Maryland · Handbook chapter 6 · 6 min read

Chapter 6: Sharing the road

Sharing Maryland roads with pedestrians, emergency vehicles, large trucks and buses (the No-Zones), school buses (stop 20 feet away), motorcycles, bicycles (3 feet to pass), mopeds and scooters, plus driver assistance technology.

Why this chapter matters

Pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists have no metal shell around them, so a small mistake by a driver can be fatal. Motorcyclists are six times more likely than car drivers to be hurt in a crash, and in car and motorcycle crashes the car driver is at fault more than half the time.

Pedestrians

• People on foot generally have the right-of-way where they cross the street, though they too must follow the signals.
• Where there is no signal, you must stop for a pedestrian in a marked or unmarked crosswalk. Most intersections have a crosswalk even without painted lines.
• Never pass a vehicle that is stopped at a crosswalk.
• Yield to pedestrians when you turn on green and when you turn on red after stopping.
• Take extra care with people who are deaf, blind or have limited mobility: they may not notice you and may need more time.

Emergency vehicles

Police cars, ambulances and fire trucks using sirens and flashing lights have the right-of-way. As soon as you see or hear one:

• pull as close as you can to the edge of the road,
• stay out of intersections, and
• stop until it has passed.

Do not pass an emergency vehicle using its signals unless it stops or an officer waves you on.

When you approach a stopped emergency vehicle, tow truck or service vehicle, move to a lane that is not next to it. If you cannot, slow down and be ready to stop. (Penalties for the Move Over law are in Chapter 7.)

Large trucks and buses

Trucks need much more room to turn and stop than cars. A fully loaded truck can weigh more than 80,000 pounds and needs about the length of a football field to stop.

• Wide turns: trucks often swing left before turning right. Do not try to slip past on the right; you could be trapped against the curb.
• Stop lines: stop behind them so turning trucks have room.
• Passing: pass quickly, and pull back in only when you can see both of the truck's headlights in your rear-view mirror. Then do not slow down.

The No-Zones

Trucks and buses have four big blind spots:

• Front: cutting in too soon after passing leaves the driver no room to stop. Trucks need nearly twice the time and distance a car does.
• Sides: if you cannot see the driver's face in the side mirror, the driver cannot see you. The right-side blind spot runs the whole length of the trailer and reaches out three lanes.
• Rear: do not tailgate. The driver cannot see you directly behind, and you have no escape if the truck stops.
• Backing up: never cross behind a truck that is backing. Trucks have no rear-view mirror.

School buses

When a school bus stops with its flashing red lights on:

• if you are following the bus, stop 20 feet or more behind it,
• if you are coming toward it, stop 20 feet or more in front of it,
• stay stopped until the bus moves or turns off its red lights.

On a road divided by a physical barrier, traffic on the other side of the barrier does not stop.

Motorcycles

Motorcyclists have the same rights as other drivers, but they are small and easy to miss, and it is hard to judge their speed and distance.

• Yield to an oncoming motorcycle before turning left.
• Look twice, using mirrors and a shoulder check, before changing lanes or merging.
• Never share a lane with a motorcycle. Riders may use the whole lane and often shift within it to avoid potholes, oil or wind.
• Leave at least 3 to 4 seconds behind a motorcycle. Riders often slow without showing a brake light.
• Give plenty of room when passing, and wait to see the headlight in your mirror before moving back. When a rider passes you, keep your speed steady.
• Around groups of riders, signal early and merge only into a gap big enough, or let a small group go by.

Bicycles

In Maryland, a bicycle is a vehicle. Bicyclists may use the road and must obey traffic signals.

• Expect bicycles on every kind of road except interstates and toll bridges and tunnels, in any weather, day or night.
• A bicyclist may ride in the travel lane or even the center of it when the road is narrow, there is no shoulder, cars are parked on the right or there are hazards. A bicyclist may take the full lane if it is too narrow for a car to pass safely.
• Bicycles may ride on sidewalks statewide unless a local law forbids it; riders must yield to pedestrians there.

Right-of-way and passing

• Bicyclists have the right-of-way when you turn: yield to them.
• Before your car moves into or across a bike lane or shoulder, let any bicyclist in it go first.
• A bicycle in a crosswalk has the same right-of-way as a pedestrian.
• Slow down as you approach. Do not honk: the noise can startle the rider.
• Leave at least 3 feet when passing, whether the bicycle is in a bike lane, on the shoulder or in your lane, and wait until you see it in your mirror before moving back.

Intersections, doors and night

• Assume a bicyclist is going straight unless they signal a turn.
• Never turn right across a bicycle you just passed; check your right side and blind spot first.
• Do not turn left directly in front of an oncoming bicycle.
• Check for bicycles behind you before opening your car door.
• A dim reflective shape at night may be a bicycle in the lane. Use low beams when approaching.
• Experienced riders can reach 35 mph, and children may swerve without warning.

Mopeds and scooters

Moped and scooter riders must obey all traffic laws. They may ride on roads with a posted limit of 50 mph or less, on the road or shoulder, alone or side by side, as far right as is safe. They are hard to see, so watch for them at intersections and on narrow roads.

Driver assistance technology

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), such as automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assistance and blind spot warning, can prevent about 40 percent of crashes when used properly. But they have limits in rain, snow, fog, hills and curves, they vary from car to car, and their names may not describe what they do. Keep sensors clean and software updated, learn how your car's systems work, and remember that you are always responsible for driving safely.