A bus becomes disabled without fire or smoke. Before ordering everyone out, what must the driver assess?
Correct answer: Whether the bus position and surrounding hazards make staying aboard or evacuating safer.
A breakdown alone does not settle the evacuation decision. The guidance calls for judging the bus position and hazards, including collision or movement risks; in some circumstances, staying aboard is safer.
Source: New Mexico PED, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual / Pre-Service Training Curriculum; section 1-J, printed section page 14, PDF physical page 100; Evacuation Guidelines > Unsafe position; also section page 17 / physical 103, stay-or-evacuate judgment. Section published May 2018, Version 2.0. Mixed-date technical curriculum, not verified as the current MVD manual or current law. ↗
Evacuation is necessary. The service door is blocked, but the rear emergency door is accessible and leads to a safe area. What should the driver communicate?
Correct answer: Explain that everyone will use the accessible rear exit and give clear directions.
The single-exit evacuation method uses the accessible service or rear/side door. Clear instructions help passengers use the usable route instead of crowding a blocked exit.
Source: New Mexico PED, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual / Pre-Service Training Curriculum; section 1-J, printed section page 15, PDF physical page 101; Types of School Bus Evacuation Drills > Service Door OR Rear/Side. Section published May 2018, Version 2.0. Mixed-date technical curriculum, not verified as the current MVD manual or current law. ↗
An evacuation will use both the service door and the accessible rear emergency door. How can the driver prevent students from crossing through one another in the aisle?
Correct answer: Specify a dividing row: students ahead use the front exit and those behind use the rear exit.
The two-exit method calls for identifying a dividing row and explaining which passengers use each door. This gives students a clear route instead of leaving exit selection to competing movements.
Source: New Mexico PED, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual / Pre-Service Training Curriculum; section 1-J, printed section page 16, PDF physical page 102; Evacuating Through the Service Door AND Rear/Side, steps 1–2. Section published May 2018, Version 2.0. Mixed-date technical curriculum, not verified as the current MVD manual or current law. ↗
During an emergency evacuation, a student stops in the aisle to retrieve a backpack from a seat. What direction should the driver give?
Correct answer: Leave belongings behind and follow the evacuation directions.
The evacuation instructions tell students to leave belongings behind and listen carefully. Retrieving possessions should not interrupt movement toward safety.
Source: New Mexico PED, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual / Pre-Service Training Curriculum; section 1-J, printed section page 15, PDF physical page 101; Single-exit evacuation, step 3; repeated for two exits on section page 16 / physical 102. Section published May 2018, Version 2.0. Mixed-date technical curriculum, not verified as the current MVD manual or current law. ↗
Students have been directed away from an evacuated bus and help is on the way. Which responsibility still belongs to the driver?
Correct answer: Confirm that everyone is off, then join the students and stay with them until help arrives.
The evacuation procedure includes confirming that all students are off the bus and joining them to ensure their safety until help arrives. Getting a line of students through a door is not the end of the task.
Source: New Mexico PED, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual / Pre-Service Training Curriculum; section 1-J, printed section page 15, PDF physical page 101; Single-exit evacuation, steps 5–8; repeated on section page 16 / physical 102. Section published May 2018, Version 2.0. Mixed-date technical curriculum, not verified as the current MVD manual or current law. ↗
After a severe crash, the bus must be evacuated and its exit doors are blocked. Which alternative does the curriculum identify for this situation?
Correct answer: Use the bus emergency-window or roof-exit procedures appropriate to its equipment.
The curriculum identifies emergency windows and roof exits for severe accidents when exit doors are blocked or inaccessible, or the bus has overturned. The driver must know the actual equipment; this question does not prescribe a universal handle motion.
Source: New Mexico PED, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual / Pre-Service Training Curriculum; section 1-J, printed section page 16, PDF physical page 102; Evacuating Through Roof Vents and Emergency Windows. Section published May 2018, Version 2.0. Mixed-date technical curriculum, not verified as the current MVD manual or current law. ↗
Passengers can leave a burning bus through an accessible exit. Should the driver delay their evacuation to fight the fire just to protect the bus?
Correct answer: No. The curriculum limits a firefighting attempt to one necessary to facilitate passenger evacuation.
Passenger safety is the first priority. The curriculum says not to attempt extinguishing a bus fire unless doing so is necessary to facilitate evacuation, such as clearing a small fire that blocks an exit.
Source: New Mexico PED, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual / Pre-Service Training Curriculum; section 1-J, printed section page 17, PDF physical page 103; School bus on fire; firefighting only when necessary to facilitate evacuation. Section published May 2018, Version 2.0. Mixed-date technical curriculum, not verified as the current MVD manual or current law. ↗
Before driving a different school bus, you find that you must stretch your leg to press the service brake fully. What should you do?
Correct answer: Adjust the seat before departure so the pedals can be fully operated without overextending.
A comfortable-looking seat position is not enough if it prevents full pedal operation. Set the seat for your own reach before driving, then fasten the seat belt.
Source: New Mexico Public Education Department, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual, mixed-edition curriculum; Section 1-M, Proper Seat Adjustment, section page 3 of 10, physical PDF page 121; revised 2022 technical guidance, not a current MVD licensing or exam specification. ↗
Your replacement school bus has a different front-body shape from your usual bus. What should you verify before relying on your usual viewing habits?
Correct answer: Where that bus's blind spots are and how its mirrors cover them.
Bus body style changes what the driver can see directly. Learn the actual bus's blind areas and properly adjusted mirror views instead of transferring assumptions from another vehicle.
Source: New Mexico Public Education Department, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual, mixed-edition curriculum; Section 1-M, Section Overview, body-style comparison, section page 2 of 10, physical PDF page 120; revised 2022 technical guidance, not a current MVD licensing or exam specification. ↗
From the seat of a stopped school bus, you can see the roadway farther ahead but not the ground immediately in front. What does that mean for a child who bends down near the front bumper?
Correct answer: The child may be hidden from direct view, so the appropriate mirrors must be used to check that area.
An unobstructed distant view does not eliminate the front blind area. The curriculum's exercise shows why a driver must use properly adjusted mirrors rather than depend on the windshield view alone.
Source: New Mexico Public Education Department, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual, mixed-edition curriculum; Section 1-M, Identifying Blind Spots and Danger Zones, section page 4 of 10, physical PDF page 122; revised 2022 technical guidance, not a current MVD licensing or exam specification. ↗
While setting the side convex mirrors, which view described in the curriculum helps monitor clearance beside the school bus?
Correct answer: A small portion of the bus side, the rear tires at the ground, and an adjacent traffic lane.
The convex view should include nearby side areas as well as a reference to the bus itself. Seeing where the rear tires meet the ground helps the driver judge clearance.
Source: New Mexico Public Education Department, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual, mixed-edition curriculum; Section 1-M, Exercise Directions: Proper Mirror Adjustment; flat and convex mirrors, section page 8 of 10, physical PDF page 126; revised 2022 technical guidance, not a current MVD licensing or exam specification. ↗
A driver checks the mirrors from one rigid sitting position while the bus is stopped. What additional action can reveal an area hidden by the viewing angle or mirror assembly?
Correct answer: Move the upper body to check around the obstruction and recheck the danger-zone views.
The curriculum teaches moving in the seat during the mirror check rather than remaining fixed. Mirrors help reveal some blind areas, but mirrors and their supports can also obstruct the view.
Source: New Mexico Public Education Department, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual, mixed-edition curriculum; Section 1-M, Exercise Directions: Proper Mirror Adjustment; rock-and-roll check, section page 8 of 10, physical PDF page 126; revised 2022 technical guidance, not a current MVD licensing or exam specification. ↗
During a parked mirror-adjustment check, improving the right crossover mirror's view beside the service door removes part of the front danger-zone view. What is the appropriate response?
Correct answer: Readjust and verify the needed door-side view while preserving the front-area coverage.
Improving one viewing area must not silently sacrifice another. The curriculum directs checking door-side visibility while maintaining the front view and confirming the danger-zone areas can be seen.
Source: New Mexico Public Education Department, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual, mixed-edition curriculum; Section 1-M, Exercise Directions: Proper Mirror Adjustment; service-door coverage, section page 8 of 10, physical PDF page 126; revised 2022 technical guidance, not a current MVD licensing or exam specification. ↗
During a tight low-speed maneuver, you are no longer sure where the bus is relative to a nearby obstruction. What should you do?
Correct answer: Stop, secure the bus, and get out to inspect its position before continuing.
Uncertainty about the bus's position calls for a direct check, not a guess. The curriculum teaches Get-Out-And-Look; secure the bus before leaving the driving position.
Source: New Mexico Public Education Department, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual, mixed-edition curriculum; Section 1-N, Section Overview; GOAL instruction, section page 2 of 37, physical PDF page 130; securing the bus, section page 6 of 37, physical PDF page 134; revised August 2023 technical guidance, not a current MVD licensing or exam specification. ↗
You have stopped in a safe training area and will leave the seat to inspect clearance. Which sequence matches the curriculum's definition of securing the bus?
Correct answer: Set the parking brake, select neutral, shut off the engine and remove the key.
The parking brake is applied before the other securing steps. Neutral or a stopped engine alone is not the full procedure for preventing unintended movement while the driver is outside.
Source: New Mexico Public Education Department, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual, mixed-edition curriculum; Section 1-N, Maneuvers; instructor note defining securing the bus, section page 6 of 37, physical PDF page 134; revised 2023 technical guidance, not a current MVD licensing or exam specification. ↗
When the front of a school bus begins a turn around a close corner, why must the driver also monitor the rear-wheel path?
Correct answer: The rear wheels do not immediately follow the front wheels' change of direction.
The long vehicle's rear wheels change direction later than its front wheels. Understanding this tracking difference helps keep the rear wheels and bus body clear of the corner.
Source: New Mexico Public Education Department, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual, mixed-edition curriculum; Section 1-N, Finding the Pivot Point, section page 6 of 37, physical PDF page 134; revised 2023 technical guidance, not a current MVD licensing or exam specification. ↗
You practiced a turning reference point on one bus and are assigned another of the same model. How should you treat the old reference point?
Correct answer: Verify it on the assigned bus because handling and pivot characteristics can differ.
The curriculum warns that pivot points and handling can vary even between buses of the same model. Reference points must be learned and verified for the actual vehicle and driver position.
Source: New Mexico Public Education Department, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual, mixed-edition curriculum; Section 1-N, Finding the Pivot Point; handling differences, section page 6 of 37, physical PDF page 134; revised 2023 technical guidance, not a current MVD licensing or exam specification. ↗
A bus is parked close to a pole beside its rear body. Before pulling away into a turn, what must the driver consider in addition to the front-wheel path?
Correct answer: Whether the rear body will swing outward into the pole as the bus turns.
The rear body can sweep sideways during a turn. A clear path for the front wheels does not establish clearance for the bus's tail.
Source: New Mexico Public Education Department, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual, mixed-edition curriculum; Section 1-N, Tail Swing, section page 12 of 37, physical PDF page 140; revised 2023 technical guidance, not a current MVD licensing or exam specification. ↗
What practical judgment is a properly established over-the-hood reference point intended to assist?
Correct answer: Estimating the bus's distance from a fixed object ahead, such as a stopped vehicle.
This reference point links the driver's view over the hood to a measured distance in front of the bus. It is a distance aid, not a substitute for checking blind areas or traffic.
Source: New Mexico Public Education Department, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual, mixed-edition curriculum; Section 1-N, Over-the-Hood Reference Point; explanation of exercise, section page 5 of 37, physical PDF page 133; revised 2023 technical guidance, not a current MVD licensing or exam specification. ↗
A backing maneuver cannot safely be avoided, and an appropriate helper is available. Which plan follows the curriculum's backing guidance?
Correct answer: Use an outside spotter to assist and continue to exercise extreme caution.
The curriculum recommends outside assistance when possible and emphasizes extreme caution. A spotter assists the driver; warning sounds and a helper do not remove the driver's responsibility for safe movement.
Source: New Mexico Public Education Department, School Bus Driver Instructor Manual, mixed-edition curriculum; Section 1-O, Backing Procedures, section page 3 of 13, physical PDF page 168; revised 2022 technical guidance, not a current MVD licensing or exam specification. ↗
