New Jersey · Handbook chapter 8 · 5 min read

Chapter 8: Sharing the road

Sharing New Jersey roads with pedestrians, cyclists, motorcycles, trucks and buses, mopeds, scooters, low-speed vehicles, trains, ATVs, animals and horses, including the Safe Passing law and truck no-zones.

Why this chapter matters

Pedestrians and cyclists are the most vulnerable people on the road, and New Jersey has a high rate of pedestrian crashes. The test checks the Safe Passing law, crosswalk duties, truck blind spots and the rules for trains and horses.

Pedestrians

Drivers carry the main duty to prevent crashes with pedestrians. Speed decides who survives: a pedestrian hit at 20 mph has about a 5 percent chance of dying, but at 40 mph the figure is 85 percent. Children and older adults are the most at risk.

There is a crosswalk at every corner of an intersection, even when no lines are painted. You must:

• Stop and stay stopped for a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk.
• Yield to a pedestrian crossing in an unmarked crosswalk.
• Keep waiting if the signal changes to DON'T WALK while they are crossing.
• Never block a crosswalk or pass a car that has stopped at one.

On a multi-lane road, stop well back from the crosswalk so drivers in the next lane can see the pedestrian. Watch for people when turning, especially on a right turn on red, and when entering or leaving driveways, parking lots and alleys. Pedestrians must obey signals and may not step out in front of a car that cannot stop, but their mistakes never excuse a driver from taking care.

The Safe Passing law

When you pass a vulnerable road user, such as a pedestrian, cyclist, skateboarder or inline skater, you must:

1. Obey the no-passing and speed laws and move over a lane if one is available.
2. On a single-lane road, leave at least 4 feet.
3. If 4 feet is not possible, slow to 25 mph and be ready to stop until it is safe to pass.

Breaking the law costs $100, or $500 and two points if someone is injured.

Motorcycles

Motorcyclists follow the same laws but face hazards a car hardly notices: slippery or uneven surfaces, grooves and gratings. Check blind spots twice before turning or changing lanes, watch for motorcycles at intersections and when turning left, and leave plenty of room, because a motorcycle can stop in a shorter distance. When a motorcycle passes you, keep your speed and position. Failing to see motorcycles is the most common cause of motorcycle crashes.

Trucks, tractor-trailers and buses

Large vehicles have big blind spots called no-zones. If you cannot see the driver in their mirrors, they cannot see you. In bad weather a truck can take 25 percent longer to stop.

• Rear no-zone: stay well back from a truck that is backing up and never pass close behind it.
• Front no-zone: do not pull back in front until you can see the whole front of the truck in your rearview mirror.
• Side no-zones: do not linger beside a truck.
• Head-on: keep to the right when a truck approaches from the other direction, to reduce wind and the risk of a sideswipe.
• Never pass a truck on the right. Leave room when stopped behind one on a hill, because it may roll back, and give room for wide turns: a truck may swing left to turn right.

Buses re-entering traffic

All non-emergency vehicles must yield to a bus re-entering traffic after picking up or dropping off passengers. The fine is $50 to $200, up to 15 days in jail, or both. Once the bus is back in the flow, you do not have to yield to it when it changes lanes.

Mopeds, bicycles, scooters and low-speed vehicles

• Mopeds may not go faster than 25 mph and ride with traffic on the right.
• Bicyclists, skateboarders and inline skaters have the same rights and duties as drivers. When you turn right, yield to them going straight through the intersection; when you turn left, yield to them as oncoming traffic. Bicycles ridden after dark need a front light, a rear light and a rear reflector.
• Motorized scooters such as pocket bikes and mini motorcycles are illegal on public roads and sidewalks except on designated property, and riders must be at least 12.
• Low-speed vehicles are four-wheeled, non-gas vehicles that go between 20 and 25 mph.
• Snowmobiles, ATVs and dirt bikes may only cross certain roads when safe.

Trains

• Trains can come on any track, from either direction, at any time, and always have the right-of-way.
• A yellow round advance warning sign and a white RR pavement marking mean a crossing is ahead.
• A train is closer and faster than it looks. A freight train at 55 mph can need a mile or more to stop.
• A train can be three feet or more wider than the rails on each side.
• Do not pass another vehicle within 100 feet of a crossing, and do not shift gears on the tracks.
• Cross only where there is room on the other side, and only at marked crossings.

Animals and horses

Watch both sides of the road for animals. Swerving to avoid one often causes a worse crash, so slow down instead. When approaching or passing a horse rider or horse-drawn vehicle, slow to 25 mph or less. If a rider coming the other way signals you to stop, you must stop until the horse has passed.