California Car / Permit practice question · Sharing the Road
A school bus ahead has stopped and is flashing red lights with its stop arm out. You must:
Answer choices
- Slow to 15 mph and pass carefully
- Stop until the red lights stop flashing— Correct answer
- Pass on the left if no children are visible
- Sound your horn and continue
Why this is the answer
When a school bus flashes red lights, you must stop from either direction and stay stopped until the children are across and the lights stop flashing. Slowing to a lower speed to pass is not allowed. The one exception is a bus on the far side of a divided highway or a highway with two or more lanes in each direction.
Source: California Driver Handbook — School Buses
Content reviewed against official driver handbooks · August 12, 2026
More Sharing the Road questions
- When approaching a light rail vehicle on the tracks, you should never:
- As you drive through a work zone, a flagger gives you directions. You should:
- A large truck or bus is making a right turn in front of you and swings wide to the left first. You should:
- When passing a bicyclist traveling in the same direction, you must give a clearance of at least:
- The vehicle in the lane next to you comes to a stop at a marked crosswalk. Before passing it, you should: