Driver Knowledge of School Bus Passing Laws: A National Survey [Traffic Tech]

NHTSA · 2024 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This study addresses the critical safety issue of vehicles illegally passing stopped school buses, a behavior estimated to have occurred over 43.5 million times during the 2022–2023 school year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted this research to identify driver knowledge gaps regarding passing laws, aiming to inform countermeasure development to reduce crashes involving children near school buses. Prior to this work, no recent national survey had assessed driver understanding of these specific legal requirements. The researchers utilized the AmeriSpeak panel, a nationally representative pool created through stratified random sampling, to recruit 3,557 participants aged 18 or older who spoke English. Participants completed an online survey featuring seven scenarios depicted via three-dimensional animations. These scenarios illustrated various driving situations, such as overtaking or approaching a stopped bus on two-lane and four-lane roadways (both divided and undivided) and on school property. After viewing each animation, participants were asked what the law required them to do, selecting from options ranging from "nothing special" to "stop and stay stopped." Correct answers were determined based on the specific laws of each participant’s residential state. The results revealed significant disparities in driver knowledge depending on the roadway configuration. Knowledge rates were high, exceeding 90%, for scenarios involving two-lane undivided roadways and for overtaking a bus on a four-lane undivided roadway. However, performance dropped substantially in more complex situations. Only 55.5% of participants correctly identified the legal requirement when approaching a stopped bus from the front on a four-lane undivided roadway. Knowledge was particularly low when a physical median was present, with only 17.8% of drivers correctly answering the scenario involving approaching a bus on a four-lane divided roadway. Additionally, only 27.2% correctly answered the scenario involving overtaking a bus in line on school property. For scenarios involving yellow flashing lights, responses were split among various actions, reflecting vague or non-existent state laws. Notably, many incorrect responses involved choosing to "stop and stay stopped," suggesting drivers are aware of the general safety principle but lack specific legal knowledge. The study concludes that lack of knowledge contributes to the high frequency of illegal passing, particularly on multi-lane roads. The findings suggest that drivers would likely support camera enforcement and stricter penalties, with nearly 70% favoring ticketing the registered vehicle owner rather than the driver. These insights provide a basis for targeted educational campaigns and enforcement strategies to improve compliance and protect children.

Key finding

Driver knowledge of school bus passing laws is high for simple two-lane and overtaking scenarios but drops substantially for complex situations involving four-lane roads with medians or buses in lines at schools.

Methodology

survey

Sample size: 3557

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

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• bus coach