ST. LOUIS – As children around the St. Louis area prepare to return to school, take this as a friendly reminder to watch out for school buses on the roads.

For most, it’s a pretty simple concept. When a school bus extends its red “STOP” arm to pick up or drop off students, it’s best to hit the brakes and stay in place until the pickup or dropoff is done.

But that’s not the only consideration, and school bus slightly differ from state to state. If you’re driving around Missouri and Illinois as school buses hit the roads again, here’s some basic information to consider.

Missouri

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol…

Missouri drivers must stop for school buses when the stop arm is extended on all two-lane roads, regardless of their direction. Drivers must stop your vehicle and remain stopped until the bus’s flashing lights are turned off, the stop arm is withdrawn, and the bus starts moving again.

On a four-lane roadway without a median, all drivers must stop when the school bus is loading or unloading passengers, regardless of their direction. Drivers must follow similar rules for stopping and resuming as they would with two-lane roads.

If you are on a divided highway with a median, only vehicles traveling in the same direction as the school bus must stop. Drivers traveling in the opposite direction are not required to stop.

If there are more than four lanes or four with a median, and no children are crossing the road to the opposite side, only drivers behind the school bus are required to stop.

Illegally passing a school bus in Missouri could mean a 90-day driver’s license suspension. Penalties are heightened if a child is struck, injured or killed.

Illinois

According to the Illinois State Police…

Illinois drivers must stop for school buses when the stop arm is extended on all two-lane roads, regardless of their direction. Drivers must stop your vehicle and remain stopped until the bus’s flashing lights are turned off, the stop arm is withdrawn, and the bus starts moving again.

Illinois law says the same rules apply in cases when there is a center turn lane. Also, for two-lane roads, drivers are asked to give 20 feet of space between their vehicle and the school bus.

For a one-way roadway, all drivers behind the school bus are required to stop.

On a four-lane roadway, if there at least two lanes of traffic in each direction, only drivers traveling in the same direction as the school bus are required to stop. Same rule applies for spots with a divided highway and a median.

Illinois law also prohibits people from passing a school bus within 100 feet of a railroad crossing, regardless of how many lanes there are present. Bus drivers are required to stop for all railroad crossings.

Illegally passing a school bus in Illinois will mean a $300 minimum fine and a three-month driver’s license suspension. Penalties are heightened if a child is struck, injured or killed.