For a school bus stopped with red lights flashing on a multi-lane roadway, you must:

• A. Stop only in the lanes you are in
• B. Slow to 10 mph and proceed
• C. Stop in both directions unless separated by a barrier
• D. Stop only if the bus is in the same lane as you

Answer: (C)

When a school bus stops with red lights flashing, it signals that children may be crossing or loading/unloading on the road. On a multi-lane roadway, the safest approach is to stop traffic in both directions so no vehicle passes the bus while kids are near or entering the roadway. The rule changes only if there’s a physical barrier or median separating the directions, in which case vehicles on the opposite side may proceed. This protection prevents a child from stepping into traffic between lanes. So the correct approach is to stop in both directions unless a barrier separates the traffic; the other options would put students at risk or don’t reflect how the barrier exception works.