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Passenger · On the Road

Pulling away from a bus stop is a common setting for bus accidents. What is the specific hazard passenger-vehicle guidance warns about?

1.Buses can scrape mirrors or strike passing vehicles pulling away, so the driver must account for clearance and watch for poles or limbs at the stopCorrect answer
2.Buses lose air pressure when the service door cycles open and closed, so the brakes may not release promptly enough for the driver to pull away
3.Buses are required under traffic law to yield to all other traffic indefinitely, so departure is only lawful once the roadway is entirely clear of other vehicles
4.Buses have a noticeably longer turn-signal delay built into their electrical wiring than other vehicles, so other drivers nearby tend to see the signal late

Explanation

The hazard is clearance: buses scrape off mirrors or strike passing vehicles when pulling away from a stop, and the fixed objects at the stop itself, poles and overhanging tree limbs among them, are what the bus swings into. A bus stop deliberately puts a long, wide, tall vehicle close to the curb and to whatever is planted beside it, so the moment of pulling out is when the bus's own dimensions become the problem rather than the traffic. 49 CFR 383.117(a)(6) covers operating practices and procedures not otherwise specified, and no sub-item of 383.117(a) names this subject, so the citation supports the knowledge area only and the hazard itself is attributed to the manual. The wrong options invent a mechanical fault in the door and brake systems, overstate the yielding duty into something no rule imposes, or claim a signal-timing difference buses do not have.

Source: 49 CFR 383.117(a)(6)

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