Missouri Motorcycle practice
Missouri Motorcycle: Lane Position & Sharing the Road practice test
Where to position yourself in the lane to be seen, managing blind spots, and sharing the road safely with cars and trucks.
Content reviewed against official driver handbooks · August 12, 2026
20 questions · pass with 16 correct. You get instant feedback and an explanation after every answer.
Study questions with answers
12 sample Lane Position & Sharing the Road questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.
Show all 12 questions with answers
1. Why are head checks needed in addition to checking your mirrors before changing lanes?
Correct answer: Motorcycles have blind spots that mirrors don't show
Motorcycles have blind spots just like cars, so before changing lanes you must turn your head and look to the side, checking both the next lane and the far lane.
Source: Missouri Motorcycle Operator Manual — Increasing Conspicuity: Head Checks
2. How do you check whether you are keeping a two-second following distance?
Correct answer: Count off two seconds as the vehicle ahead passes a fixed marker
Pick a fixed marker ahead; when the vehicle in front passes it, count 'one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two.' If you reach the marker before finishing, you are following too closely.
Source: Missouri Motorcycle Operator Manual — Keeping Your Distance: Following Another Vehicle
3. When passing another vehicle, at what point should you ride through the driver's blind spot?
Correct answer: Get through it as quickly as possible
After signaling and moving into the passing lane, you should ride through the other driver's blind spot as quickly as possible before signaling and returning to your original lane.
Source: Missouri Motorcycle Operator Manual — Keeping Your Distance: Passing and Being Passed
4. When following behind a car, where should you ride so the driver can see you in the rearview mirror?
Correct answer: In the center portion of the lane
Riding in the center portion of the lane places your image in the middle of the driver's rearview mirror, where a driver is most likely to notice you.
Source: Missouri Motorcycle Operator Manual — Keeping Your Distance: Following Another Vehicle
5. Why is riding between rows of stopped or moving cars in the same lane discouraged?
Correct answer: It leaves you exposed to opening doors and sudden car movements
Lane sharing leaves you exposed to sudden events like an opening door, a hand out a window, or a car turning; cars and motorcycles each need a full lane to operate safely.
Source: Missouri Motorcycle Operator Manual — Keeping Your Distance: Lane Sharing
6. Why can the very center strip of a lane sometimes be a poor place to ride?
Correct answer: Oil, debris, and manhole covers tend to collect there
The center third of a lane is where oil drippings and debris collect and where hazards like manhole covers sit; unless the road is wet, the center strip still offers adequate traction.
Source: Missouri Motorcycle Operator Manual — Keeping Your Distance: Lane Positions
7. What is generally the best way to handle a tailgater following too closely?
Correct answer: Change lanes and let them pass
Speeding up only creates a faster tailgater; instead, change lanes and let the tailgater pass, or slow down to open space ahead and encourage them to go by.
Source: Missouri Motorcycle Operator Manual — Keeping Your Distance: Being Followed
8. What is the minimum following distance a motorcyclist should normally keep behind the vehicle ahead?
Correct answer: A minimum of two seconds
In normal conditions you should keep a minimum of a two-second following distance behind the vehicle ahead, since a motorcycle needs as much room to stop as a car.
Source: Missouri Motorcycle Operator Manual — Keeping Your Distance: Following Another Vehicle
9. How should you handle a car merging onto the highway from an entrance ramp?
Correct answer: Give room by changing lanes or adjusting speed to open a gap
A merging driver may not see you, so give plenty of room by changing lanes if one is open, or adjust your speed to open a gap for the driver.
Source: Missouri Motorcycle Operator Manual — Keeping Your Distance: Merging Cars
10. If vehicles are operating on both sides of you, which lane position is usually best?
Correct answer: The center of the lane
When traffic is on both sides of you, the center of the lane (path 2) is usually your best choice for maintaining a space cushion.
Source: Missouri Motorcycle Operator Manual — Keeping Your Distance: Lane Positions
11. If you cannot change lanes to get away from a tailgater, what else can you do?
Correct answer: Slow down and open extra space ahead of you
When you can't change lanes, slow down and open up extra space ahead of you, which leaves room for both you and the tailgater to stop and encourages them to pass.
Source: Missouri Motorcycle Operator Manual — Keeping Your Distance: Being Followed
12. When should you open up your following distance to three seconds or more?
Correct answer: When the pavement is slippery or you can't see past the vehicle ahead
Open a three-second or larger cushion when the pavement is slippery, when you cannot see through the vehicle ahead, or when heavy traffic may let someone squeeze in front of you.
Source: Missouri Motorcycle Operator Manual — Keeping Your Distance: Following Another Vehicle
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