Arkansas · Handbook chapter 8 · 4 min read

Chapter 8: Sharing the road with trucks, bicycles and motorcycles

Tractor-trailer stopping distances, wide right turns and No-Zones, how to pass a truck, bicycle rights and lane positions, passing cyclists, and why drivers miss motorcycles.

Why this chapter matters

The study guide marks its tractor-trailer section as required, and it notes that in most fatal crashes between a car and a tractor-trailer, the car is to blame. Cyclists and motorcyclists are just as vulnerable for the opposite reason: they are small, hard to see and unprotected.

Tractor-trailers

• Braking: a car at 55 mph stops in about 225 feet; a fully loaded tractor-trailer may need more than 335 feet, about the length of a football field.
• Turning: when a vehicle turns, its back wheels cut a tighter path than its front wheels, so truck drivers often swing left first to make a right turn. Watch the truck's signals, and do not try to squeeze past on the right.
• No-Zones: a truck driver sits high and has big mirrors, but still cannot see a car up to 20 feet in front of the cab, along either side (especially beside the cab) or up to 200 feet behind.
• If you cannot see the driver in the truck's side mirror, the driver cannot see you.

Common mistakes around trucks

• Cutting in front of a truck to reach an exit or a single-lane work zone. Slow down and go in behind it instead.
• Lingering beside a truck. Pass it completely, on the left.
• Tailgating a truck: you cannot see the road ahead, and the driver cannot see you.
• Misjudging an oncoming truck: its size makes it seem slower than it is, which leads to crashes at intersections.

Bicycles

• Cyclists have the same rights and duties as drivers. They must ride on the right, with traffic, never facing it.
• Expect sudden moves: potholes, trash, dogs or an opening car door can make a rider swerve.
• A cyclist may move toward the center of the lane to avoid parked car doors or to prepare for a left turn. That is proper riding, not carelessness.
• A cyclist may take the full lane when passing another vehicle, getting ready to turn left, avoiding hazards, or when the lane is too narrow to share. Never use a marked bike lane to turn, pass or park.

Passing and turning near cyclists

• The most common car-bicycle crash is a driver turning left in front of an oncoming cyclist, or turning right across one.
• Do not pass a cyclist and then turn right in front of them. Merge behind the rider before a right turn.
• Give plenty of room when passing. If a car is coming the other way on a two-lane road, slow down and let it pass first; never squeeze between a cyclist and oncoming traffic.
• On a narrow road, a light tap of the horn can warn a rider you are coming. Never blast it.
• A red or orange pennant flag on a bike means the rider has impaired hearing: slow down.
• At night, cyclists need a front light and rear reflector, but they are still hard to see. In neighborhoods, watch for children who may not look or signal.

Motorcycles

• More than two-thirds of car-motorcycle crashes happen when a car driver turns in front of the motorcycle. The most common crash is a car turning left at an intersection.
• Drivers miss motorcycles because they look for cars, the motorcycle's profile is small, and its speed and distance are harder to judge.
• Riders change speed or lane position for potholes, gravel, railroad tracks, wet surfaces and strong wind, including gusts from large trucks. Give them room.
• Look twice before turning, especially left. Motorcycle turn signals do not cancel automatically, so wait to see whether the rider really turns.
• A motorcycle is entitled to a full lane. Never share a lane with one.
• Follow a motorcycle by at least four to six seconds. On dry roads a motorcycle can stop faster than a car.