What should you do if you encounter a school bus with its lights flashing?

When you encounter a school bus with its lights flashing, stopping regardless of your direction is the appropriate response. This action is crucial for the safety of children entering or exiting the bus. The flashing lights serve as a warning that children may be crossing the road or are in the vicinity of the bus, and it is imperative to give them a safe environment.

Stopping not only helps protect children but also adheres to traffic laws designed to safeguard young pedestrians. In many jurisdictions, including Nova Scotia, it's mandated that all vehicles, regardless of the direction they are traveling in, must stop when a school bus activates its flashing lights. This rule is put in place to prevent accidents and ensure that children can safely cross roads without the risk of oncoming traffic.

While other options suggested a quick pass or ignoring the stop based on one's position or road direction, those choices do not account for the potential danger to children and the legal requirements for motorists in these situations.