Under the Maryland school bus stop law, you must stop at least 20 feet away from any school bus that has stopped on the roadway with its red lights flashing, whether you are behind it or approaching from the opposite direction, and you cannot move again until the bus starts moving or the red lights turn off. A conviction carries a $570 fine and three points on your license. A camera-issued ticket carries up to $500 but no points.
When You Have to Stop
Maryland Transportation Code Section 21-706 sets the rule. If a school bus is stopped on the roadway and its alternately flashing red lights are on, every other driver meeting or overtaking it has to stop at least 20 feet away and stay stopped until the bus moves or the lights go off.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Transportation Code Section 21-706 – Overtaking and Passing School Vehicle Measure the 20 feet from the rear of the bus if you are coming up behind it, or from the front if you are approaching head-on.
On an undivided road, that means traffic in both directions stops. Oncoming drivers are not exempt. Children may cross in front of the bus and could step into either lane.
The amber flashing lights are your cue to slow down. By the time the reds come on and the stop arm swings out, you should already be coming to a halt.
The Divided Highway Exception
There is one situation where oncoming traffic does not have to stop: a divided highway where the bus is on a different roadway from yours. The statute says the stopping requirement “does not apply to the driver of a vehicle on a divided highway, if the school vehicle is on a different roadway.”1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Transportation Code Section 21-706 – Overtaking and Passing School Vehicle
“Different roadway” means a real physical separation. A painted center line does not count. A turn lane does not count. You need a median, a barrier, or an unpaved dividing strip between the two directions of travel. Drivers traveling in the same direction as the bus and behind it still have to stop no matter how divided the road is.
If you are not sure the road qualifies, stop. The cost of being wrong is high in both directions.
What a Police-Issued Ticket Costs
If an officer cites you, the prepayable fine is $570 and the violation puts three points on your driving record.2Maryland Courts. Traffic Fine Schedule If you take the ticket to trial and lose, the statutory maximum fine is $1,000.3Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Transportation Code Section 21-706
The three points matter more than the fine for most drivers. Maryland uses a rolling two-year window, and the consequences escalate as points accumulate:
- 3 to 4 points: the MVA sends a warning letter.
- 5 to 7 points: the MVA requires you to complete a Driver Improvement Program.
- 8 to 11 points: the MVA suspends your license.
- 12 or more points: the MVA revokes your license.
A single school bus conviction puts you at three. One more moving violation inside the same two-year window could push you into the Driver Improvement Program range, and a second school bus conviction would put you at six.4Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) – Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). Point Accumulation Insurers see the points too, and premiums usually follow.
What a Camera Ticket Costs
Maryland lets local jurisdictions mount cameras on school buses that photograph vehicles and license plates during a violation.5Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Transportation Code Section 21-706.1 – Violation of 21-706 A county has to authorize the program by local law after a public hearing before any cameras go up.
A camera ticket is a civil penalty, capped at $500. It goes to the registered owner of the vehicle, not whoever was actually driving. And it does not add points to your driving record, cannot be recorded on your MVA history, and cannot be used by your insurance company to raise your rates.6Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Transportation Code Section 21-706.1 If an officer at the scene cites you for the same incident, the officer’s citation takes precedence and the camera penalty does not stack on top.
If You Hold a Commercial Driver’s License
A CDL holder convicted of any traffic violation other than parking has to notify both their employer and their home-state licensing agency within 30 days.7eCFR. 49 CFR 383.31 – Notification of Convictions for Driver Violations Not reporting carries its own penalties.
Federal rules disqualify a CDL after a second “serious traffic violation” within three years (60 days) and a third (120 days).8eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers Passing a school bus is not named in the federal list, but states can classify it as a serious violation under their own CDL programs. If you drive commercially and pick up a school bus conviction, confirm with the MVA how it is coded on your commercial record.
Defenses Worth Raising
The divided highway exception is the cleanest defense. If you were on the opposite side of a physically divided highway, the stopping requirement did not apply. You will need to show the road actually qualifies, meaning a real median or barrier.
The statute only triggers when the bus is “operating the alternately flashing red lights.”1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Transportation Code Section 21-706 – Overtaking and Passing School Vehicle If the lights were not on, were malfunctioning, or the stop arm never deployed, that can be a defense. Your word alone is rarely enough. Maintenance records, dashcam footage, or testimony from other drivers who saw the same thing all help.
For a camera citation, the ticket goes to the registered owner. If someone else was driving, Section 21-706.1 lets the owner identify the actual driver and shift liability to that person.5Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Transportation Code Section 21-706.1 – Violation of 21-706