A distance plaque under a warning sign tells you how far ahead the hazard begins, so slow-moving tractors and other farm machines may be on the road, or entering and leaving it, starting about 200 m ahead. The plaque does not set a following distance to keep behind a farm vehicle.
No combination of mirrors shows every angle, so you must turn your head to check the areas they miss. Large trucks have far bigger blind spots than ordinary passenger vehicles, so avoid lingering beside or close behind them.
Farm machinery, road equipment, and animal-drawn vehicles carry a fluorescent orange triangle with a reflective red border on the back to show that they travel far below normal speeds. Slow down early when you see one and pass only when it is safe.
On a turn, the rear wheels of a long vehicle follow a path inside the one taken by its front wheels, so a truck turning right often has to swing wide to clear the corner. Give it room and never try to squeeze past it on the right.
Because a truck weighs so much, it needs much more road to brake to a stop, so never cut in closely ahead of one. Trucks also gain speed going downhill, which makes them take longer to pass, and they need extra room to turn.
A motorcycle can slow down or stop very quickly, and its rider may swerve suddenly to avoid road hazards, so leave a gap of four seconds or more behind it. Gaps counted in vehicle lengths do not grow with your speed the way a time gap does.
A bicycle ridden at night needs a white light that shines forward and a red light or red reflector on the back, so drivers approaching from either direction can spot it. White fender reflectors would not meet this rule, and bicycles do not need brake lights.
A heavy truck needs far more distance to stop than a car does. If you cut in closely ahead of one, you take away the room its driver needs to brake safely.
That orange emblem marks a slow-moving vehicle, such as a farm tractor or a horse-drawn buggy, built to travel at 25 mph or less, so be ready to slow down when you come up behind one.
Bicyclists have very little protection, and the rush of air from a car passing quickly can push them off balance. Slow down, give them plenty of room, and pass only when it is safe.
Bicyclists generally have the same rights and responsibilities on the road as drivers of motor vehicles, so riding in a traffic lane is lawful. Cyclists must travel in the same direction as other traffic, not against it.
Bicyclists ride in the same direction as other traffic. When there is no bike lane, they keep close to the right-hand curb or road edge, or use a right shoulder that is safe to ride on, so faster vehicles can get by.
Staying farther back lets you see around the truck, gives you more time to react, and keeps you out of the large blind area right behind it. Keep enough distance that you can see the truck's side mirrors; then its driver has a chance to see you too.
Deal with one hazard at a time. Ease off and let the oncoming car clear first, then give the cyclist plenty of room as you pass, rather than squeezing between the two.
A truck turning right often swings left first, which opens a gap on its right side. The driver cannot see a car that slips into that gap, and the car can be trapped against the curb as the truck finishes its turn.
Bicyclists must obey the same rules of the road as drivers and must ride with the flow of traffic. Mandatory insurance, however, applies to motor vehicles, not to bicycles.
Motorcyclists have the right to use an entire lane, and they need that space to steer around hazards. Never share a lane with a motorcycle or squeeze by it within the lane; pass it only the way you would pass a car.
Every question in this set has its own page with the correct answer and an explanation.
