Did I do something wrong?

Question

I was stuck behind a school bus on its route, of course I stopped behind it when the stop sign/lights flashed came on, but once it started to move I thought I could pass, as it was a 2 lane road with dashed lines in the middle? No on coming cars so I accelerated mildly to get around it. Just up ahead was another group of kids/parents waiting for it, one of the dads saw me do this and stepped right out infront of me so I was forced to stop.
then he lectured me I was doin way more than 35 ( I was'nt as I saw the kids up ahead and did'nt pass 35 on my digital speedo) I told him it was legal for me to pass, he said it was'nt and what I did was wrong/dangerous.
Was he right or was it legal for me to do this!?? I feel bad now..

Yea the lights where definetely out, and I saw the kids/parents way ahead and I even stayed on the wrong side of the road longer to give them a wide berth. The guy swore I was doin "way more than 35" but I was lookin at my digital speedo and I did'nt, I probably should have gone a bit slower but I did'nt wanna get hit by cars coming in the other direction either.
It didnt help I had 2 morons behind me beeping (like what could I do???!?) and Im the one who ends up gettin berrated...lifes great.

Thanks for the answers guys..

Answer 1

it is illegal to pass a bus when it has its stop sign out. the only time you can is when you're on the opposite side of a divided road, with some kind of median between you and the bus, and then only if the median goes the whole length of the road (if there's a break in the median for left turns, then you still have to stop, even on the other side of the road)

Answer 2

Of course you can pass a bus when the lights are not flashing. The sign of the back says, do not pass WHEN LIGHTS ARE FLASHING. if you could never pass a bus, then the sign would just say no passing or the lights would always be on. If you were dangerously close to another group of kids then the stops are too close together or the bus driver should leave his lights flashing between those two stops. Either way, you did nothing illegal and I can tell you that there is NO shortage of over protective parents out there.

Answer 3

If the lights were out, the line was dashed, there was no oncoming traffic and you did not exceed the speed limit in order to pass then you did nothing wrong.
Additionally, children waiting for a bus stop should be clear of the roadway completely (on a sidewalk or lawn) until the bus has it's red lights flashing and sign completely extended. They should not be entering the street prior to the bus coming to a complete stop - so there should have been no issue with you "endangering children" that were in the area they were supposed to be waiting - unless you happened to be passing on the sidewalk, which is kinda illegal whether there was a bus or not.

Answer 4

If the lights on the school bus were out then yes you were within your rights. But remember the man is a concerned father and probably sees many people just pass the bus without slowing down. If the either set of lights on the school bus were on (the red or the yellow) then you were not within your rights and should not have passed.

Answer 5

If the bus was moving and did not have its lights on, then you were legally free to move around the bus. You proceeded with caution as traffic allowed and were aware of the the coming bus stop. You got there before the bus and should have been allowed to keep moving. The parent was being presumptious to stop you and lecture you. Ignore the situation and move on with life. Next time, take another road to avoid the bus stops.

Answer 6

No...you did nothing wrong as long as:

1) There was nothing indicating that the bus was preparing to stop again (i.e. stop sign, flashing lights, etc.).

2) You weren't in a no passing zone.

3) You were doing the legal speed limit for the area you were in.

Hope this answers your question...and don't feel bad. The father who stopped you was just trying to protect the kids...as a parent I can say that sometimes we tend to go overboard, though. :o)

Answer 7

As long as you were in a passing zone (as indicated by the dashed lines) and the school bus' stop sign was not out and you were within the speed limit, you were within your legal right.

Answer 8

I've passed busses myself. They drive me nuts. I don't think you did anything wrong. The dad was probably just mad because his kids were standing out there while you were passing. No big deal. Don't sweat it.

Answer 9

you passed the bus because you were in a hurry to get nowhere fast.....typical American. the father, also typical American stepped in front of two tons of steel at a high rate of speed. both of you two idiots need to be sterilized

Answer 10

You should have just hit the guy. That would teach him!