North Dakota · Handbook chapter 8 · 4 min read

Chapter 8: Sharing the road

Large trucks and their no-zones, stopping distances and wide turns, the North Dakota move over law for stranded vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles and the three-foot rule, pedestrians, motorized bicycles, off-highway vehicles and snowmobiles.

Why this chapter matters

Trucks are not large cars, motorcycles are hard to see and cyclists and pedestrians have no protection. North Dakota roads also carry farm equipment, off-highway vehicles and snowmobiles.

Large trucks

• Braking: a fully loaded tractor-trailer may need more than 400 feet to stop on dry pavement, more than a football field.
• Turning: a truck's rear wheels follow a shorter path than its front wheels, so trucks often swing left before a right turn. Check the signals before you pass; do not squeeze by on the right.
• No-zones: blind spots up to 20 feet in front of the cab, along both sides (especially beside the cab) and up to 200 feet behind. If you cannot see the driver in the side mirror, the driver cannot see you.
• On multi-lane highways, trucks often keep to the center lane to leave room for traffic entering and leaving.

Common mistakes to avoid:

• cutting in front of a truck to reach an exit or a single-lane work zone,
• lingering beside a truck when passing (always pass completely, on the left),
• tailgating: if you cannot see the truck's mirrors, the driver cannot see you,
• underestimating a truck's speed: its size makes it look slower than it is.

Move over for stranded vehicles

On the Interstate or a multi-lane highway outside city limits, when a vehicle is stranded with hazard lights flashing, yield and move to a lane not next to it. If you cannot, slow down and go with caution.

Motorcycles

• About half of motorcycle crashes involve another vehicle, and nearly 40 percent of those are caused by a vehicle turning left in front of the rider.
• Motorcycles are small, so their speed and distance are hard to judge. Check mirrors and blind spots for them.
• Give a motorcycle a full lane; never share the lane.
• Motorcycle signals often do not cancel themselves. Wait to be sure the rider is turning.
• Potholes, gravel, wet pavement, seams and rail crossings can make a rider change position suddenly.
• Follow three or four seconds behind; in dry conditions a motorcycle can stop faster than a car.

Bicycles

• Slow down near cyclists and give them space.
• When passing, leave at least three feet. Pass only when it is safe, and check over your shoulder before moving back. Give more room in bad weather.
• Most car and bicycle crashes happen at intersections. Check your blind spot before turning right.
• Do not drive in a bike lane except to make a right turn, after signaling and looking.
• Expect the unexpected from children on bikes.

Pedestrians

• Pedestrians have the right-of-way only in crosswalks and must yield elsewhere. They should not start on a flashing Don't Walk, cross diagonally unless allowed, or hitchhike on the road.
• Pedestrians should walk facing traffic, and wear light clothing at night. Joggers are pedestrians too.
• Watch for children: a ball rolling into the street may mean a child is chasing it.

Recreational vehicles

• Bicycles and motorized bicycles follow the same rules as other traffic, ride no more than two abreast, keep right and need a brake. At night a bicycle needs a headlight visible 500 feet and a red rear reflector.
• A motorized bicycle has a top speed of 30 mph, and its rider must be at least 14 with a license or permit. Riders under 18 must wear a helmet.
• Off-highway vehicles and snowmobiles need a license or safety certificate. Riders under 18 must wear a helmet. Snowmobiles may never use a road's driving surface or shoulder, or any Interstate right of way, and may not use any right of way from April 1 to November 1.