ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 traffic safety expert Trooper Steve Montiero answers viewer questions about the rules of the road, helping Orlando-area residents become better drivers by being better educated.
Trooper Steve on Thursday was asked, “Can an ambulance with lights and sirens pass a school bus that’s loading and unloading?”
“I love the uniqueness of this question because it allows us to expand our traffic knowledge beyond simple statute,” he said. “A school bus, when not loading or unloading students, is a simple vehicle like the rest of us. What makes a school bus different is it can go from a normal vehicle to a traffic control device.”
When that school bus driver activates their stop signs to load or unload students, the bus then has control over traffic. Trooper Steve said it’s exactly the same as a traffic signal at an intersection, but do you know which kind of other vehicle can bypass traffic signals in general? You probably guessed it.
“When an emergency vehicle is driving, it is the same as the rest of us. When it has activated its emergency equipment, it now supersedes a traffic control device. Just like a traffic signal when red, an emergency vehicle would be able to override that signal as long as they use extreme care,” he said.
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According to Trooper Steve, caution is key in this situation.
“I can guarantee you, if any emergency vehicle was attempting to bypass a school bus while their emergency equipment was activated, they would be extremely cautious. I would even go further to say that some would even deactivate their equipment based on the extent of the call that they are responding to,” he said. “I would also add that if this situation was to present itself, all drivers should have already been at a stop, but should remain at a complete stop while that emergency vehicle is proceeding through. Any student or other pedestrian traffic should also stop their movement and clear the way of any responding emergency vehicles.”
So, Trooper Steve says the simple answer is yes, an emergency vehicle can bypass a stopped, loading or unloading school bus. Of course, they would use extreme care while doing so.
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