Pennsylvania · Handbook chapter 5 · 8 min read

Chapter 5: Sharing the road

Pennsylvania rules for work zones, railroad crossings, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycles, trucks and buses, school buses, emergency vehicles and the Move Over law, horse-drawn vehicles, open-bed trucks and snow plows.

Why this chapter matters

The permit test always includes school buses, emergency vehicles and work zones, and Pennsylvania adds horse-drawn vehicles and snow plows. These are the rules where a wrong answer on the road can cost a life.

Work zones

Work zones are marked with orange cones, drums and other devices, and warning signs or message boards may start at least 200 feet before the work. An active work zone is where workers are on or near the road.

• Turn on your headlights, not just daytime running lights.
• Fines double for certain violations in active work zones, including speeding, and some violations bring a license suspension.
• Yield to workers and construction vehicles.
• Do not use cruise control.
• Double your following distance: the most common work zone crash is a rear-end collision.
• Change lanes as soon as you see a lane-closed message, and do not cross a solid white line in a work zone.
• Keep moving at a safe speed; do not slow to watch the work or stop to ask workers for directions.
• Obey flaggers: their directions override normal signs and signals. Flaggers can report unsafe drivers to police.
• Do not pass a slow moving operation (line painting, mowing) unless directed.

Railroad crossings

Most crossings have only an advance warning sign and a crossbuck, with no gates. Familiar crossings with little train traffic can be the most dangerous, because drivers stop expecting trains.

• Look left, right and left again, even if the signals are not flashing. They may not be working.
• On multiple tracks, wait until you can see clearly down both tracks after a train passes. On one track, check again before you go.
• Never pass another vehicle near or on a crossing.
• Do not follow another vehicle onto the tracks unless there is room for you to get all the way across.
• If you are stuck on the tracks with a train coming, get out at once and move well away from the track.
• You are 40 times more likely to die in a crash with a train than with another vehicle.

Pedestrians

• Yield to pedestrians at intersections and in crosswalks, and allow time for them to clear before turning on red.
• Slow down near children; they may run out without looking. Obey school zone limits and stop for school buses.
• Give extra time to elderly pedestrians and pedestrians with disabilities.
• Blind pedestrians: slow down and yield, whether they use a white cane or a guide dog or are being led.
• Check for pedestrians before backing up.
• If a vehicle ahead is stopped, slow down and do not pass until you are sure no one is crossing in front of it.
• Never wave a pedestrian into traffic.

Bicyclists

• Slow to a safe speed when approaching or passing.
• Safe passing is the law: leave at least 4 feet between your vehicle and a bicycle. You may cross the double yellow line to do it, if that is safe.
• Do not slow or stop sharply just after passing, and do not honk near cyclists unless you must to avoid a crash.
• You may not turn into the path of a cyclist riding straight ahead, or force a cyclist off the road (that can bring criminal charges).
• Cyclists are vehicle operators who follow traffic laws. They may ride below the minimum speed without being cited for impeding traffic, and may use the shoulder but do not have to. On one-lane roads they may use any part of the lane to avoid hazards.
• Dutch Reach: open your car door with your far hand after checking mirrors. It turns your body so you see cyclists coming. Cyclists should ride at least 3 feet from parked cars.

Motorcycles and mopeds

• A motorcycle is entitled to a full lane. Never share the lane with one.
• Most car-motorcycle crashes happen at intersections, usually when a car turns left in front of the motorcycle.
• Do not trust a motorcycle's flashing signal; it may not cancel itself. Wait until the bike actually turns.
• Riders swerve or change speed to avoid potholes, gravel, wet surfaces, seams and rail tracks. Wind and wet roads affect them more.
• Allow at least the same 4-second following distance, and more in bad conditions.

Trucks and buses

Trucks and buses have large blind spots called No-Zones at the sides, front and rear.

• If you cannot see a truck's side mirrors, the driver cannot see you.
• Passing a truck: on a level road it takes three to five seconds longer than passing a car, and up to 30 seconds at highway speeds. Do not linger alongside. Move back only when you can see the truck's headlights or front grille in your rearview mirror, then keep your speed.
• Being passed by a truck: keep to the far side of your lane and slow slightly. Never speed up.
• Meeting a truck: keep to the side; turbulence pushes vehicles apart, not together.
• Following a truck: stay out of its rear No-Zone with at least four seconds, leave room on hills because trucks roll back, and dim your lights at night.
• Wide turns: trucks swing out to turn right. Do not squeeze between a turning truck and the curb.
• Never cross behind a truck that is backing up.
• Braking: a loaded truck at 65 mph needs at least 600 feet to stop, compared with 400 feet for a car. Do not cut in front of one.
• Escape ramps on long downgrades are only for runaway trucks. Never stop or park near one.
• Oversized loads travel with pilot vehicles and may cross the lane lines.

School buses

• Flashing amber (yellow) lights mean the bus is about to stop.
• When the bus stops with red lights flashing and stop arm out, you must stop at least 10 feet away. This applies whether you are behind the bus, coming toward it on the same road, or approaching an intersection where it is stopped.
• Stay stopped until the red lights stop, the arm is pulled back, and the children are safe.
• The only exception: you are on the opposite side of a divided highway separated by a barrier, guide rail or median. Slow down and drive on carefully.
• Failing to stop brings a 60-day suspension, 5 points and a fine.

Emergency vehicles

Emergency vehicles use sirens and flashing red or red and blue lights. When one approaches from any direction:

• Pull over to the curb or side of the road and stop. On a one-way street, move toward the nearest side and stop.
• Stay clear of intersections, and check that no second emergency vehicle is coming.
• When you start again, stay at least 500 feet behind the emergency vehicle.
• In an emergency, obey any uniformed police officer, sheriff, constable or properly dressed person, including fire police.

The Move Over law

When you approach an emergency response area (police, fire, medical, towing, road crews and others) or a disabled vehicle marked with flares, signal lamps or signs, move into a lane that is not next to it. If you cannot move over, slow to at least 20 mph below the posted limit.

Responders and road workers can report violators, and police may cite based on those reports. Fines for traffic violations are doubled in work zones.

Penalty figures are from PennDOT's Move Over, Slow Down page, checked 1 November 2026. The online manual's "Steer Clear" section still shows the older, lower fines.

Horse-drawn vehicles and riders

Horse-drawn vehicles are often dark and hard to see at dawn, dusk and night. Leave plenty of room when following or stopped behind one, because they often roll back after stopping. Pass slowly, do not honk, and leave space before pulling back in so the horse is not startled.

Open-bed trucks

With anyone riding in the bed, an open-bed pickup or flatbed may not go faster than 35 mph. A child under 18 may not ride in the bed, except a farm child or farm worker moving between farm sites, a licensed young hunter going between camp and hunting sites in season, or a child in an official parade.

Snow plows

Plow drivers see little in their mirrors and often turn around. Follow at a safe distance to avoid the salt and grit they spread, and do not pass a plow on either side: wing plows can stick out several feet.