Indiana · Handbook chapter 8 · 6 min read

Chapter 8: Sharing the road

Sharing Indiana roads with work zones, trains, tractor-trailers, emergency and service vehicles under the Move Over law, school buses, motorcycles, bicycles, buggies, pedestrians and processions.

Why this chapter matters

You share Indiana roads with trucks, trains, school buses, buggies, cyclists and road crews. The exam asks how far to stay back, when you must stop, and what Indiana's Move Over law requires.

Work zones

• Arrow boards show which way to merge for a lane closure. A board showing a caution pattern with no arrow means take care, but you do not have to change lanes.
• Stop when a flagger holds a fluorescent orange or red flag straight out into your lane, and go on at reduced speed only when the flagger tells you to. With a paddle, obey STOP or SLOW. Automated flagger devices work the same way, with a sign or red and yellow lights.
• Merge early when you first see the signs, unless signs ask for a zipper (late) merge.
• Slow down, do not tailgate, avoid distractions and expect delays.

Railroad crossings

• A crossbuck on its own works like a YIELD sign: slow, look and listen, and stop if a train is coming. A crossbuck with a STOP sign means a complete stop every time.
• Where bells, flashing lights or gates are working, stop and wait until they stop or an officer or flagger waves you on. Never drive around a lowered gate.
• Once the lights flash and the gate starts down, you have about 20 seconds before the train.
• Do not stop or shift gears on the tracks, and do not start across unless you can clear them. Do not pass within 100 feet of a crossing.
• At a multi-track crossing, make sure another train is not coming after the first one passes.
• School buses, vehicles carrying passengers for hire and vehicles carrying explosives or flammable liquids must stop 15 to 50 feet from the nearest rail. Expect them to stop.
• If your vehicle stalls and a train is coming, get everyone out and move away at a 45-degree angle toward the train, then call 911. If no train is coming, call the number on the blue Emergency Notification System sign, then 911.

Tractor-trailers

• At 55 mph an average car needs about 130 to 140 feet to stop; a fully loaded tractor-trailer with hot brakes may need more than 400 feet. Never cut in front of a truck and slow down.
• Blind spots reach up to 20 feet in front of the cab, along both sides and up to 200 feet behind. If you cannot see the driver's mirrors, the driver cannot see you.
• Pass trucks completely and on the left; do not linger beside them.
• Trucks swing wide to turn right. Watch their signals before passing on the right.
• Large trucks look slower than they are. Never underestimate how fast one is approaching.

The Move Over law

An emergency vehicle approaching with lights and siren gets the right of way: move to the right and stop. Failing to move over for an emergency vehicle is a Class A infraction.

School buses

• Amber flashing lights mean the bus is about to stop; get ready to stop too.
• When the red lights flash and the stop arm is out, you must stop.
• On a road divided by a barrier or an unimproved median, only traffic going the same direction as the bus must stop.
• Watch for children near stops, including late arrivals who may dart into the road. Ignoring a stop arm is a crime and becomes a felony if someone is hurt.

Motorcycles and motor driven cycles

• Give a motorcycle a full lane.
• They are easy to miss in blind spots, so check mirrors and turn your head.
• Their turn signals often do not cancel themselves; wait until the rider actually turns.
• Follow at least three to four seconds behind a motorcycle.

Bicycles

• Cyclists have most of the same rights and duties as drivers.
• Pass only with at least three feet of room and no danger from oncoming traffic.
• Do not turn across a cyclist's path; let a cyclist on your right go through before you turn right.
• Do not drive or park in a bike lane, except to cross it when turning or entering a driveway or alley.
• Check for cyclists before opening a car door.
• A sharrow (a bike with two arrows) means cyclists may use the travel lane. Green pavement marks a bike lane; red pavement marks a bus or transit lane.

Slow vehicles and horses

Watch for the slow-moving vehicle emblem on farm equipment and horse-drawn buggies. A horseback rider or buggy driver has the same rights and duties as a driver; pass with care and watch for their hand signals.

Pedestrians

• Always yield to pedestrians, and never make a turn that forces one to stop or hurry.
• Take special care around children, older people and anyone with a white cane or guide dog: you must always yield to them.