New Mexico Car / Permit practice
New Mexico Car / Permit: Sharing the Road practice test
Driving safely around motorcycles, bicycles, large trucks, pedestrians, and school buses — and knowing who has the right of way.
Content reviewed against official driver handbooks · August 12, 2026
14 questions · pass with 11 correct. You get instant feedback and an explanation after every answer.
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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.
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1. What are "sharrows" painted on a roadway?
Correct answer: Shared-lane markings showing riders may take the full lane
Sharrows are shared-lane pavement markings, used where the road is too narrow for a car and a slower vehicle to sit side by side. They show that riders may take the full lane and that drivers must yield to them as needed.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Bicycles
2. As a driver approaching sharrow markings, what should you do?
Correct answer: Slow down, yield to riders, and pass only where width allows
Ease off and give way to any rider in the roadway, pass only where the width lets the rider move right, and try to leave five feet of clearance as you go by.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Bicycles
3. On which side should you pass a large truck or RV?
Correct answer: On the left
Always go by on the left, then keep moving until you are well ahead so you do not linger where the driver cannot see you.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Trucker's Blind Spots
4. How much room should a driver try to leave when passing a bicyclist?
Correct answer: Five feet or more
Aim for a gap of at least five feet, and only pass where doing so is safe and legal.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Bicycles
5. What is the simplest way to tell whether you are sitting in a truck driver's blind spot?
Correct answer: If you cannot see the driver in the truck's side mirror
If the driver is not visible to you in the truck's side mirror, then you are not visible to the driver either. Those blind areas are known as the No Zone.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Trucker's Blind Spots
6. What are bicyclists required to do at night, according to the manual?
Correct answer: Use a bright headlight and a good rear reflector
Riders must obey every signal, sign, and traffic law just as a driver would, and that includes running a bright headlight and a good rear reflector after dark.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Bicycles
7. You have just passed a bicyclist and your turn is coming up on the right. What should you do?
Correct answer: Slow down and fall in behind the rider before turning
Do not cut across in front of the rider. Ease off, drop in behind the bicyclist, and then make the turn.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Bicycles
8. What does the manual say about helmets for people riding bicycles?
Correct answer: Minors must wear one and adults should
A well-fitting helmet is required for minors and strongly encouraged for adults.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Bicycles
9. An average car traveling 55 mph needs roughly 400 feet to stop. About how far does a large truck need?
Correct answer: Nearly 800 feet
A big rig can use nearly 800 feet from the same speed, so never pull in front of one and then slow abruptly — the driver may not be able to shed speed fast enough.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Large Trucks and RVs
10. Why is tailgating a large truck especially risky?
Correct answer: The trucker may not know your vehicle is there
Follow a truck too closely and the driver may have no idea you are back there. Remember too that a big rig can look like it is moving more slowly than it really is.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Trucker's Blind Spots
11. Why may a bicyclist legally ride in the middle of a traffic lane?
Correct answer: To set up a left turn, avoid being squeezed, or dodge hazards
Riders are allowed to claim the whole lane when they need it — setting up a left turn, keeping from being squeezed on a narrow street, or steering clear of debris, grates, and other hazards.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Bicycles
12. How does New Mexico law treat people riding bicycles on the road?
Correct answer: They have the same rights and responsibilities as drivers of cars
Bicycles count as vehicles, so riders carry the same rights and duties that drivers of cars do.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Bicycles
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Every New Mexico question is written from the official New Mexico driver handbook and checked against its current edition. DMV Test Free is a free, independent study resource — not affiliated with any DMV or government agency. About DMV Test Free