California · Handbook chapter 3 · 9 min read

Chapter 3: Navigating the roads

Lane markings, choosing and changing lanes, HOV, center left turn and bike lanes, right turns, left turns and U-turns, merging, passing, parking on hills and colored curbs, and law enforcement stops in California.

Why this chapter matters

This is one of the longest sections of the handbook and it is full of testable detail: what each line color means, how far you may travel in a turn lane, where U-turns are banned and how close to a hydrant you may park.

Lane markings

Choosing and changing lanes

• Lanes are numbered from the left: the far-left (fast) lane is the Number 1 Lane, then the Number 2 Lane, and so on.
• Use the left lane to pass or turn left; the right lane to enter, exit or pull out from the curb.
• To change lanes: signal, check mirrors, check traffic beside and behind, look over your shoulder and check blind spots, then move when there is room. You do not need to slow down first.
• Avoid weaving. If you miss a turn, keep going until you can turn around safely and legally.

Special lanes

• HOV (carpool) lanes are for vehicles with the posted minimum number of people, low- or zero-emission vehicles with a DMV decal, and motorcycles (unless posted otherwise). They are marked with a diamond and the words Carpool Lane. Enter and leave only at marked openings, never across double solid lines.
• Center left turn lanes sit in the middle of a two-way street, with a broken inner line and a solid outer line. Use them only to start a left turn or U-turn, and drive in them for no more than 200 feet.
• Turnouts: on a two-lane road where passing is unsafe, if you are driving slowly and five or more vehicles are behind you, you must pull into a turnout to let them pass.
• Bike lanes: you may drive in one only to park (where allowed), to enter or leave the road, or to turn within 200 feet of an intersection. When sharing a lane, keep at least three feet from a bicyclist.

Turns

Right turns

Keep close to the right edge, start signaling about 100 feet before the turn, look over your right shoulder, slow down and stop behind the limit line (or before the crosswalk, or before the intersection if neither is marked). Look left, right, left, then turn and finish in the right lane without swinging wide.

• On a red light: allowed after a full stop unless a NO TURN ON RED sign is posted.
• On a red arrow: not allowed. Wait for green.
• Bus lanes: you may not drive, stop or park in one, but you may cross it to turn right.
• Dedicated right turn lane that does not merge: you may turn without stopping even if traffic going straight has a red, unless a light or sign at that lane says otherwise. Always yield to pedestrians.

Left turns

Move close to the center divider or into the left turn lane (a two-way center turn lane within 200 feet of the turn), signal 100 feet ahead, check over your left shoulder and stop at the limit line. Keep your wheels straight until you can turn: if you are hit from behind with your wheels turned left, you could be pushed into oncoming traffic. Finish in the left lane of the new road.

You may turn left on a red light only from a one-way street onto another one-way street, if no sign forbids it.

Which lane to start and end in

• Two-way onto two-way (left): start in the left lane nearest the middle and end in the matching lane on the new road.
• Onto a one-way street (left): start in the far-left lane. If the new street has three or more lanes in your direction, you may finish in any open lane.
• One-way onto one-way (right): start in the far-right lane and, if safe, finish in any lane.
• One-way street ending at a T with a two-way road: you may turn left or right from the center lane, and traffic going straight on the through road has the right-of-way.

U-turns

Allowed: across a double yellow line; in a residential district when no vehicle is approaching within 200 feet; at an intersection on a green light or arrow unless signs forbid it; on a divided highway at an opening.

Never: where NO U-TURN is posted; on a railroad crossing; across a divider, curb or two sets of double yellow lines; when you cannot see 200 feet each way; on a one-way street; in front of a fire station; or in a business district except at an intersection or a divided-highway opening.

Braking, merging and exiting

• When you stop behind another vehicle, leave enough room to see its rear wheels.
• Highway traffic has the right-of-way. Merge at or near its speed, avoid stopping on the ramp, and keep a three-second gap ahead. Cross several lanes one at a time.
• To exit, signal about five seconds (roughly 400 feet) before the exit.
• To enter traffic from a stop you need a gap of about half a block (150 feet) on city streets and about a full block (300 feet) on the highway.
• An oncoming driver's right signal does not prove they are turning before reaching you. Wait until they start the turn.

Passing

• A hill or curve should be at least one-third of a mile ahead before you pass.
• Do not pass within 100 feet of an intersection, bridge, tunnel, railroad crossing or other hazard, or at crossroads and driveways.
• Pass on the right only on a highway with two or more lanes your way, when the driver ahead is turning left, or on a one-way street. Never leave the pavement to pass.
• When someone passes you, hold your lane and your speed.

Parking

• Parallel parking: find a space at least three feet longer than your car, pull alongside the car in front with about two feet between you, back in at about 45 degrees, and finish within 18 inches of the curb.
• Straight-line backing: about three vehicle lengths, staying within three feet of the curb.
• Hills: set the parking brake and leave the car in park (or in gear).
• Downhill: front wheels toward the curb.
• Uphill: wheels away from the curb, then let the car roll back gently against it.
• No curb, either direction: wheels turned toward the shoulder (to the right).

Colored curbs

Never park

• On a crosswalk or sidewalk, or in front of a driveway.
• Within three feet of a disabled sidewalk ramp, or in the crosshatched area beside a disabled space.
• Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant or fire station driveway.
• Within 20 feet of a crosswalk (marked or unmarked), or 15 feet where there is a curb extension.
• In a tunnel or on a bridge unless signs allow it, between a safety zone and the curb, or double parked.
• In a zero-emission vehicle space unless you drive one.
• On the wrong side of the street or on a freeway, except in an emergency, when an officer requires a stop, or where stopping is specifically allowed. A vehicle left on a freeway for more than four hours may be removed.

Law enforcement stops

Turn on your right signal, move fully onto the right shoulder (even from an HOV lane), switch off the radio, open your window, stay inside and keep your hands visible. You must show your license, proof of insurance and registration. Officers must tell you the reason for the stop before questioning, with a narrow safety exception. State and local officers in California may not ask about immigration status. You generally have the right to record the stop, but make it clear straight away that you are recording and do not interfere. You may decline a request to search, but you must never physically resist.