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Sharing the road

Sharing the road: school buses, cyclists and emergency vehicles

The rules that protect the most vulnerable people on the road — and the ones the test asks about most.

Some of the most important rules of the road are about the people around you: children getting off a bus, a cyclist beside you, a paramedic trying to get through. These come up often on the test, and getting them wrong on the road can be serious.

Stopping for a school bus

When a school bus stops with its upper red lights flashing, children are getting on or off. On a road without a median, traffic in both directions must stop — not just the cars behind the bus, but the oncoming ones too. You stay stopped until the red lights stop flashing or the bus moves. The only exception is when you are on the opposite side of a road divided by a median.

When a school bus stops with its upper red lights flashing on an undivided road, traffic in both directions must stop.SCHOOL BUSSTOPOn an undivided road, traffic both ways must stop
On an undivided road, a stopped school bus with red lights flashing means every direction stops.

Cyclists and emergency vehicles

  • Passing a cyclist
    Leave at least one metre of space between your car and the bike where practical.
  • Emergency vehicles
    When one approaches with lights and siren, pull as far right as you safely can and stop until it passes.
  • Stopped emergency vehicles
    Slow down and, on a multi-lane road, move over to leave a lane of space when you pass one stopped with its lights on.
  • Pedestrians
    At crossovers and crosswalks, stop and yield the whole crossing — let them reach the far side before you go.
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Fines for passing a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing are heavy, and cameras on the bus can catch you even if no officer is present. When in doubt, stop.

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