North Carolina · Handbook chapter 6 · 5 min read

Chapter 6: Pedestrians, school buses and emergency vehicles

Yielding to pedestrians, North Carolina's school bus stopping rules for every road layout, emergency vehicles and the Move Over law, what to do in a traffic stop, farm equipment and funeral processions.

Why this chapter matters

These are the situations where one wrong move can hurt someone who is not in a car: a child stepping off a bus, a person in a crosswalk, a trooper at the roadside. Passing a stopped school bus is worth 5 points, the most for any non-commercial violation.

Pedestrians

• At intersections without signals, pedestrians in a marked or unmarked crosswalk have the right of way.
• At signals, pedestrians follow the same lights as drivers going their way, and those crossing on green have the right of way over all vehicles, including turning ones.
• If the light changes while a pedestrian is still in the street, let them finish crossing.
• A blind pedestrian with a white cane (or white cane with a red tip) or a guide dog gets special consideration.
• When WALK and DON'T WALK signals operate, pedestrians obey them instead of the regular signals.
• Use your horn when a pedestrian may be affected by your turn, stop or start. If the pedestrian does not stop, you must.
• A safe driver yields to a pedestrian whether or not the pedestrian has the right of way.

School buses

The top speed for a school bus is 45 mph. Buses run mostly from about 7 to 9 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. When a bus shows its mechanical stop arm or flashing red lights, you must stop and stay stopped until the arm is withdrawn, the lights are off and the bus has started to move.

Children at a stop may run into the road even when the bus is not yet in sight.

Emergency vehicles

• Police cars, ambulances, fire engines and rescue vehicles using lights and sirens always have the right of way.
• When one approaches from ahead or behind, pull to the right-hand edge of the road and stop, and stay stopped until it passes or an officer waves you on.
• The exception: on a four-lane limited-access highway with a center median, traffic going the opposite way does not have to yield.
• Do not park within 100 feet of an emergency vehicle stopped at a crash, do not drive or park within one block of fire trucks answering an alarm, and never drive over a fire hose.

Move Over law

When an emergency vehicle, or a public service vehicle helping with a wrecked or disabled vehicle, is stopped within 12 feet of the road with its warning lights on:

• On a road with two or more lanes in your direction, move out of the lane nearest the vehicle and stay out until you are past.
• With only one lane in your direction, slow down to a safe speed until you are completely past.

When police stop you

• Signal, pull to the right and off the travel lanes where it is safe. If there is no safe spot, turn on your hazard flashers, slow by about 10 mph and keep going to a safe place.
• If you doubt an unmarked car is really police, you may call 911 to check before stopping.
• Put the car in Park, turn off the engine, lower the window, keep your seat belt on, and keep both hands on the wheel. At night, turn on the interior lights.
• You must show your license and registration. If there is a weapon in the car, do not reach for it, and tell the officer if you hold a concealed carry permit.
• Do not get out unless told, and do not argue. Signing a ticket is not an admission of guilt.

Farm equipment and funerals

• Most crashes with farm equipment happen in clear, dry daylight, often when the tractor is turning left and the following driver tries to pass. Never pass in a no-passing zone, and be patient: the safest time to pass is when the operator pulls off the road to let traffic by.
• Farm equipment may use most roads except interstates.
• In a funeral procession, every vehicle uses headlights and hazard flashers. Do not drive between vehicles in the procession, and do not pass it unless the road has two or more lanes in your direction.