Car Driving Rules
Driving Rules
- Lights - parking lights, high beam, low beam, emergency lights
Gears
- SMOG = Signal Mirrors Over-The-Shoulder Go
- Signal at least 100 feet before a turn, unless the turn is right after intersection, in which case you signal after you cross the intersection
- Mirrors look left, top and right one
- Tires 1/32-inch uniformed threading
- 1 inch clearance between brake pedal and floor
- You can horn to oncoming traffic on narrow mountain roads if you can’t see ahead
- When school bus has lights on for kids, stop on both sides unless divider in the way
- Illegal to follow within 300 feet of vehicle with siren on
- To pass someone like a bicyclist, you change lanes and change back
- Illegal to follow within 300 feet of vehicle with siren on
To pass someone like a bicyclist, you change lanes and change back
Lane colors
Yellow line, never cross unless broken
Soild White line avoid crossing
Broken white line you can lane change
Large broken lines - lane ending
General Speed Limits
- 15 mph alleys
- 25 mph residential, business
- School zone speed limit 25
- 35 on major streets
Stop Sign -
- Slow down and stop behind line
- Look in all four directions
- Go when safe
If you are at an intersection, look for stop lines in all directions.
If it’s a four-way stop sign, you leave the junction in the order in which cars arrived. If you and another car arrived at the same time, the car to the right goes first. There are rare cases when it’s not clear who should go first, in which case you can use your hands to signal the other car go first.
Yield Sign -
- Slow down
- Be ready to stop if there are crossing pedestrians or oncoming cars
- Do not stop if there are no pedestrians or cross traffic
Driving Straight
- Put foot on accelerator
- Keep eyes pointing forward (not at the back of the car in front) to look 2-3 cars ahead
- Stay in the middle of the lane
- Drive at or 5-10 below speed limit
- Maintain safe following distance of 2-3 seconds
- Keep an eye out for road signs and obstructions
- Keep scanning mirrors every 7-10 seconds for other cars
Changing Lanes (SMOG)
- Signal in the direction you want to go
- Check mirrors
- Look over the shoulder for your blind spot
- Slow down if necessary
- Make sure you leave enough space between you and the car that will be in front of you after the change
- Change lanes
Right Turn
- SMOG and move to the right-most lane. If it’s a bike lane, move into it after SMOG so bicyclists don’t get hit when you take a right turn
- Slow down before limit line, cross walk or before the intersection.
- Look left-right-left-right. Look for oncoming traffic, pedestrians. Look to your right for pedestrians. Look for start of rightmost lane you’ll need to turn to.
- Start turning while still looking over shoulders in both directions to make sure you don’t collide in either direction.
- Right turn has right of way vs traffic turning to the left. If however, the light is yellow or turns red, the car in the intersection taking a left turn has right of way. Stop and allow them to leave the intersection.
- When turning right on a red light, all oncoming traffic and pedestrians have right of way.
You may cross a bus-lane for a right turn.
Dedicated right turn lane, you can go without stopping even if red, as long as not prohibited by traffic sign or there are pedestrians you need to yield for.
Left Turn
- Enter left turn lane. Keep wheels straight.
- Figure out where exactly the left-most lane will be after the turn by looking at lane markings. Aim for that lane.
- If the turn is unprotected, yield to all oncoming traffic going straight or taking a right. They have right of way.
- If the light turns red however AND you’re in the intersection, you have right of way (because oncoming traffic for opposite side and right turn have a red now). Turn.
- Turn left on red only from one-way street to another one-way street.
Emergency situations
- Accelerator stuck: put on neutral, use hand brake