Michigan School Bus Stop Laws

Under Michigan school bus traffic laws, drivers are prohibited from passing a school bus that is stopped with its red lights flashing. Drivers must stop at least 20 feet away and cannot resume driving until the school bus has turned off its red lights or the bus begins to move.

Under current Michigan law, drivers can lawfully pass a school bus that has its yellow lights flashing. However, Michigan lawmakers have proposed a law that would require motorists to immediately slow down and bring their vehicles to a stop when a school bus has its yellow lights flashing. Unfortunately, many drivers still speed up when they approach a school bus with its yellow lights flashing. This dangerous behavior results in unnecessary injuries to children boarding and getting off the school bus.

A new school bus traffic law that took effect in April 2025 allows school buses to be equipped with stop-arm traffic camera systems that record video or sequenced photographs of vehicles that fail to stop or illegally pass a school bus.

Ensuring the safety of children who ride the school bus is a shared responsibility. If your child was injured in a school bus accident, the personal injury attorneys at Muth Law, P.C., can assist you. With over four decades of experience representing injured people throughout Michigan, we can evaluate your situation, explain your options, and fight to hold the responsible parties accountable for the harm they caused.

When Do You Have to Stop for a School Bus in Michigan?

Michigan law prohibits drivers from passing a school bus that is “stopped and is displaying 2 alternatively flashing red lights located at the same level.” The law applies to drivers travelling in the same direction as the school bus (“overtaking” vehicles), as well as drivers travelling in the opposite direction (“meeting” the school bus).

When a school bus is stopped with its red lights flashing, drivers must bring their vehicle to “a full stop not less than 20 feet from the school bus.”

When Can You Pass a School Bus?

Drivers approaching a school bus on a divided highway are not required to stop, as long as there is an intervening space, physical barrier, or dividing section that separates the driver’s vehicle from the lane in which the school bus has stopped.

Under Michigan law, you can still lawfully pass a school bus that is displaying yellow flashing lights. Slowing down for a bus that is displaying flashing yellow lights is only a suggestion. However, a new law proposed by Representative Brad Paquette, of Niles, Michigan, would require that drivers treat buses with flashing yellow lights the same way they treat a school bus with flashing red lights. The law has advanced to the House with nearly unanimous support.

Michigan School Bus Laws Allow for Stop-Arm Camera Systems

Effective April 2, 2025, school districts throughout Michigan were permitted to equip school buses with stop-arm camera systems that automatically record video or sequenced photographs of vehicles that fail to stop for or illegally pass a school bus.

Under the new laws, law enforcement agencies will review stop-arm camera information and can issue a citation if there is sufficient evidence to prove a violation of Michigan school bus traffic laws occurred.

If a law enforcement agency determines that there is sufficient evidence of a violation, it can initiate legal action by mailing the citation to the registered owner of the vehicle involved in the violation. The driver involved in the alleged violation must pay a fine of $100 to $500.

Evidence that a particular vehicle was involved in the violation, combined with proof that the named defendant was the registered owner of the vehicle at the time of the infractions, creates a rebuttable presumption that the registered owner of the vehicle was driving the vehicle at the time of the infraction. This presumption can be rebutted at a hearing.

Ensuring the Safety of School Children Is a Shared Responsibility

Everyone is responsible for ensuring the safety of children who ride the school bus. Michigan school bus traffic laws are intended to protect schoolchildren when they board and exit the bus. Michigan drivers are expected to know and follow the school bus traffic laws in Michigan. Failure to do so can result in serious injuries to children, not to mention substantial legal penalties.

If your child was injured in a Michigan school bus accident, the attorneys at Muth Law can help. Our attorneys have over four decades of experience practicing Michigan personal injury law, and we know how to identify the person responsible for your child’s injuries and hold them accountable for the harm they caused.

Muth Law handles personal injury claims on a contingency fee, which means you won’t pay us an attorney fee unless we recover money for you.

Contact Muth Law Today

Muth Law is based in Ann Arbor and represents injured people in Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, and throughout Michigan. Please contact us to schedule a free, confidential appointment to discuss your school bus accident matter. Call 734-481-8800 or contact us via e-mail. We look forward to serving your family.