YieldGoCarMotorcycleCDL
  • Bike ahead? Slow down, pass wide
  • Can't see a truck's mirrors? Its driver can't see you
  • Motorcycle? It gets the whole lane
  • Bus with red lights? Stop and wait

Small means exposed, big means slow to react

People on foot or on two wheels have nothing around them, so a small mistake by a driver hurts them most. Big trucks and buses are the opposite: they need far more room to stop and turn, and their drivers cannot see large areas around them. Sharing the road means giving the first group space and the second group time.

Six situations with other road users

You drive the teal car. Cyclists, riders and other vehicles are amber.

  1. You

    1 A cyclist in your lane

    On a two-lane road you come up behind someone on a bike riding near the right edge.

    What to do: Slow down, wait until the other lane is clear, then move over and pass with plenty of room.

    Why: A rider may swerve around a pothole or be pushed by a gust of wind. Many states set a minimum passing distance, and your handbook gives yours.

  2. You

    2 Riding alongside a big truck

    On the highway you have been cruising for a while next to the back half of a tractor-trailer.

    What to do: Pass it steadily or drop back until you can see its mirrors. Don't linger beside it.

    Why: Trucks have large blind areas along both sides, close behind and just in front. When you cannot see the driver in a mirror, the driver cannot see you.

  3. You

    3 A truck turning right

    At a corner, the truck ahead drifts toward the center of the road with its right turn signal blinking.

    What to do: Stay behind it and never drive into the gap it leaves on its right.

    Why: Long vehicles swing wide to make a right turn. A car that slips into that gap can be trapped as the trailer comes around the corner.

  4. You

    4 A motorcycle in the next lane

    You want to move into the lane on your left, where a motorcycle is riding near the lane's left side.

    What to do: Treat it like a full-size vehicle: wait until it has passed and the whole lane is clear.

    Why: A rider has the right to the full lane and moves within it to be seen and to avoid hazards. Motorcycles are easy to miss, so look twice before you change lanes.

  5. You

    5 A school bus with red lights flashing

    The school bus ahead has stopped. Its red lights are flashing and the stop arm is out.

    What to do: Stop well back and stay stopped until the lights go off and the arm folds away.

    Why: Children may cross in front of or behind the bus. Whether traffic going the other way must stop too depends on the road and your state, so check your handbook.

  6. You

    6 A tractor at walking pace

    Over the top of a hill you find a farm tractor ahead, with an orange-and-red triangle on its back.

    What to do: Slow down at once, keep back, and pass only where the line and a long, clear view allow it.

    Why: That triangle marks a vehicle that moves far slower than traffic. The danger is closing on it too fast, so the earlier you slow down, the better.

Answers that trip people up

  • "Bikes belong on the sidewalk."A bicycle on the road is a vehicle. Its rider follows the same traffic laws as you, and drivers share the lane.
  • "I can share a lane with a motorcycle."No car may squeeze in beside it. The rider has the whole lane.
  • "A truck stops as quickly as a car."A loaded truck needs far more distance. Never cut in close in front of one.
  • "A honk will hurry the walker along."A horn can startle someone into a fall. Wait until they have finished crossing.

Check yourself

1. You are about to turn right and a cyclist is riding beside you on your right. What do you do?

2. Where are a tractor-trailer's blind spots?

Practice sharing the road for your state

Each state's sharing-the-road practice is built from that state's handbook and cites the page behind every rule.