You are on a divided highway in Oregon, with the two roadways separated by an unpaved median strip or barrier. A school bus on the OPPOSITE side of the median flashes its red lights. What must you do?
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A.
Stop only if children are visibly crossing toward the bus.
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B.
Continue with caution; only same-side traffic must stop. Correct
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C.
Slow to 20 mph until the bus stops flashing its lights.
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D.
Stop; all traffic must stop for flashing red school bus lights.
The answer is "Continue with caution; only same-side traffic must stop."
On a divided highway separated by an unpaved median strip or barrier, only traffic on the same side of the road as the bus must stop. The barrier means children cannot cross into your lanes, so opposite-side traffic may continue. A painted median or turn lane does not create two separate roads; in that case, all lanes of traffic must stop. The mistake behind D is applying the general stop-for-flashing-red rule as absolute, overlooking the divided-highway exception the manual carves out.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Stop only if children are visibly crossing toward the bus.
The trigger is the road configuration (divided vs. painted median), not whether children are visible. This answer substitutes the visibility of children for the manual's road-configuration rule.
C. Slow to 20 mph until the bus stops flashing its lights.
The 20 mph limit applies inside a school speed zone, not when meeting a stopped school bus. Same-side traffic must come to a full stop; opposite-side traffic across an unpaved median or barrier may continue at normal speed. This answer conflates the 20 mph school-zone speed limit with the school-bus stop rule, which requires a full stop on the same side rather than a reduced speed.
D. Stop; all traffic must stop for flashing red school bus lights.
The divided-highway exception lets opposite-side traffic continue when an unpaved median or barrier separates the roadways. This answer treats the general 'stop for flashing red lights' rule as absolute and ignores the manual's divided-highway exception.
This question tests your knowledge of Sharing the Road in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Sharing the Road / School, Places of Worship or Worker and Public Transit Buses / School Buses," p.55..
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