Kentucky · Handbook chapter 10 · 5 min read

Chapter 10: Sharing the road and special situations

Pedestrians and blind pedestrians, bicyclists and electric scooters, motorcycles, large trucks and No Zones, emergency vehicles, traffic stops, move-over rules, slow-moving vehicles, ATVs, night driving, funeral processions, work zones, rural roads, autocycles and trailers.

Why this chapter matters

Everyone has a right to the road. Questions here test who you must yield to and how much room to give, with numbers such as 500 feet, 200 feet, 335 feet, 25 mph and 60 percent.

Pedestrians

• Be ready to yield to pedestrians anywhere. You must yield to pedestrians in any crosswalk, marked or unmarked, and to pedestrians in the intersection even on a green light.
• Watch for people stepping out between parked cars, and for children near playgrounds and homes.
• Obey slower school zone limits when lights flash or children are present.
• You must yield to a blind pedestrian with a white cane or assistance dog (fine up to $250). Stop no more than 5 feet from the crosswalk, do not honk or call out directions, and do not stop in the crosswalk. If the person steps back and pulls in the cane, you may go.

Bicyclists and electric scooters

• Bicycles are vehicles, with the same rights and duties as drivers.
• Yield to bicyclists at intersections and where bike lanes cross. Do not stop, park or drive in a bike lane except to enter or leave a driveway or alley, or in an emergency.
• Pass slowly with as much room as possible; at least 3 feet is the rule on a one-lane road.
• Check for bicyclists before opening a door or backing.
• Bicyclists signal for the last 50 feet before a turn, ride with traffic, never ride on interstates or parkways, ride no more than two abreast, and at night need a white front light and a red rear reflector or light.
• Electric low-speed scooters weigh under 100 pounds, are designed for at most 20 mph, may be ridden by people 16 or older, and follow bicycle rules.

Motorcycles

Give a motorcycle a full lane, check mirrors and blind spots for them, and look carefully before turning left. A motorcycle's turn signal may not cancel itself, so wait to see the rider turn. Follow at least 4 seconds behind, more in the wet.

Large trucks and buses

• No Zones: big blind spots on both sides (especially the right), in front and up to 200 feet behind. If you cannot see the driver's face in the mirror, the driver cannot see you.
• A loaded truck at 55 mph needs at least 335 feet to stop. Do not cut in front of one.
• Trucks swing wide to turn right; never squeeze between a truck and the curb.
• On steep hills trucks may slow to about 35 mph. Avoid the right lane on hills and near weigh stations.
• Stopped behind a truck on an upgrade, stay left in your lane and leave room in case it rolls back.
• Vehicles carrying hazardous materials must stop at all railroad crossings. Never stop near a runaway truck ramp.

Emergency vehicles and traffic stops

• For any vehicle with a siren or flashing red or blue lights, pull to the right, clear of intersections, and stop until it passes.
• Do not follow an emergency vehicle within 500 feet.
• Move over: approaching an emergency vehicle stopped on the shoulder, slow down and move to a lane not next to it if safe. On two-lane roads, slow down and pass with caution.
• Pulled over: stop safely, turn off the engine, turn on hazards (and interior lights at night), keep your belt on and hands on the wheel. Do not reach for documents until asked, and say where they are first.

Slow vehicles, animals and ATVs

• A fluorescent orange triangle with a red border marks a vehicle going under 25 mph.
• Farm machinery operators may not hear you. Pass horse-drawn vehicles and riders slowly, without honking or revving.
• ATVs may cross a two-lane highway at about a 90-degree angle and travel no more than 2/10 of a mile on it.

Night driving

• Use high beams when no one is coming; they let you see about twice as far.
• Dim within 500 feet of oncoming vehicles and within 300 feet of a vehicle you follow. If dazzled, look toward the right edge.
• Do not wear sunglasses or tinted lenses at night.
• Add at least one second to your following distance at night, and two on unfamiliar roads.

Funeral processions

A procession led by an escort with flashing yellow, red or blue lights has the right of way at intersections. Do not drive between its vehicles or pass it unless an officer allows it (outside city limits or on interstates and parkways, passing is allowed). Violations can bring a $250 fine or 90 days in jail.

Work zones and rural roads

• About 40,000 people a year are hurt in work zone crashes. Slow down even when no workers are visible, and keep obeying the signs until END ROAD WORK.
• Fines are doubled where signs say so and at least one worker is present.
• On gravel, narrow roads and steel bridges, slow down and leave more space. At a single-lane bridge, the first driver to reach it generally goes first. Approach uncontrolled rural intersections ready to stop.

Autocycles and trailers

• An autocycle has three wheels, seats like a car and goes over 40 mph. You need only a regular operator's license, and no helmet.
• Load a trailer about 60 percent in front and 40 percent behind. The recommended top speed for most combinations is 55 mph.
• If a trailer sways, steer straight and slow gradually without braking.
• When backing, hold the bottom of the wheel and move your hand the way you want the trailer to go.