California Driver Handbook

Sharing the Road with Other Vehicles -

SLOW MOVING VEHICLES

A Slow Moving Vehicle

Some vehicles are not designed to keep up with the speed of traffic. Look for these vehicles and adjust your speed before you reach them.

Farm tractors, animal-drawn carts, and road maintenance vehicles usually travel 25 mph or less. Slow-moving vehicles have an orange/red triangle on the back. It looks like the sign in the picture.

Also, be aware that large trucks and small, underpowered cars lose speed on long or steep hills and they take longer to get up to speed when entering traffic.

Certain other types of slow-moving motorized vehicles (such as wheelchairs, scooters and golf carts) may legally operate on public roads. Adjust your speed accordingly.

ANIMAL DRAWN VEHICLES

Horse-drawn vehicles and riders of horses or other animals are entitled to share the road with you. It is a traffic offense to scare horses or stampede livestock. Slow down or stop, if necessary, or when requested to do so by the riders or herders.

MOTORCYCLES

Motorcyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as automobile drivers. While everyone must follow the same traffic laws, motorcyclists face unusual dangers because motorcycles are hard to see (many motorcycles keep their headlight(s) on, even during daylight hours) and they require exceptional handling ability.

Follow these rules to respect the right-of-way and safely share the road with motorcyclists:

• When you change lanes or enter a major thoroughfare, make a visual check for motorcycles. Also use your mirrors. Motorcycles are small and they can easily disappear into a vehicle’s blind spots.
• Allow a four-second following distance. You will need this space to avoid hitting the motorcyclist if he or she falls.
• Allow the motorcycle a full lane width. Although it is not illegal to share lanes with motorcycles, it is unsafe.
• Never try to pass a motorcycle in the same lane you are sharing with the motorcycle.
• When you make a turn, check for motorcyclists and know their speed before turning.
• Motorcycles may travel faster than traffic during congested road conditions and can travel in the unused space between two lines of moving or stationary vehicles, which is commonly called “lane splitting.”
• Remember that road conditions which are minor annoyances to you pose major hazards to motorcyclists. Potholes, gravel, wet or slippery surfaces, pavement seams, railroad crossings, and grooved pavement can cause motorcyclists to change speed or direction suddenly. If you are aware of the effect of these conditions and drive with care and attention, you can help reduce motorcyclist injuries and fatalities.

BICYCLES

Bicyclists on public streets have the same rights and responsibilities as automobile drivers. Respect the right-of-way of bicyclists because they are entitled to share the road with other drivers. Here are some critical points for drivers and cyclists to remember:

• Drivers must:
  • look carefully for bicyclists before opening doors next to moving traffic or before turning right.
  • safely merge toward the curb or into the bike lane.
  • not overtake a bicyclist just before making a right turn. Merge first, then turn.
• Bicyclists:
  • are lawfully permitted to ride on certain sections of freeways. Be careful when approaching or passing a bicyclist on a freeway.
  • must ride in the same direction as other traffic, not against it.
  • must ride in a straight line as near to the right curb or edge of the roadway as practical—not on the sidewalk.
  • must ride single file on a busy or narrow street.
  • must make left and right turns in the same way that drivers do, using the same turn lanes.
  • must signal all their intentions to motorists and cyclists near them.
  • may legally move left to turn left, to pass a parked or moving vehicle, another bicycle, an animal, or to make a turn, avoid debris, or other hazards.
  • may choose to ride near the left curb or edge of a one-way street.
  • may use a left turn lane. If the bicyclist is traveling straight ahead, he or she should use a through traffic lane rather than ride next to the curb and block traffic making right turns.
  • are lawfully permitted to ride on certain sections of freeways, in some rural areas where there is no alternate route. Be careful when approaching or passing a bicyclist on a freeway.

Turns for bicyclists

Intersections with special lanes

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