South Dakota · Handbook chapter 7 · 4 min read

Turning and turnabouts, U-turn rules, intersections, roundabouts, cloverleaf and diverging diamond interchanges, school buses, parking on hills, lane changes, merging, passing and police stops in South Dakota.

Why this chapter matters

This chapter turns rules into everyday driving: where to position the car, how to handle a roundabout and how to park on a hill. Expect several test questions from it.

Turns

• Signal and search all corners before turning. Signal at least 100 feet before the turn.
• Turn right from the right-most part of the lane; turn left from the left-most part, yielding to oncoming traffic.
• With multiple turn lanes, stay in your lane until the turn is complete.
• A three-point turnabout is only for narrow two-lane roads where a U-turn is not possible.

No U-turns

• where a police officer controls traffic, unless told to
• mid-block in a business district, or mid-block on a main highway in a residential district (except at a legal opening on a divided road)
• where signs forbid it
• on a curve or near a hilltop where other drivers cannot see you within 500 feet

Intersections

Look left, right, then left again. When your light turns green, make sure the intersection is clear before going. Do not pull out just because an approaching driver is signaling a turn: they may not turn.

Roundabouts

Roundabouts cut fatal crashes by about 90 percent. Traffic flows counterclockwise.

1. Slow down and obey the signs.
2. Yield to pedestrians and bicyclists.
3. Give way to vehicles coming from your left that are already circling.
4. Enter at a safe gap and keep your speed low.
5. Signal right before your exit and yield to pedestrians as you leave.

In two-lane roundabouts, use the left lane to turn left and the right lane to turn right. The truck apron is only for large trucks' rear wheels. If an emergency vehicle comes and you are already inside, continue to your exit, then pull over.

Interchanges and interstates

• Cloverleaf interchanges force entering and exiting traffic to weave in short sections.
• At a diverging diamond, left turns onto the freeway are free flow.
• Never cross the median or back up on the interstate. If you miss your exit, go to the next one.
• Stay in the right lane except to pass, and keep pace with traffic.
• Use the acceleration lane to match traffic speed; do not stop at its end. When exiting, slow down only once you are on the exit ramp.

School buses

Stop for a school bus with flashing red lights or an extended stop arm, whichever way you are going, unless a physical barrier separates the roadway. Go slowly once the lights stop.

Parking

• Park as far from traffic as possible and close to the curb; set the parking brake.
• On a rural highway leave at least 15 feet of road for traffic and be visible for 500 feet each way.
• Uphill with a curb: wheels turned left. Downhill, or no curb: wheels turned right.
• When parallel parking, end up within 12 inches of the curb.
• In very cold weather the parking brake can freeze; you may leave it off, but leave the car in park or the lowest gear.

Lane changes, speed and passing

• Check mirrors and blind spots, signal, and look again before moving over.
• Driving much slower than traffic can get you a ticket for impeding traffic.
• Farm tractors and animal-drawn vehicles usually go 25 mph or less.
• Never pass on the shoulder. Pass bicyclists with at least 3 feet of space where the limit is 35 mph or less, and 6 feet where it is higher.

If police stop you

Turn on your right turn signal, move to the right shoulder, stay inside, end calls, turn off the radio and keep everyone's hands in view.