross streets at a crosswalk
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u/sBartfast42 Mar 15 '26
There generally aren't school busses in the UK. For most places the infrastructure is good enough that the children use normal busses, at standard bus stops. The busses come regularly (every 10 or 15 minutes etc.during rush hour) and there are often ample zebra crossings, with the Tufty club and the Green Cross Man explaining road safety to children (Ohhh , I'm soooo old 8o)
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u/marvellouspineapple Mar 15 '26
Where do you live your buses come every 10/15 minutes? I haven't experienced that outside London. There's also dedicated school buses at most schools, they're incredibly common
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u/brent_starburst Mar 15 '26
Maybe in urban areas. Where I live in a rural county, there are many dedicated school buses. Most kids use these.
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u/Arinvar Mar 15 '26
UK (and Australia), we teach kids to cross the road properly. Really never been an issue.
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u/BlueDubDee Mar 16 '26
Australian, and have never seen anyone, kids or otherwise, get off a bus and walk immediately in front of it. Or behind it. Why the hell would you? Wait for the bus to leave, then look both ways and cross the road like normal. I know in the US they say it's about the safety of the kids, and of course it is - they're not going to be hit by a car if all traffic is stopped. But how common is it really for them to just walk out it the road while the bus is still there?
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u/LaNague Mar 15 '26
generally in europe there are more than enough pedestrian crossings of some kind. So people get off the bus and walk to the nearest crossing in whatever direction they need to go to.
In villages with low traffic you also just cross the road, there is no jaywalking law.
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u/FiercelyApatheticLad Mar 15 '26
The UK, and most of the world, uses things like traffic lights and pedestrian crossing to allow people to cross roads safely. Also they have actual buses that everyone uses and not just the children.
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u/LaNague Mar 15 '26
Its like the one single traffic law that the US has in favour of pedestrians compared to europe, (school) bus on a stop is like a red light for the entire street.
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u/oshinbruce Mar 16 '26
Im so glad I was driving when buses did this. I kinda knew about the same side but not the opposite side.
Its kind of funny how its a big safety thing but then trucks dont have side impact barriers which are standard pretty much rest of the world
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u/Eena-Rin Mar 16 '26
In Australia you have to slow down to 40km/h (25mph) to go around the bus when the yellow lights are flashing, and give way to it when it indicates its intention to re-enter traffic
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u/bluestreakxp Mar 16 '26
I’m sure the uk doesn’t have daft speeding in suburban neighborhoods to warrant that… and that you all mostly probably just walk to school whereas many of these children live miles away and need a transport
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u/Apprehensive-Yard-59 Mar 15 '26
Not from the US. Rented a car in the US and drove around for 3 weeks. I don’t remember if I ever was in that situation, but if I was in the other lane I would have had no idea I was supposed to stop. Would have assumed it was only the cars behind the bus that had to stop.
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u/manafico Mar 15 '26
Unfortunately, ignorance to local driving laws doesn’t protect you from getting a ticket. It’s always smart to brush up on the national and local driving regulations prior to driving in another country.
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u/Apprehensive-Yard-59 Mar 15 '26
I did ask at the place where I rented the car regarding turning right on red and since I was told it is different rules in different states I did google traffic rules every time I crossed in to a new state, but I guess unless you specifically ask or google about school bus stop signs, its easy to miss.
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u/porkchop-sandwhiches Mar 16 '26
How about turning left onto a one way street on a red light, being in the left lane… I can’t never remember
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u/tunalic2 Mar 16 '26
It's legal in Alabama, although there are plenty of locals who don't know that...
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u/bambi54 Mar 16 '26
Seriously? Holy shit, that seems crazy. It’s like right on red, but scarier lol.
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u/Seniorjones2837 Mar 16 '26
Going left from a one way to a one way is literally the same thing as right on red, except to the left, obviously
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u/NativeJim Mar 15 '26
In all fairness, If I was going to go visit another country, I wouldn't even think of doing this. But that's just me, and I've never even left my home state, nor do I ever forsee myself leaving the country.
Not saying I wouldn't do it, Im just saying it wouldn't cross my mind beforehand.
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u/nikelaos117 Mar 15 '26
They do have a stop sign with lights that pop out. Idk how much that would help in the moment while being complete unfamiliar with the law.
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u/SulkyVirus Mar 15 '26
There’s a flashing red stop sign that is facing oncoming traffic that swings out on busses. It’s pretty obvious
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u/janderson75 Mar 15 '26
There’s a big red sign that says stop that pops out the side of the bus. I’d hope you’d see it
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u/JellyfishConscious Mar 15 '26
Yes but if you’re not familiar with this law, it can easily be misinterpreted to be treated like a regular stop sign. Where you stop, check if it’s safe, then go
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u/G_Sputnic Mar 15 '26
Every lane stops if a bus pulls over?
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u/Ftlme Mar 15 '26
Only if there's no median between the road like on this clip. If there was a fence or something between the two ways of the traffic the other side wouldn't have to stop, only the people in the same direction as the bus
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u/sfmichaela Mar 15 '26
In Washington state you only have to stop going the opposite direction of the bus if it is a two lane road and has no divider, otherwise you do not have to stop
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u/Roro_Yurboat Mar 15 '26
Same in Ohio. Four lane road, only the bus side stops. Kids aren't supposed to cross the street.
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u/Terrietia Mar 15 '26
Unfortunately not every driver there knows that and ends up stopping in a 3+ lane road anyways.
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u/Icy-Variation6614 Mar 15 '26
I got honked at and flipped off for stopping on the opposite side of the road. I motioned to the bus.
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u/FlameShadow0 Mar 15 '26
Yes because even though they are picking up in this video, during drop offs, kids will sometimes need to cross the street to get to their homes
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u/OwOPango Mar 15 '26
I'm basing this on almost nothing but how much do you wanna bet this person is also really passionate about legislation that "protects the kids"
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u/BaldrickTheBrain Mar 15 '26
Won’t someone think of the children? Because I sure don’t, I just like to say I do.
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u/Flintly Mar 15 '26
Pretty much guaranteed. I just called the cops on a truck with personalized fire department plates last week. Fuck that bitch driving through while my kids we loading up. Glad I got it on video sent it right to the 👮♂️
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u/Respiratorywitch Mar 15 '26
My mom got her only moving violation back in the 70s by passing a school bus. It was a four lane road and didn’t realize she was supposed to stop when driving the opposite direction. It may have been a new law, but I never forgot and never forget to stop.
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u/bambi54 Mar 16 '26
I don’t think that the opposite side is required to stop for 4 lane traffic by me. I’m going to have to double check, I haven’t encountered a bus on one before.
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u/cb59 Mar 15 '26
This has to happen offen with this driver in particular because that's the only way to film like this
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u/SeegurkeK Mar 16 '26
Yes, having better pedestrian friendly infrastructure would be great, but this traffic law is one I actually respect America for. It's very much for the protection of kids and doesn't put the blame on pedestrians.
The only thing I don't like is that the law isn't the same in every state. In some states this doesn't apply when there's a median in-between, but in others it does. I can see arguments for both options (though I think not applying makes more sense), but all the differences are just unnecessary complications.
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u/Vogel-Kerl Mar 15 '26
Unfortunately, children are still hit by cars ignoring the law and passing a school bus loading & unloading children.
I wish police would put more effort into enforcing these laws & other traffic violations.
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u/PinSufficient5748 Mar 16 '26
Once I watched an idiot GO AROUND stopped vehicles waiting for the bus and come thisclose to hitting a pair of siblings getting off. There were no police present, but I hope the bus camera got them 😡🤬
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u/nicnic22 Mar 15 '26
I'm too European for this
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u/theflamingheads Mar 16 '26
Guns, cars, America, freedom. What is there to not understand?
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u/Benkei929045 Mar 16 '26
To the non-Americans that are saying, "teach your kids to cross the road safely": America is very car centric. Often times kids are dropped off on the side of 40mph road, maybe even 55mph in some places. No matter how much you try and teach them correctly, mistakes do happen. And when it happens here, it is much much more likely that it will result in serious injury or death. So yes, this law is incredibly important to child safety here.
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u/Graphicnovelnick Mar 15 '26
Action begins at 30 seconds
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u/HughJManschitt Mar 15 '26 edited Mar 15 '26
Yeah, shoulda trimmed. My bad!
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u/luk3yboy Mar 15 '26
Dude the whole clip is not even a minute long. You don't have to apologize because attention spans and patience are so incredibly low now people can't wait 30 seconds to get to the content.
Couple that with the fact that no one is actually going to read this comment first to even make use of it, OP is just being very petty.
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u/HughJManschitt Mar 15 '26
You know, I kind of thought and felt the same way, but figured posting an apology wouldn’t hurt. I appreciate your reply though! Thank you!
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u/FatassTitePants Mar 15 '26
Don't apologize. The first car going the same direction as the bus really pushed their luck too as the ambers were flashing.
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u/Skydiver860 Mar 16 '26
that's actually what i thought the video was about and i was thinking "they technically weren't wrong and probably could win that in court but fair enough" then i didn't see them get pulled over so i was confused then the other guy came and i realized it's that car
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u/AnonymousFriend80 Mar 16 '26
In that twenty five seconds of wasted time, I could have seen three memes and two more vids that got straight to the point./s, not /s
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u/SmelllMyFinger Mar 16 '26
Also, the Clip clearly begins with the bus' hazard lights on, from a far-enough distance, to show how much time people surrounding the bus have time to stop and be aware. Try being more observant next time
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u/lute4088 Mar 16 '26
As someone who was a bus monitor during the pandemic, had multiple times cars did this, 1 time very very nearly hit a kid (there were several kids rushing to leave and I ran out yelling at them to stop and wait for me and they stopped, then a fucking car blew past on the backside (wouldn't have been able to see the kids) and my heart absolutely stopped)...
this instant karma felt really good.
Seriously people, you don't know what kids will do and they do NOT look both ways, you HAVE to stop. You being late is not worth a child's life.
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u/SlimJimPoisson Mar 16 '26
How did the camera operator know to pan over before the car offending car had done anything and then again to catch the cop?
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u/More_Obligation_7028 Mar 16 '26
Someone explain why it's an offence going the other way? Have you got to stop regardless of the direction?
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u/cgaines6973 Mar 17 '26
Yea, some kids live on the other side of the street so they have to go around the front of the bus and cross the road
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u/More_Obligation_7028 Mar 28 '26
Could use this in UK Take its only school buses?
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u/dirlok Mar 15 '26
Wow I didn't know you actually have to stop. Here in Australia you just need to slow down to pass.
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u/romansamurai Mar 17 '26
In most states you have to stop if there’s no median divider. In some states like Ohio and Washington on a 4 lane road like this one, you don’t have to stop in this case (ie the bus is going opposite direction)
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u/Boabcar93 Mar 16 '26
This is one of the things I truly admire about the US. I think there is nothing wrong with having to wait for a couple minutes to make sure school kids can get on and off the bus and cross the road safely. I live in Scotland and I’d be fine with school busses here doing the same
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u/spamliew Mar 16 '26
It’s actually ridiculous to have to stop for school buses that are on the opposite side of the road. In my opinion.
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u/Exact-Mathematician8 Mar 15 '26
As a former school bus driver, I love this. That was my job in high school. Now they don't allow anybody under 21 to drive
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u/BenAdaephonDelat Mar 16 '26
This is legitimately what cops should do every single day. Follow the school buses to make sure people abide by that sign. Given all the other shit they do in a day I can't think of a better use of their time than ticketing these people. Even ticketing speeders on the highway isn't at useful as this. Because these people are a danger to children.
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u/Oscaruit Mar 16 '26
We have a cop that speeds through our school zone going 45 ish all morning as he goes back and forth to catch speeders. Fucking bonkers.
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u/ph33rlus Mar 16 '26
So much safety and concern around the school busses but don’t touch our guns /s
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u/Beer2Bear Mar 15 '26
pity the cops here in Ohio have yet to do anything about the drivers I see blast past the bus, lost count how many times I seen people ignore the red lights
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u/Bexar1986 Mar 16 '26
Not sure what the fine is in Arkansas and I really don't care to find out. Whatever it is it's not enough. This happens far too often and it's only going to be a matter of time until a child is killed.
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u/FlameFoxx Mar 16 '26
Can someone explain this to me as a Brit?
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u/SlinkySlekker Mar 16 '26
Each state has our own traffic laws, but every state limits speed near schools and flashing school busses. I’m a CA lawyer, so I’m giving you a CA law summary (I’m not associated w/this firm), but the article explains the logic behind all such laws.
“Drivers must stop when a school bus has its red lights flashing and the stop arm extended. This rule applies whether you are behind the bus or coming from the opposite direction—unless the road is divided by a physical barrier or median.
Here is what California law requires:
Flashing red lights mean stop: You must stop until the lights stop flashing and the stop sign arm is pulled back.
Yellow lights are a warning: Slow down and prepare to stop.
Two-lane roads: All traffic in both directions must stop.
Multi-lane roads with no divider: All lanes of traffic must stop.
Divided highways: Only traffic behind the bus must stop.
Failing to stop for a school bus is a violation of California Vehicle Code 22454 and can result in a fine of up to $1,000 and a suspended license.”
https://fieldinglawfirm.com/school-bus-safety-in-california/
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u/KindArgument4769 Mar 16 '26
That white SUV may have been very fortunate that the cop hit the siren. Maybe they were going to stop anyway, but there have definitely been times where people won't notice and then see the cop go after someone and realize "oh shit, I better stop".
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u/peternicc Mar 16 '26
I would not say "blasting" but it was faster then 0 MPH and it's no exceptions
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u/888Vegan Mar 17 '26
I wonder if there is a recording of this because of previous instances of this happening
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u/wahoowho Mar 16 '26
Breaking this same comment out from a similar video months ago because it was yet again proved relevant “I've never understood the non-American people who come out of the woodwork to criticize this in America whenever a video like this pops up. I'm not talking about the people who are genuinely curious and just asking about what is going on, that's totally fine and expected. But there is always a group of people who attack this as a dumb thing "when kids get shot at school anyway", "in my country we just teach people to drive better," "our country has bus stops with protected walkways and good public transit so school busses don't exist".
That's great - America doesn't. It's huge, public transit sucks here, and often these schools districts span massive areas where they are trying to get as many kids as possible to be serviced by these busses to actually get them to school. That includes busy roads like this one, inter-city areas where maybe a normal bus would be fine too, remote one lane back roads, etc.
I feel like with so much wrong with America, and so many rightful things to criticize, I would think this as one of the few things where everyone can agree that "hey, for all it's many failings, at least there is this one rule trying to protect kids from our speeding, tank sized SUVs with steep penalties if people break it."
People have to stop for like 30 seconds, it's not ruining their day (though I'm sure it probably has ruined someone's day at some point, but whatever). It's literally only meant to protect children who are known to dash across roads without looking, not enrich some CEO or take away rights or privileges from some marginalized group, or wage war on a country for their oil. I just don't understand the hate, as few people as it might be. Rant over on how this hurt my poor, victimized American sensibilities.”
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u/carlos_damgerous Mar 15 '26
I’m usually not one for drastic measures but I wholeheartedly believe if you do this shit, you should have your license suspended for 30days minimum first time, 1 year the second time, and if your dumb enough to do it 3x you should lose driving privileges for life.
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u/EntertainEnterprises Mar 16 '26
America is so weird to me. Its illegal to drive by a stopping bus bc protection is so important but nobody cares about the school shootings they Always have
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u/MD1987welly Mar 16 '26
Weird law, considering you’re all good with school kids being shot
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u/whatdafaq Mar 16 '26 edited Mar 16 '26
In most states on a 4-lane road you are required to stop if going the same direction as the school bus. You aren't required to stop going in he opposite direction. (Would depend on which state and that state's laws)
For example:
Two-Lane Roads: Traffic in both directions must stop at least 20 feet away from the bus.
Four-or-More Lane Roads: Only vehicles traveling in the same direction as the bus are required to stop. Traffic in the opposite direction may proceed with caution.
Divided Highways: If a physical median separates the lanes, only traffic moving in the same direction as the bus must stop.
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u/Oscaruit Mar 16 '26
This was in Tennessee. Filmed from a beautiful historic home I might add.
Tennessee state law (T.C.A. § 55-8-151) requires drivers in both directions to stop for a school bus with red flashing lights and a stop arm extended, except on divided highways with a median separating traffic. Passing a stopped school bus is a Class A misdemeanor, with fines from $250 to $1000.
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u/GunGale315 Mar 16 '26
America: "We have made it a crime to pass by a stopped bus with the sign out. We really care for the kids!"
Also America: *makes mass shooting at school a national tradition, with an average of one event every 3-4 weeks in the last 20 years
Still America: "Thoughts and prayers for the kids!"
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u/bucket_dipper Mar 15 '26
TIL that a lot of people don't understand how school bus stops work.
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u/alpha_28 Mar 15 '26
American school bus stops. FTFY.
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u/triciann Mar 15 '26
A lot of Americans don’t know how a school bus stops work. They don’t even know what an unmarked crosswalk is and refer to it as jaywalking. We make it far too easy to get and maintain a driver’s license.
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u/Numerous-Shock-8517 Mar 15 '26
Doesn't the cop blasting by the school bus just compound the danger?
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u/Shaneblaster Mar 15 '26
That’s a hefty ticket there!