Is it illegal to pass a school bus? What North Carolina law says
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With tens of thousands of students headed back to school soon in North Carolina, expect more school buses out on the road.
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On a single day last year, more than 10,000 North Carolina bus drivers reported more than 2,700 vehicles illegally passed a school bus, according to the result of an annual study by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services.
“People don’t always follow the law,” said Nichad Davis, a North Carolina attorney with The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin. “The issue of school bus passing and stop-arm violations is really prevalent, and it’s one of the leading causes, if not the leading cause, of fatalities and serious bodily injuries at bus stops.”
Davis is representing a Guilford County family after their then 6-year-old was hit by a car at a bus stop, seriously injuring the child. In addition to the driver of the car, the lawsuit is also against the local school system because the family previously raised concerns about the safety of that bus stop.
“It’s important for motorists and drivers to be paying attention,” Davis said. “If you’re texting and driving, or you’re impaired or you’re not looking, then your inattention can not only be a violation of the law, but it can result in a fatality or serious injury to this precious cargo that deserves to go to school in a safe way.”
Whether a driver stops depends on how many lanes are on the road. Here’s what North Carolina drivers need to know:
Drivers need to be aware and paying attention for school buses that may need to stop frequently even if not near a school or school zone.
When to stop for a school bus depends on where on the road a person is driving and how many lanes the road has.
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All vehicles should stop, regardless of the lane they are in or direction they are traveling, for:
Only vehicles traveling the same direction as the bus should stop for:
Drivers should also be on the look-out for the school bus lights. Yellow lights mean to slow down and prepare to stop, while red lights mean vehicles should stop and watch for children.
“As a motorist, if I see a bus stopping anyway, I’m just going to stop,” Davis said. “Especially if there’s a red light flashing and the stop arm is out. I’m just going to stop because I don’t know where kids are coming from any directions and I would rather be overly cautious and wrong than to think I can pass the bus and that results in a collision.”
As part of the NC Department of Insurance’s Safe Driver Inventive Plan, four points are added to your license for illegally passing a stopped school bus, resulting in a 90% insurance rate increase.
Parents should stress the importance of bus stop safety and, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, follow these tips:
“The data is pretty clear that, unfortunately, people will pass buses,” Davis said. “It happens every year, in almost every school district, and, unfortunately, every year there are serious injuries or fatalities due to this issue.”
This story was originally published August 21, 2026 at 8:01 AM with the headline “Is it illegal to pass a school bus? What North Carolina law says.”
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