Illinois · Handbook chapter 4 · 5 min read

Chapter 4: Passing, turning, special stops and parking

Illinois rules for passing and no-passing areas, lane use, turn signals, hand signals, right and left turns, U-turns, roundabouts, school buses, railroad crossings, hill parking and places you may not stop or park.

Why this chapter matters

Passing, turning and parking produce many of the exam's number questions: 100 feet, 200 feet, 15 feet, 30 feet. They also cover the school bus and railroad rules that protect lives.

Passing

• On a two-lane road, the left lane must be clear far enough ahead. Return to your lane before you get within 200 feet of an oncoming vehicle, and only when the whole car you passed shows in your rearview mirror.
• The driver being passed must not speed up. Flashing turn signals as a "go ahead and pass" courtesy is illegal.
• Leave at least 3 feet when passing a pedestrian or a bicyclist.
• You may pass on the right (never on the shoulder) when the car ahead is turning left and there is room, on a one-way street or a road with two or more lanes each way, or at an intersection widened for it.

No passing on a two-lane, two-way road

• where a solid yellow line, DO NOT PASS sign or NO PASSING ZONE sign marks it;
• on a hill or curve where you cannot see oncoming traffic;
• within 100 feet of an intersection or railroad crossing, or of a bridge, viaduct or tunnel when your view is blocked;
• when a vehicle has stopped to let a pedestrian cross;
• in any construction zone, posted school zone, or when a school bus is stopped for children.

Lane use

• Keep to the right half of the road except to pass, avoid a blockage, turn left into a driveway, or move away from a stopped emergency vehicle.
• On interstates, use the left lane only to pass, unless no one is behind you, traffic or weather makes it necessary, or you are moving over for emergency or work vehicles.
• Slow vehicles keep right. Weaving through traffic, driving across a median, backing up on a controlled-access road and opening a door into moving traffic are all illegal. Opening the door with your right hand (the Dutch Reach) makes you look back for bikes.

Signals and turns

• Signal continuously for at least 100 feet before turning in a business or residential area, and 200 feet elsewhere. Signal lane changes too.
• Hand signals use the left arm: straight out for a left turn, up for a right turn, down to slow or stop.
• Right turn: stay close to the curb and turn into the right-hand lane. Left turn: keep the wheels straight until you start turning and finish in the lane closest to your direction.
• U-turns are not allowed on curves or hills unless you can see 500 feet each way.
• Roundabouts run counter-clockwise. Slow down, yield to everyone already in it, including people walking and riding, enter by turning right, stay in your lane and signal right to exit.

School buses

• Stop before meeting or passing a school bus that is stopped with its stop arm out and red lights flashing, on any road, private road or school parking lot. Stay stopped until the arm folds and lights stop, or the bus driver waves you on.
• The one exception: on a four-lane road you need not stop when the bus is on the opposite side.
• The bus warns at least 100 feet ahead of a stop (200 feet in rural areas).
• Passing a stopped bus means a license suspension, a $300 fine and community service.

Railroad crossings

• Stop 15 to 50 feet from the nearest rail when lights flash, the gate is down, a stop sign is posted, a flagger signals or a train is coming. Go only after the gate is fully up and the lights stop, and check for a second train.
• At a crossing with only a crossbuck, slow down, look both ways and listen.
• Do not drive onto the tracks unless there is room for your car on the far side. With a manual gearbox, do not shift while crossing.
• If you stall on the tracks: everyone out at once, call 911, and move away at a 45-degree angle toward the train. Call the number on the blue Emergency Notification System sign.

Parking

• Downhill with a curb: wheels toward the curb. Uphill with a curb: wheels away from the curb. No curb: wheels toward the side of the road.
• Park within 12 inches of the curb, facing the way traffic moves.
• The striped area beside a disability space is part of that space: no one may park there.

Never stop on a crosswalk, sidewalk, bridge, railroad track, in a bike lane, in an intersection, or double parked. Your sound system may not be heard 75 feet away.