Montana · Handbook chapter 5 · 4 min read

Chapter 5: Speed limits, passing, turns and right-of-way

Montana's posted speed limits, signaling distances, passing rules, turning and U-turns, right-of-way for pedestrians, intersections, emergency vehicles, school buses and funeral processions.

Why this chapter matters

The first rule of the road in Montana is OBEY: officers and flaggers, traffic control devices and traffic laws. This chapter covers the everyday rules that keep traffic predictable.

Basic rules

• Signal 100 feet before turning in town and 300 feet on rural roads.
• On roads with three or more lanes each way, keep to the right lane except to pass.
• If you are in the wrong lane for a turn, keep going, get into the right lane and turn at the next intersection.
• Never back up or stop in a travel lane, and never drive on the shoulder unless told to.

Speed limits

On a two-lane road you may exceed the limit by up to 10 mph to overtake, pass and return to the right lane. Limits are for ideal conditions; slow down for bad roads or weather.

Passing

• On two-lane roads you may cross the center line to pass when it is safe.
• Passing on the right is legal only when the vehicle ahead is turning left, or on pavement wide enough for two or more lanes going your way.
• Never pass on the shoulder, paved or not.

Turns and turning around

• Turn from the lane nearest the direction you are going, into the lane nearest the one you came from.
• Do not swing wide on right turns or cut corners on left turns.
• You may turn around only where you can see 500 feet in both directions with no traffic coming. Many cities ban mid-block U-turns.

Right-of-way

The law says who must yield; it never gives anyone the right-of-way. You must do all you can to avoid hitting anyone.

• Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, even if the pedestrian is wrong.
• A pedestrian with a white cane or guide dog has absolute right-of-way; do not honk.
• Drivers turning left yield to oncoming traffic going straight.
• At an uncontrolled intersection, yield to the vehicle on the right, and be ready to yield anyway.
• At a four-way stop, the first driver to arrive goes first.
• Coming out of a driveway or alley, stop and yield to traffic on the road.
• Do not enter an intersection unless you can get all the way through.
• Do not pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk for a pedestrian.
• Pedestrians walking on a road must walk on the left, facing traffic.

Emergency vehicles

Pull to the right edge and stop for an emergency vehicle using a siren or air horn and red or blue lights, from any direction. If you are in an intersection, drive through it first. On highways posted at 50 mph or more, slow to at least 20 mph below the limit when passing a stopped emergency or police vehicle with its signals on, and move over a lane if you can.

School buses

• From either direction, stop at least 30 feet from a school bus with flashing red lights and wait until the lights go off.
• Slow down for a bus showing flashing yellow lights; it is about to stop.
• You need not stop for a bus on a different road, or one stopped in a loading zone where pedestrians may not cross.

Funeral processions

• Yield to vehicles in a procession led by a funeral lead or escort vehicle.
• Do not drive between procession vehicles unless a police officer allows it, and do not pass a procession on its right on a multi-lane road unless it is in the farthest left lane.
• Procession drivers may not exceed 55 mph on roads posted at 55 or more, or go more than 5 mph below the limit elsewhere, and keep headlights and taillights on.