IMPROV Online Traffic School
Chapter 5: Sharing the Road

Grid Lock

Even if you have the green light, don't start across the intersection if there are cars blocking your way. It is against the law to enter an intersection unless there is space to get completely across it. You can receive a citation for a violation of this law.

You cannot sit in an intersection or block the crosswalk with your vehicle. As you can see in the picture, there is traffic trying to get across the intersection (we'll assume they have a green light) but they are being blocked by other vehicles who did not make it across to the other side before the light changed. There are also pedestrians trying to cross but their crosswalk is blocked.

The same law/concept applies when crossing railroad tracks. Before you begin crossing the tracks, you must be certain there is enough room for your vehicle to completely clear the railroad crossing.

Freeways

Before traveling on the freeway, always plan ahead. Planning can help avoid unfamiliar or congested traffic situations…Like the one in the photo above. And let's face it there is always at least one of those certain types of people on the road who are going to screw things up for everyone else.

Signs at the on ramp or along the freeway will tell you the number of passengers needed to use that lane and the days and hours that the requirements apply. The pavement of these lanes is marked with a diamond symbol.

Turnout Areas

Special "turnout" areas are sometimes marked on two-lane roads. You should pull to the side in these areas and allow cars behind you to pass. If you are driving on a two-lane highway and five or more vehicles are following you, pull to the side of the road at a turnout or other safe place, and let the vehicles pass.

Carpool Lanes

Some freeways have special driving lanes for carpools called "High Occupancy Vehicle" lanes (HOV), sometimes marked by a diamond symbol. Most freeways have special on-ramps for carpools. Using high occupancy lanes or carpool lanes require a minimum of two or sometimes three occupants per vehicle, as indicated by freeway signage, including the driver.

Driving with Fido doesn't count as an extra person, nor does being pregnant or talking with an imaginary friend (although we're sure they keep you from being totally bored).

Some freeways may have a special lane for buses only, or buses and carpools.

 

If everybody would have a second person in the car on the commute to and from work, all of a sudden you'll have 1/2 the traffic…but twice as many back seat drivers.

Merging, Passing, and Entering Traffic

Whenever you enter traffic, signal and be sure you have enough room to enter safely. You have to share space with traffic already on the road and must know how much space you need to:

• Merge with traffic
• Cross or enter traffic
• Pass other cars

Commons mistakes entering/exiting the freeway are:

• Sudden slowing or stopping
• Merging at too slow a speed
• Backing up when you missed your exit (not cool)

In a merge situation, you must yield the right of way to the car occupying the lane into which other cars are merging.

Space To Merge

Enter the freeway at or near the speed of traffic. (Remember that the maximum speed allowed is 65 mph on most freeways.) Do not stop before merging with freeway traffic unless absolutely necessary. Freeway traffic has the right of way.

Any time you merge with other traffic, you need a gap of at least four seconds. That will give both you and the car you merge in front of a two-second following distance.

Acceleration Lanes

Limited access freeways are entered by way of an on-ramp, which sometimes includes an acceleration lane, allowing you to accelerate to the same speed as the traffic so you can merge smoothly.

Special Situations

Timed entrance lights are used to avoid having too many vehicles trying to get on the freeway at the same time. These ramp meter lights have a sign indicating the number of vehicles allowed per green—which is usually two.

Double merge lanes are provided to give slower moving vehicles more time to get up to freeway traffic speed, and more space to do it in.

Diamond lanes are for vehicles carrying 2 or more people. Some entrance ramps provide a separate through lane with no signal light for carpool vehicles. In those cases, you don't have to stop and wait. But remember, if there is not a separate lane then you must obey the signal light.

Choosing a Lane of Travel

Two-Lane Freeways

California does not have a "passing lane" on a freeway per se. But in the interest of safety, the right hand lane should be used for slower moving vehicles, or vehicles which are exiting.

The left hand lane should be used for driving faster or passing.

Driving too Slowly on the Freeway

If you are driving too slowly, you can impede the normal flow of traffic. This can cause other drivers behind you to either make an irrational decision to pass you unsafely, or someone who's not paying attention could rear-end your vehicle. You can actually get a ticket for that, and if driving in L.A., you can even get shot at… or worse, insulted for the kind of car you drive.

If you ever miss your exit, do not attempt to exit suddenly. Instead of putting yourself and other people on the road in danger, go to the next exit, turn around, and then exit at your proper exit.

Before Changing Lanes

• Signal for 5 seconds
• Look over your shoulder
• Look in your rearview mirror

Helping Others, Emergencies and Breakdowns on the Freeway

Emergencies

Breakdown

• Signal your intention that you are going to be pulling over on to the shoulder. Turn on your 4-way flashers to warn drivers that you are driving slowly or about to stop.
• Pull off the shoulder as fast as possible. Your vehicle should be completely off the road.
• Warn approaching traffic by leaving your 4-way flashers on.
• If you have time, place emergency flares or triangles 200 to 300 feet to the rear of the vehicle.

Road Blocks

Watch for detour signs indicating another path you could take, or if the situation is temporary (as when there is a collision), you might just have to stop and wait it out.

 

Clogged Lanes

• If you notice a problem ahead, warn drivers behind you to slow down by lightly tapping your brakes. This will help drivers to be ready to stop or slow down.
• Brake lights in the distance could mean traffic is very heavy or a crash has occurred. Slow down gradually and be prepared to stop.
• Hazard lights in the distance could mean there is a crash, or a slow-moving or stalled vehicle.

City Streets

Route Planning

Plan your route ahead of time
(… there is a reason we keep saying this).

Choose a Lane

Choose the appropriate lane to drive in.

• The center lane for smoother travel
• The right lane to drive slowly, to enter or turn off the street
• The left lane to go faster, or turn left.

Blind Spots

Many drivers don't realize that all vehicles have blind spots. A blind spot is when you look in your mirror or over your shoulder and for a brief second, no one is there. All of a sudden, a car or truck appears alongside you…momentarily freaking you out.

• Avoid another driver's blind spot by driving ahead or directly behind the other driver.
• Avoid letting another driver into your blind spot. You can speed up, slow down, or change lanes. Give yourself a space cushion.
• Avoid side-by-side driving. Give yourself and the driver in the lane next to you plenty of space in case they have to swerve or change lanes quickly.
• Avoid driving in bunches. Drive in the least congested lane. This will give you time to react and act to avoid crashes, closed lanes, pedestrians, or bicycle riders.

Trucks have larger blind spots than cars because they're four times longer. Try to avoid driving alongside a truck if you can help it.

Special Lanes

In high traffic density areas, you may sometimes see an entire street or a few lanes on a street marked with cones. The cones may indicate that a lane or street is being used "out of the normal." For instance, to help relieve congestion at a sports or cultural event, entire streets or a few lanes will be used for traffic going in the opposite direction from what is "normal" until the traffic congestion is cleared.

Special Circumstances Associated with City Driving

Parked Cars Hiding Cross Traffic

When this situation arises slow down to a crawl. Assume that another vehicle is going to be coming through the intersection.

Detour in Lane of Travel

Scan ahead at least 10 to 12 seconds to spot hazards or detours. Give yourself plenty of time to slow down, signal, look over your shoulder, and if the lane is clear, move over.

Two-way Left Turn Center Lane Use

If a street has a left turn center lane, you must use it when you turn left.

• The two-way left-turn lane may not be used to pass another vehicle.
• Driving in the two-way left-turn lane for more than 200 feet is prohibited.
• You may use the two-way left-turn lane to make a u-turn if permitted and safe.

To turn left from the street, drive completely inside the center left turn lane. Don't stop part way into the lane with the rear of your vehicle blocking traffic. Turn only when it is safe. Look for vehicles coming head on towards you in the same lane as they start to make their left turns.

When turning left from a side street or driveway, wait until it is safe, and then drive into the center left turn lane. Signal before moving into regular traffic. Enter traffic only when it is safe. You may drive across a center left turn lane.

Turning Right at Corners

You'll find a lot more activity at any given intersection in almost any big city. Before making a right hand turn, remember to signal your intent.

One-Way Streets

If the direction is right, enter in the right hand lane. If the direction is left, enter in the left hand lane.

Looking ahead of Traffic

When driving should always keep your eyes moving searching for potential dangers.

• Look ahead for traffic hazards scan at least 12 seconds ahead. This will allow you to spot potential hazards, crashes, stalled vehicles, or lanes closed for repair.
• Leave enough distance to maneuver. A space cushion around your vehicle will give you enough time to stop, or change lanes.

Following Distance

In all cases, the following distance between you and another vehicle should be a minimum of 3-4 seconds.

How to measure distance in seconds: You're in Car "A" following behind Car "B." In the old days, you had to have a degree in mathematics to figure out how far behind you should be from the car in front of you. We will simplify it for you, and it works, at any speed.

Pick a stationary object on the side of the road in front of both cars: a tree, a sign or a telephone pole. When Car "B" passes that stationary object, begin counting one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three. If you only get to one thousand one, adjust your speed—you're too close. Try it again until you can count to one thousand three, 3 seconds, before reaching that stationary object. That's a safe distance away from Car "B".

Don't cut in front of trucks.

Trucks will leave a larger gap between themselves and the vehicle in front of them because they require about 4 times the stopping distance than that of a car.

Signal Lights

Look ahead for signal changes scanning 10 -12 seconds ahead of your vehicle.

Country Roads

Country roads have different obstacles that we don't see in every day driving: livestock crossing the road, farm equipment crossing the road, tractors driving slowly, and of course deer jumping out in front of your car. There are stands on the side of the road, selling peaches and apples, country stores and little mom/pop gas stations. People are constantly pulling in and out of these places (beware: some of the local folk may also look a little, uh, different).

It is harder to have an escape route on a country road, since most country roads are narrow two-lane roads without a shoulder.

You really need to pay close attention. If it's dark, use your high beams when there is no oncoming traffic within 500 feet, and you're not following another car within 300 feet.

Country roads are not maintained as well as city streets and freeways. More potholes, dirt, oil and fuel accumulate, increasing your chances of skidding or hydroplaning, especially during the first half hour of a rainfall.

Hills

If you're driving on a two-lane road in the country going uphill and a car is coming at you going downhill, who has the right of way?

Answer:  The car going uphill has the right of way

Backing Up The Car

Backing up your car can be a hazardous maneuver (especially if you do it with your eyes closed). Whenever possible, drivers should avoid backing up (try to find parking spaces that do not require you to back up).

Here are few tips:

• Check behind the car BEFORE you get in. Little ones, such as children and pets, are hard to see from the driver's seat…duh!
• Once you are in your car and ready to back up, physically turn around and look over your right shoulder when backing up the vehicle. Use your mirrors to assist you, but never rely solely on them. (This is not the time for fixing your hair or checking your make-up.)
• Move slowly, and avoid sharp turns or sudden movements of the steering wheel (unless you are trying to avoid hitting kids or pets if you forgot to follow step number one).
• Use special care if you must back around a visually blind corner.
• Continue to look back until the vehicle has stopped completely and you have re-shifted and reset your brake (now you can check your hair…and your teeth).

When backing up, steer for a target (not a moving target) at the end of your path and proceed slowly toward its imaginary center. Turn the wheel toward the right if you wish the car to go to the right and remember that this will cause the front of the car to move to the left.

Parking on Hills

When parking on a hill:

• If there is a curb and your vehicle is facing down the hill, turn the front wheels towards the curb.
• If there is a curb and your vehicle is facing up the hill, turn your front wheels towards the roadway.
• If there is no curb turn your wheels so the vehicle will roll away from the traffic.
• Always set your parking brake and leave the vehicle in gear if it's a manual shift transmission. If you are driving an automatic, put the gear shifter in the park position.

Other Users on Our Roads

Let's review other important users of our roads and how we should share the road with them:

School Buses

All drivers (moving in either direction) must stop for a stopped school bus which is picking up or dropping off children.

The bus will have flashing red lights. Some buses are also equipped with a stop signal arm. The flashing red lights are located at the top front and top back of the bus. You must remain stopped until all children are clear of the roadway and the bus signal has stopped flashing. The bus will flash a yellow light when it is preparing to load/unload children as a warning to other drivers that they should prepare to stop.

The only time you do not have to stop is if:

• The bus is on the other side of a divided highway. The street must be divided by intermittent barriers or by an area at least two feet wide that is marked by curbs or markings on the roadway, or an unpaved area.
• The bus is on the other side of a multiple-lane highway (the street has two or more lanes of travel in each direction).

If you are moving in the same direction as the bus, you must always stop. You must wait to go forward until the red lights have stopped flashing and, if the bus has a stop signal arm, the stop signal arm has been withdrawn.

Not stopping for a school bus is a serious violation.

You may be fined between $150-$250 for a first offense. A second offense carries a fine between $500-$1,000; and a suspension of your driver's license for one year if a third offense occurs within three years of two prior offenses.

Emergency Vehicles

You must yield the right-of-way to a police car, fire engine, ambulance, or any other emergency vehicle using a siren or red light. Pull towards the right ASAP… DO NOT stop in the middle of the intersection. You must also take precautionary actions on a highway when passing a stopped emergency vehicle or tow truck when the emergency lights are activated. Drivers are directed to proceed with caution and to make a lane change into an available lane not immediately adjacent to the emergency vehicle or tow truck if practicable and not prohibited by law. If the driver cannot make a safe lane change, they are to slow to a reasonable and prudent speed that is safe for existing conditions… In other words just use common sense; these guys may be saving someone's life.

It is against the law to follow within 300 feet of any emergency vehicle which is answering an emergency call. (That goes for ambulance-chasing attorneys too)

Pedestrians

Motorists must always yield to pedestrians… pedestrians can be unpredictable… just look at the photo.

Remember, if you are the pedestrian, you still have to take responsibility for your own safety. Don't jump out in front of traffic just because you have the right of way. (Especially if your Ex is mad and out looking for you.)

Motorcycles

It's more dangerous driving a motorcycle than driving a car. (However the cyclist pictured might be just as hazardous to others.) NHTSA's most recent statistics show motorcyclists were 26 times as likely as passenger car occupants to die in a motor vehicle crash and 6 times as likely to be injured. There are about 4,810 motorcycle fatalities annually. An additional 88,000 motorcycle occupants were injured.

(Motorcycles Traffic Safety Facts)

In California, all riders must wear a helmet. That includes riders of motor-driven cycles, or motorized bicycles as well as motorcycles. By law, the helmet must be fastened with the helmet straps and of a size that fits the person's head securely without excessive lateral or vertical movement. Of course, not everyone wears a helmet — but the consequences are severe, if not deadly.

NHTSA data shows that 45% of fatally injured motorcycle operators and 50% of fatally injured passengers were NOT wearing helmets at the time of the crash.

It is estimated that helmets saved the lives of 1,658 motorcyclists. If all motorcyclists had worn helmets, an additional 752 lives could have been saved every year.

One final note, when following a motorcycle remember that motorcycles have the ability to stop quicker than other vehicles in an emergency. That means that following them too closely endangers both your life and that of the motorcyclist.

People driving mopeds or bicycles on the roadway have the same rights and duties as motor vehicle drivers.

Let's Review

• Pedestrians, motorcycles, trucks are all part of the transportation system.
• Always yield to pedestrians.
• You must have at least two people in your vehicle to use a High Occupancy Vehicle lane (HOV).
• Before changing lanes, you must signal at least 5 seconds ahead of time, or during the last 100 feet before the lane change.
• When turning left, always yield to the oncoming traffic.
• Don't cut across lanes if you are about to miss your exit on the highway.
• Trucks require a larger gap between them and the vehicle in front. They require four times the stopping of a car.
• When driving next to the truck, remember that they have a larger "Blind Spot" and may have a harder time seeing you.
• You must STOP for a stopped school bus with flashing red lights. You must remain stopped until all children are clear of the roadway and the bus signal has been turned off.
• While pedestrians and bicyclists are responsible for obeying the rules of the road, they are also hard to see and special attention should be given when driving. They also have less protection in case of a collision.
• Learn how to and always measure the following distance in seconds.
• Maintain 2-3 seconds following distance

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