School buses — Maryland Permit Test

School buses on the Maryland permit test — 5 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

Drivers approaching a school vehicle with flashing red lights from either direction must stop at least 20 feet from the front or rear of the bus.

The distance is set from the front and the rear alike, because a child stepping out at either end of the bus is hidden from you until they are already in the road.

Drivers on the opposite side of a road divided by a physical barrier are not required to stop for a school bus with flashing red lights.

A physical barrier means children cannot reach your side of the road, which is the only reason the stop is not needed.

Drivers must remain stopped for a school vehicle until its red lights are turned off and the bus begins to move.

The lights stay on until the bus driver is satisfied the children are clear, so the lights going out is the signal to move, not your own judgment.

Flashing yellow lights on a school vehicle mean it is preparing to stop to load or unload children; slow down and prepare to stop.

Yellow is the warning that gives you time to slow down, so that the red stop is not a surprise.

Illegally passing a stopped school bus carries a fine of up to $570 and 3 points when cited by an officer; bus-mounted cameras issue $250 civil citations.

Passing a stopped school bus is the moment children are most exposed, which is why the penalty is heavier than a normal violation.

On the test

When a school vehicle stops with flashing red lights, you must stop at least how far from it?

20 feet. The distance is set from the front and the rear alike, because a child stepping out at either end of the bus is hidden from you until they are already in the road.

How this works

Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.

You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.

Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.

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Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against Maryland Driver's Manual, published by the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-08-29.