Legal Question in Traffic Law in Virginia

i was recently driving home from shopping into my neighborhood and noticed children crossing the street, it was a four way intersection with no stop signs for going north or south, however there were stop signs on both streets perpendicular to the road i was on. i slowed down but by that point the children were already safely on the other side of the street. as i went through i heard a honk and looked to my right and saw a school bus moving toward the stop sign running perpendicular to the road i was still traveling on. i thought nothing of it and proceeded home, which was a left and a right turn away. when i pulled into my driveway i noticed the school bus had followed me and slowed down in front of my house and then after a few moments drove away. am i legally liable for passing a stopped school bus? as i said, the bus was not loading or unloading children. it was moving, and the lights were NOT flashing and the sign was NOT extended. i assumed that since it was moving without any sort of flashing lights that it constituted a normal vehicle that had to obey the stop sign. and since i had no stop sign i went down the street i was already going down and now i'm worried she might have reported me as i have heard she is a particularly bitter old woman and she feels the need to report parents all the time


Asked on 3/29/11, 6:01 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Michael Hendrickson Law Office Michael E. Hendrickson

Legally liable under these facts(assuming they're true)? No, drivers frequently pass stopped school buses under the facts as described and do so quite legally.

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Answered on 3/30/11, 7:23 am


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