Do You Have Stop For A School Bus on a Divided Road in Minnesota?

The kids are back in school and those big, yellow buses are a common sight these days. But do you have to stop for a school bus when you're on a divided road in Minnesota?

Fines increased here in Minnesota if you drive by a school bus with its red lights flashing and stop arm out, and a violation can run you up to $500, thanks to a new law that went into effect on August 1st.

So, yeah, ya gotta stop when you see a school bus stopped with its lights on. But what about if you're on a divided road-- one where there's a median between you and the oncoming lane?

Take, for instance, West Circle Drive. There's a lovely green median between the east and westbound lanes. What if you see a bus with its light flashing heading west and you're heading east?

Well, according to this Star-Tribune story, if you're on a divided road, you... DON'T have to stop. "Motorists are not required to stop if they approach or meet a stopped school bus with flashing red lights that is on the opposite side of a separated roadway, and that includes when there is a short gap for things such as turn lanes," the story says, quoting an Eagan police department official.

But, that situation shouldn't crop up too often anyway, the story also noted, saying that bus drivers can't allow kids to cross a divide roadway, “so there should be no legal or practical way for students to be around your vehicle in that area at all,” the story said.