Know the Law: Rules for Driving with School Buses in Florida

You see a school bus traveling toward you on the opposite side of the road. Do you stop when it stops? Does the median mean you do not have to stop? Do you keep going?

Florida has strict and clear school bus safety rules. Under Florida Statute 316.172, when approaching a school bus that has its stop lights blinking and stop signs showing, you must stop as well. You may not pass a stopped school bus with its lights and signs indicating that children are getting on or off the bus. Violators of this law receive a moving violation for failing to stop or attempting to pass a stopped school bus.

When the bus is traveling the opposite direction, there are other considerations. The law states that in a divided highway situation where the area between the opposing lanes of traffic is more than five feet of empty space, which could be taken up by a median, either a raised or physical barrier between lanes of traffic, drivers in the opposing lane of traffic are not required to stop. However, if this median or space is not present, such as on a two lane road or neighborhood street, drivers in the opposing lane of traffic are required to stop when the school bus indicates that it is going to stop.

Parents with concerns about school bus safety can visit http://www.schoolbussafety.com/, where forums are available for comments and concerns about issues involving safety on the roads.

We at the Law Office of Jeffrey Meldon and Associates strongly believe that public education is the first step in the prevention of an accident or in the recovery from one.

We are experienced personal injury attorneys, trial lawyers, negotiators, litigators and staff that have been proudly working to get accident victims the justice they deserve for over 30 years in Gainesville, Ocala, Lake City, Inverness, and the rest of North Central Florida and North Florida. Accidents involving a car crash, truck wreck, and motorcycle, bicycle, or pedestrian accidents, dog bites, slip and falls and medical malpractice are all included in our practice.

Based on Jeffrey Meldon's, founder of The Law Office of Jeffrey Meldon & Associates, over 30 years of helping accident victims get justice and a fair shake from the insurance companies he has written the consumer guide book, Seven Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Florida Accident Case. You can request your free, no obligation copy right now, or contact our office for your complimentary copy sent to you today.

Contact the Law Office of Jeffrey Meldon at (800) 373-8000 or (352) 373-8000 immediately if you have been involved in a serious auto, truck or motorcycle accident. We are in your community, have the experience and resources required to work towards obtaining a fair settlement for you - we are here to help you.

We proudly handle accidents that occur on all roads and in the areas including: I-75, I-10, I-95, U.S. Route 301, U.S. Route 441, State Road 40, State Road 26, State Road 24, Archer Road, Main St, and University Avenue. Our law firm has been representing accident victims in Gainesville, Ocala, Lake City, Inverness, Palatka, Crystal River, Daytona Beach, Interlachen, Spring Hill, Dunnellon, Bunnell, Live Oak, Starke, Jasper, Cross City, Perry, Trenton, Leesberg, Lake Butler, Tavares, Chiefland, Bronson, Brooksville, The Villages and the counties of Alachua, Marion, Columbia, Citrus, Volusia, Sumter, Levy, Lake, Bradford, Flagler, Hamilton, Dixie, Gilchrist, Union, Hernando, Suwannee, Union, and Putnam since 1971!

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Jeffrey Meldon & Associates, PA

703 North Main Street
Suite A
Gainesville, FL 32601
Phone: (352) 373-8000
Fax: (352) 373-8400
Toll Free: (800) 373-8000
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