School bus, move over and bicycle passing laws by state
Rules that protect people outside your car: children at a school bus, crews at the roadside and bicyclists.
Updated October 20, 2026
Rules by state
| State | Stop from a school bus at least | Bus on the other side of a divided highway | Stopped emergency vehicle | If you cannot move over, slow by | Passing a bicyclist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 20 feet | — | — | — | — |
| Alaska | — | — | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | — | — |
| Arizona | — | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | — | 3 feet |
| Arkansas | — | — | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | — | — |
| California | — | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | — | — | 3 feet |
| Colorado | 20 feet | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | — | 3 feet |
| Connecticut | — | — | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | — | 3 feet |
| District of Columbia | 20 feet | — | — | — | 3 feet |
| Florida | — | — | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | 20 mph | 3 feet |
| Georgia | — | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | — | — | 3 feet |
| Hawaii | — | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | — | 3 feet |
| Idaho | — | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | — | — | — |
| Illinois | — | — | — | — | 3 feet |
| Indiana | — | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | 10 mph | 3 feet |
| Iowa | 15 feet | — | — | — | — |
| Kansas | — | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | — | — |
| Maine | — | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | — | 3 feet |
| Maryland | 20 feet | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | — | 3 feet |
| Michigan | 20 feet | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | Slow to 10 mph below the limit and move over a lane if safe | 10 mph | — |
| Minnesota | 20 feet | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | — | 3 feet |
| Mississippi | 10 feet | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | — | — | 3 feet |
| Missouri | — | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | — | — | — |
| Montana | 30 feet | — | — | — | 5 feet |
| Nevada | — | — | — | — | 3 feet |
| New Hampshire | 25 feet | — | Give it a wide space or move out of the lane next to it, if safe | — | — |
| New Jersey | 25 feet | — | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | — | 4 feet |
| New York | 20 feet | — | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | — | — |
| North Carolina | — | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | — | 2 feet |
| North Dakota | — | — | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | — | 3 feet |
| Ohio | 10 feet | — | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | — | 3 feet |
| Oklahoma | — | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | — | 3 feet |
| Oregon | — | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | 5 mph | — |
| Pennsylvania | 10 feet | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | — | 4 feet |
| South Carolina | — | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | — | — | — |
| Texas | — | — | — | 20 mph | — |
| Utah | — | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | — | — | — |
| Vermont | — | — | — | 20 mph | 4 feet |
| Virginia | — | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | — | 3 feet |
| Washington | — | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | — | — | 3 feet |
| Wisconsin | 20 feet | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | Move out of the lane next to it if safe, or slow down | — | 3 feet |
| Wyoming | — | Do not have to stop, but should watch for children | — | 20 mph | — |
States in the table: 41. A dash means we have not confirmed that rule in the handbook yet; states with no confirmed rules are not listed.
Why these matter on the test
School bus and emergency-vehicle rules appear on almost every state's written test, and the penalties are often heavy.
Where these numbers come from
Each value is the answer to a question in our state practice tests, and each of those questions is backed by a verbatim quote from the state's official driver handbook. Laws change: confirm with your state's handbook (linked on each state page) before you rely on a number.
Questions
You must stop when its red lights flash, but on a divided highway some states do not require traffic on the other side to stop. See the table.