Sharing the Road

Study questions with answers

12 sample Sharing the Road questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.

1. 1. How much of a traffic lane is a motorcyclist entitled to use?

   Correct answer: the full width of the lane, the same as any other vehicle

   Motorcyclists have the right to the full lane width; they often shift position within the lane to see, be seen and avoid hazards.

   Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Motorcycles

2. 2. Under Colorado's 2022 'Safety Stop' law, a bicyclist age 15 or older who has the right-of-way may:

   Correct answer: treat a stop sign as a yield and a red light as a stop sign

   The Safety Stop law lets riders 15 and older treat stop signs as yield signs and red lights as stop signs when the intersection is clear and they have the right-of-way.

   Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Bicyclists

3. 3. Opening your car door with the hand farther from the door — the 'Dutch Reach' — helps a driver:

   Correct answer: turn and check for approaching bicyclists before opening it

   Using the hand closest to the center of the car naturally turns your body so you look back for cyclists and traffic before opening the door.

   Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Bicyclists

4. 4. Colorado's lane-filtering rule lets a two-wheeled motorcycle pass in the same lane, when surrounding traffic is stopped, only at a speed no greater than:

   Correct answer: 15 mph

   Lane filtering allows a two-wheeled motorcycle to pass stopped vehicles in the same and adjacent lanes when there is room and its speed does not exceed 15 mph.

   Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Motorcycles (Lane Filtering)

5. 5. After passing a large truck, when is it safe to move back in front of it?

   Correct answer: once you can see both of its headlights in your rearview mirror

   Trucks need much longer to slow down, so wait until both of the truck's headlights show in your mirror before returning to its lane.

   Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Sharing the Road (Passing)

6. 6. Because of their length, large trucks and buses often make right turns by first:

   Correct answer: swinging into the left part of the road

   Trucks and buses often must move left to complete a right turn, so squeezing between the truck and the curb invites a collision.

   Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Sharing the Road (Wide turns)

7. 7. To give a bicyclist the required three feet, a driver may:

   Correct answer: briefly cross a double yellow line when there is no oncoming traffic and a clear view

   It is legal to cross the center line, including a double yellow, when needed to give a cyclist three feet, provided there is no oncoming traffic and your view is clear.

   Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Bicyclists

8. 8. Why must drivers use extra caution around light rail vehicles?

   Correct answer: each car can weigh up to 40 tons and cannot stop quickly

   A light rail car can weigh as much as 40 tons and needs a long distance to stop, so never turn in front of one or cross the tracks without checking.

   Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Light Rail

9. 9. The blind spots around large trucks and buses where a car can disappear from the driver's view are known as:

   Correct answer: No Zones

   Trucks and buses have large blind spots called No Zones; a vehicle sitting in one cannot be seen and greatly raises crash risk.

   Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Sharing the Road (Large Trucks and Buses)

10. 10. If your vehicle stalls on railroad tracks, you should:

    Correct answer: get everyone out and move far away immediately, then call for help

    Leave the vehicle at once, move everyone well away from the tracks even if no train is in sight, and call the number on the blue ENS sign or local law enforcement.

    Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Railroad Crossing

11. 11. It is illegal to pass snowplows in Colorado when they are:

    Correct answer: working in a diagonally staggered formation with their yellow lights flashing

    You may not pass authorized snowplows that are clearing snow in a staggered tandem formation with flashing yellow lights.

    Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Right-of-Way (Snow Plows)

12. 12. When overtaking a bicyclist, a Colorado driver must leave a clearance of at least:

    Correct answer: three feet

    You must allow at least three feet between the widest part of your vehicle and a bicyclist, on every roadway, even where no sign is posted.

    Source: Colorado Driver Handbook — Bicyclists