Delaware School Bus Laws

TITLE 21
Motor Vehicles
Operation and Equipment
CHAPTER 41. RULES OF THE ROAD
Subchapter VII. Special Stops Required

§ 4161. Obedience to signal indicating approach of train, drawbridge or automatic signal system controlling the flow of traffic.
(d)(1) Overtaking and passing school bus. — When a school bus is stopped and displays flashing lamps in accordance with subsection (b) of this section, the driver of any vehicle approaching the school bus from the front or from the rear shall stop before passing the bus and remain stopped until such bus begins to move or no longer has the red stop lamps activated. On roadway or roadways with 4 or more lanes, the driver approaching from the front shall not stop.

QUESTION: Is the statement in the above picture, which appears in the Delaware Drivers Manual, accurate?

ANSWER: YES/NO! It is a partial truth that unfortunately causes it to be inaccurate. If approaching a stopped school bus from the front on a roadway that is 4 LANES OR MORE THEN A STOP IS NOT REQUIRED. A full stop is always required when approaching a stopped school bus from the rear or from the front when the roadway is less than 4 lanes.

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QUESTION: Is a full stop required if approaching a stopped school bus from the front when traveling on a roadway that includes a “TWO-WAY LEFT TURN LANE” – picture below?

ANSWER: “The D Team” has previously identified Delaware Law does not include the “TWO-WAY LEFT TURN LANE”. Additionally, the “The D Team” can count only “3” lanes in the picture above, thus according to Delaware Law a full stop would be required when approaching from the front and the rear.

ONE FINAL POINT: Be prepared for the horn blast and possible hand signals as the vehicle to your rear passes you (ILLEGALLY) on the shoulder of a two-way road that also contains a “TWO-WAY LEFT TURN LANE”.

WARNING: Surrounding states may have school bus stopping laws that differ from the Delaware Law.

Delaware Defensive Driving

Delaware Defensive Driving Inc. has been providing State of Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles approved Basic and Refresher (aka “Advanced”) defensive driving courses since 1992. Based in Wilmington, Delaware over 135,000 certificates of completion have been issued to Delaware drivers over the last 32 years.