School buses and railroad crossings

Key points

1. It is illegal to pass a stopped school bus with red lights on, from any direction.

   Source: Handbook p. 39

   “It is against the law to pass a school bus which has stopped and has its red warning lights on. Never pass from any direction when the red lights are on.”
   Vermont Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 39

2. Flashing yellow bus lights mean the bus is slowing to stop: prepare to stop.

   Source: Handbook p. 39

   “the school bus driver activates the alternately flashing yellow lights and begins slowing down. You should be preparing to stop.”
   Vermont Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 39

3. On a divided highway, you need not stop for a bus going the opposite direction.

   Source: Handbook p. 40

   “You do not have to stop on a divided highway if the school bus is traveling in the opposite direction.”
   Vermont Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 40

4. Passing a stopped school bus brings a substantial fine and 5 points.

   Source: Handbook p. 40

   “if you are found guilty of passing a stopped school bus with its warning lights on, you will be subject to a substantial fine and five points on your driver’s license.”
   Vermont Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 40

5. It is illegal to drive through, around or under a closed railroad gate, or to pass at a crossing.

   Source: Handbook p. 37

   “It is against the law to drive your vehicle through, around, or under a closed railroad gate. It is also against the law to pass another vehicle at a railroad crossing.”
   Vermont Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 37

6. Stop at least 15 feet from the nearest rail for flashing lights, gates, a flagman, a train in sight or a stop sign.

   Source: Handbook p. 37

   “By law, drivers must STOP not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail when: 1. Flashing lights, lowered gates, or a flagman signals the approach or passage of a railroad train. 2. You see a train or hear its whistle. 3. When there is a STOP sign at the crossing.”
   Vermont Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 37

7. If a crossing is dangerous, call the number listed on the emergency sign.

   Source: Handbook p. 37

   “If a dangerous condition exists at a rail crossing, call the number listed on the emergency sign.”
   Vermont Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 37

8. With 2 or more tracks, one train may hide another coming the other way.

   Source: Handbook p. 33

   “When there are 2 or more tracks, one train passing might hide a train coming the other way.”
   Vermont Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 33

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Vermont practice test

1. 1. When a school bus activates its alternately flashing red warning lights, what must a driver do?

   1. Pass slowly if no children are visible
   2. Stop the vehicle and do not pass the bus
   3. Stop only when following the bus in the same direction
   4. Continue through a school yard if traveling below 15 mph
   Show answer

   Stop the vehicle and do not pass the bus. Alternately flashing red warning lights mean the stopped school bus is loading or unloading students, and vehicles must stop. Vermont says never to pass from any direction while those red lights are on, including in a school yard. The absence of visible children does not cancel the signal, and the rule is not limited to traffic behind the bus. Prepare to stop when yellow lights begin, then remain stopped until the red warning display has ended and it is safe to proceed.

2. 2. When is a driver on a divided highway not required to stop for a school bus with red warning lights?

   1. When the driver is late for work
   2. When the bus is traveling in the opposite direction on the divided highway
   3. When the bus is stopped on any two-lane road
   4. When a driver sees no children outside the bus
   Show answer

   When the bus is traveling in the opposite direction on the divided highway. The manual gives a narrow exception: on a divided highway, a driver does not have to stop when the school bus is traveling in the opposite direction. A concrete barrier may separate the traffic streams. This does not excuse passing a stopped bus on an ordinary two-lane road, and the absence of visible children is not a legal test. Treat red warning lights as a stop command unless the divided-highway opposite-direction exception clearly applies.

3. 3. When a driver sees a train approaching a Vermont railroad crossing, what is required?

   1. Continue if the train is moving slowly
   2. Stop only if the crossing has two or more tracks
   3. Stop at least 15 feet from the nearest rail
   4. Wait for another vehicle to stop first
   Show answer

   Stop at least 15 feet from the nearest rail. Seeing a train is one of Vermont’s listed reasons to stop at a railroad crossing. The vehicle must come to a full stop at least 15 feet from the nearest rail, then proceed only when crossing is safe. The number of tracks does not remove the duty, a slow train is still a train, and another driver’s action is irrelevant. Scan for the train, warning lights, gates, and other signals as you approach. The concrete memory cue is fifteen feet from the nearest rail whenever the manual’s warning condition is present.

Source: the Vermont Driver's Manual, Chapter 7: Driving Safely and Studying for Your Permit. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.