What drivers need to know about new Colorado rules on stopping for school buses

STATEWIDE, Colo. (KRDO) -- With District 49 students back in session, and other Colorado districts to follow, Colorado State Patrol (CSP) wants drivers to be aware of a new state law involving bus stops that is now in effect.

Effective May 24, 2025, drivers approaching from the opposite direction of a stopped school bus must also stop, unless there is a physical barrier (like a grass median) separating them. This change is different from before, where painted solid lines separating the traffic would not have required a stop, CSP says. See graphic below:

“Knowing when you are required to stop needs to become second nature,” stated Col. Matthew C. Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “School buses create temporary traffic control zones; they are mobile safety zones for the bus and the vulnerable population they transport.”

Here are other, more detailed, rules per CSP:

1. Drivers must stop at least 20 feet before reaching a school bus that is stopped with its red lights flashing, whether it is on your side of the road, the opposite side of the road or at an intersection.
2. You are not required to stop if the school bus with its red lights flashing is on a roadway opposite you that is separated by a raised or depressed median or other physical barrier.
3. You must remain stopped until the flashing red lights are no longer operating.
4. Use caution after the school bus begins to move, as there will be children crossing or near the roadway. Wait and watch before proceeding.

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