Virginia school bus and emergency vehicle rules
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Stop for a stopped school bus with flashing red lights from any direction, and stay stopped until everyone is clear and the bus moves again. The only way out for oncoming traffic is a median or barrier between you and the bus.
For emergency vehicles, pull to the right edge and stop when one comes up behind you, and on a road with no median, stop for one coming the other way too.
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Stopping for a school bus
You must stop for a stopped school bus with flashing red lights and its stop sign out, whichever way you're coming, on a highway, a private road or a school driveway. Stay stopped until everyone is clear of the road and the bus moves again.
Stop too if the bus is loading or unloading passengers with its signals off. Passing a school bus that's stopped to load or unload on a public road is against the law.
The mix-up
Not quite: I can go once the red lights stop flashing.
Right: Wait until everyone is clear and the bus moves again.
On the other side of the road
Drivers going the other way don't have to stop only when a median or barrier divides the road and the bus is on the far side of it. Even then, watch for people getting off the bus, who may do something unexpected.
The mix-up
Not quite: On a four-lane road, oncoming traffic can keep going.
Right: Lane count doesn't matter. With no median or barrier, every lane stops.
Sirens and flashing lights behind you
When a police car, fire truck, rescue vehicle or ambulance comes up behind you with a siren, flashing lights or both, yield right away: pull over to the right edge of the road and stop until it has passed.
On an undivided highway, do the same for one coming toward you in the other lane: pull over to the edge and stop until it passes.
Once it's by, never follow an emergency vehicle with flashing lights closer than 500 feet. And don't park within 500 feet of fire trucks stopped at an alarm.
Stopped vehicles at the roadside
Coming up on a stopped vehicle
- An emergency vehicle or tow truck with flashing lights: move to a lane not next to it if you safely can. If you can't, slow down and pass with caution.
- A vehicle with hazard flashers, caution signs or lit flares: change lanes and go by with caution.
- A trash truck collecting on a highway of four or more lanes: move to a lane not next to it. Fewer lanes, or no room to move: slow to 10 mph below the limit and pass at least 2 feet to its left.
- A stopped mail vehicle: go by with caution at a safe speed.
These yielding rules don't apply inside highway work zones, where the posted signs and workers direct you.
Questions people ask
Do I stop for a school bus on the other side of a four-lane road in Virginia?
Yes, unless a median or barrier divides the road. Stay stopped until everyone is clear and the bus moves again.
When can I drive on after stopping for a school bus?
When everyone is clear of the road and the bus moves again.
How far behind an emergency vehicle must I stay?
At least 500 feet when its lights are flashing.
Do I have to stop for an ambulance coming the other way?
On an undivided highway, yes: pull over to the edge of the road and stop until it passes.
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Sources
Virginia Driver's Manual
Checked against these sources on October 24, 2026.
We read these sources and wrote this guide in our own words. The DMV has the final word, and rules change, so check anything important with the DMV before your appointment.