Oklahoma · Handbook chapter 8 · 5 min read

Chapter 8: Sharing the road

Sharing Oklahoma roads with pedestrians, bicycles (the 3-foot passing rule and stop sign rules), motorcycles, trucks and their blind spots, trains and railroad crossings, and slow-moving farm and animal-drawn vehicles.

Why this chapter matters

Many serious crashes involve someone more exposed than you, or something much bigger. Expect questions on the 3-foot bicycle rule, truck no-zones, and what to do at railroad crossings.

Pedestrians

Pedestrians include walkers, skaters, skateboarders and people using wheelchairs or walkers. They have the right-of-way in crosswalks, marked or unmarked.

• Watch for people stepping out where foot traffic is heavy, and take extra care near schools.
• Yield to blind pedestrians with a white or chrome cane or a guide dog.
• Yield to people on the sidewalk when you enter or leave a driveway or alley.
• Never honk or rev your engine to hurry a pedestrian.
• If the car in the next lane stops for no clear reason, slow down: it may be stopped for someone you cannot see. If you are the stopped driver, warn others with a hand signal or by tapping your brakes.

Bicycles

Bicyclists have the same rights and duties as drivers.

• Leave at least 3 feet when passing a bicycle, until you are safely past.
• Do not squeeze between a bicycle and oncoming traffic; wait, then pass with room.
• Never pass when the street is too narrow.
• On a narrow road, a brief tap of the horn can warn a rider you are passing. Do not blast it.
• For a right turn, merge behind the bicycle; do not turn across its path.
• At night, bicycles must have a front light and rear reflector, but they are still hard to see.

A rider may use the full lane when passing, preparing for a left turn, avoiding hazards, or when the lane is too narrow to share. A flag on a bicycle can mean the rider has impaired hearing: slow down.

Oklahoma lets cyclists treat a STOP sign as a yield when no danger is present, and, after stopping at a red light and yielding, go through when it is safe.

Motorcycles

About two-thirds of car and motorcycle crashes happen when the car driver turns in front of a motorcycle they did not see.

• Do not share a lane with a motorcycle; it needs the full lane.
• Pass as you would a car, but not too close or fast: the blast of air can unsettle a rider.
• Keep at least a three-second following distance.
• Check blind spots before changing lanes, and wait at intersections until the rider's intentions are clear.
• A single headlight is easy to misjudge at night. Dim your high beams as you would for a car.

Every motorcycle operator needs a motorcycle endorsement.

Trucks

• A truck's blind spots are directly in front, along both sides of the cab, and up to 200 feet behind. A long-hood driver may not see the first 10 to 20 feet in front. If you cannot see the driver's mirror, the driver cannot see you.
• When stopped behind a truck on an uphill grade, stay left in your lane and leave room in case it rolls back.
• Dim your lights behind a truck at night and stay back in the rain to avoid spray.
• Pass quickly and do not linger beside it. Move back only when you can see the whole front of the truck in your rearview mirror, and do not slow down after passing.
• When a truck passes you, keep to the far side of your lane and slow slightly. Never speed up.
• When meeting a truck, keep right: the wind turbulence pushes vehicles apart.
• Right-turn squeeze: trucks swing wide to turn right. Never move into the gap between a turning truck and the curb.
• Never cross behind a truck that is backing.

Trains

You must always yield to trains. A train at 55 mph needs a mile or more to stop.

• Stop between 15 and 50 feet from the nearest rail when signals flash, a gate is down, a flagger signals, or a train is close and visible or sounding its horn within about 1,500 feet.
• Never drive around gates. Once you have started across, keep going; if the lights start flashing while you are crossing, keep moving.
• At multi-track crossings, watch for a second train after the first passes.
• Never pass another vehicle or a bicycle at a crossing.
• Trains look slower than they are, especially at night.

If your vehicle stalls on the tracks, get out at once. If the lights are flashing you may have as little as 20 seconds. Run away from the tracks at a 45-degree angle in the direction the train is coming from, then call 911 and the Emergency Notification System number on the blue and white sign at the crossing.

Slow-moving vehicles

Farm equipment, often wider than one lane, usually travels under 25 mph and shows the orange triangle emblem. Animal-drawn vehicles have the same rights as cars. Watch for them, especially over hilltops in rural areas.