A school bus ahead is stopped with its red lights flashing. On an undivided road, what must you do?
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A.
Stop from either direction until the lights stop flashing Correct
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B.
Slow to 25 mph and pass cautiously
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C.
Continue if no children are visible outside the bus
The answer is "Stop from either direction until the lights stop flashing"
Red flashing lights on a school bus require every driver from either direction to stop until the children are safely across and the lights stop flashing. The slow-and-pass answer tempts drivers who apply the yellow-light 'slow down and prepare' rule to the red-light stop rule, missing that the two colors demand different actions from the same section.
The traps in the wrong answers
B. Slow to 25 mph and pass cautiously
Red flashing lights on a school bus require a full stop, not a reduced-speed pass. This answer applies the yellow-flashing 'slow down and prepare' rule to the red-flashing 'stop' rule, missing that the two colors demand different actions.
C. Continue if no children are visible outside the bus
The stop is triggered by the red flashing lights alone, not by whether children are visible. This answer adds a visible-children condition the manual never sets, since the red lights alone trigger the stop.
This question tests your knowledge of Sharing the Road in California. Source: California Driver Manual, "Around Children," p.50..
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