Stop For School Buses, Georgia. Yes, You in The Other Lane

School is back. That big yellow bus is not a suggestion. Georgia law says when its red lights flash and the stop-arm swings out, most drivers on most roads must stop. Your coffee can wait. A kid’s life cannot.

📍 What’s Happening: Police across Georgia are reminding drivers what the law actually says, because “I didn’t know” won’t impress a judge or a grieving parent.

• On undivided roads (even wide ones), traffic in both directions must stop.
• A center turn lane is not a divider. If there’s just paint between you and the bus, you stop.

🚌 What It Means For You: If you see a school bus stop on a two-lane road, you stop. If you’re on a multi‑lane road with no divider, you stop.

If there’s a physical divider or an unpaved median between you and the bus, only the cars behind the bus stop. You, on the other side, can roll on—slowly and carefully.

🔎 Between the Lines: The law changed, then changed back. Confused? You’re not alone. In 2018, lawmakers briefly let drivers pass a stopped bus if there was a center turn lane due to an error in the crafting of a bill. In 2019, they reversed that. Unfortunately, Georgia residents who otherwise don’t pay any attention to new laws managed to hold onto the idea that they didn’t have to stop.

Under current Georgia law, painted lanes don’t let you pass a stopped bus. Concrete, grass, or a real barrier does.

The Sources:

• Official Code of Georgia Annotated, O.C.G.A. § 40-6-163 (Meeting or overtaking school bus)
• Georgia Department of Public Safety, School Bus Safety Guidance
• Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.