A student drops a notebook close to a bus wheel. What should the student do?
Correct answer: Leave it and get the driver's attention from a safe place.
Teach students not to retrieve objects near or under the bus. They should move to safety and alert the driver so the situation can be handled with the bus secured.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.2.5, physical PDF page 112. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
Why watch a student's clothing and backpack while the student steps off?
Correct answer: They can catch on the handrail or door area.
Loose straps or clothing can snag during exit. Watch each student clear the doorway and reach a safe location before departure.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.2.5, physical PDF page 112. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
Before crossing in front of the bus, where should a student wait for the driver's signal?
Correct answer: At the right edge, far enough ahead for the driver to see their feet.
The handbook teaches moving at least 10 feet ahead to a visible position at the right edge of the roadway. Students check traffic and wait for the driver's signal; local crossing procedures also apply.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.2.3, physical PDF page 111. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
A student has crossed in front of the bus to its left edge. What comes next?
Correct answer: Stop, check traffic and confirm it is safe to continue.
The bus can hide approaching traffic. At its left edge the student makes another traffic check and follows the driver's crossing signal before continuing.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.2.3, physical PDF page 111. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
One unloading student is no longer visible and you cannot account for them. What should you do?
Correct answer: Secure the bus, take the key and check around and underneath.
Do not move until every student is accounted for. When an outside check is needed, secure the bus and take the key before leaving the driving compartment.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.2.3, physical PDF page 111. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
You have driven past a student's assigned stop. What should you do?
Correct answer: Follow the authorized missed-stop procedure without backing to it.
The handbook directs drivers not to back after missing a stop. Follow local procedures to arrange a safe, authorized drop-off.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.2.3, physical PDF page 111. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
A train clears one track, but the red lights continue flashing at a multi-track crossing. What should you do?
Correct answer: Remain stopped; another train may be approaching.
A second train can approach on another track. Wait for the gates to rise, flashing warnings to stop and a safe crossing opportunity after checking all tracks.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.4.2, physical PDF page 114. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
Your school bus stalls on the tracks and cannot clear them promptly. What is the priority?
Correct answer: Evacuate everyone immediately away from the tracks.
A bus stalled or trapped on tracks requires immediate evacuation. Move far away at an angle away from the tracks and toward an approaching train's direction, avoiding the area where debris may be pushed.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.4.4, physical PDF page 115. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
The bus is stopped after an incident, with no immediate danger inside. How should evacuation be decided?
Correct answer: Compare the danger of staying aboard with the danger outside.
Evacuation can expose children to moving traffic and other hazards. Assess the emergency and evacuate when staying aboard is more dangerous; do not delay when an immediate threat requires exit.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.3.1, physical PDF page 112. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
Smoke and fire threaten the bus's occupied passenger area. What should you do first?
Correct answer: Evacuate the students to a safe place.
Fire or a serious threat of fire requires evacuation. Protect passengers and obtain emergency help; a practice question is not training to fight a bus fire.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.3.1, physical PDF page 113. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
The normal entrance is unsafe to use during an evacuation. What should guide your choice of another exit?
Correct answer: The hazard location and the safest usable exit.
Choose the front, rear, both, side, window or roof exits according to the emergency and their usability. Do not direct students through the hazard merely to use the usual entrance.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.3.2, physical PDF page 113. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
Your school bus has an automatic transmission. If time and conditions permit, how should you secure it before directing an emergency evacuation?
Correct answer: Set the brake, select park or neutral, stop the engine and take the key.
The handbook's evacuation procedure secures the vehicle against movement and uses hazard lamps. Contact dispatch if time permits, but do not delay an urgent evacuation to complete a call.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.3.2, physical PDF page 113. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
Why teach emergency-exit procedures to all students, even when trained student helpers are assigned?
Correct answer: The assigned helpers may be absent when an emergency occurs.
Assigned helpers are useful, but every student needs basic evacuation knowledge. Planning must account for an emergency on a day when those helpers are not riding.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.3.2, physical PDF page 113. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
Once students have reached the evacuation meeting place, what must the driver establish?
Correct answer: That all students are accounted for and any injuries are identified.
Keep students together at the safe meeting location, account for everyone and check their condition. Communicate with dispatch and responders rather than allowing students to wander back.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.3.2, physical PDF page 113. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
A train is approaching a bus trapped on the rails. In which direction should evacuees move?
Correct answer: Away from the tracks, angled toward the approaching train.
Move well away from both the bus and the tracks. Angling toward the approaching train takes evacuees away from the direction debris may be carried after impact.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.4.4, physical PDF page 115. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
Two students argue inside while other children are still unloading. What should your attention remain on first?
Correct answer: The children and traffic outside until unloading is safe.
Loading and unloading demand exterior observation. Once students are safely away, handle the behavior issue in a safely stopped and secured bus according to local procedures.
Source: Colorado Commercial Driver License Manual (06/15/23), Section 10.5.1, physical PDF page 115. Reviewed September 14, 2026. ↗
