You are on a two-lane road with an oncoming car to your left and a bicyclist ahead to your right. What should you do?
-
A.
Speed up and squeeze between the oncoming car and the bicyclist
-
B.
Move onto the shoulder to give room to both
-
C.
Slow down, let the oncoming car pass, then move left to clear the bicyclist Correct
The answer is "Slow down, let the oncoming car pass, then move left to clear the bicyclist"
Take one hazard at a time: slow down and let the oncoming vehicle pass, then move left to give the bicyclist at least three feet of clearance. Drivers who fall back on the open-highway habit of clearing both hazards in one motion pick A, because slowing down to take them one at a time feels like losing ground.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Speed up and squeeze between the oncoming car and the bicyclist
Squeezing through denies the bicyclist the three feet of clearance the manual requires and puts you between two hazards at the same time. This answer applies the open-highway habit of clearing both hazards in one motion instead of taking them one at a time.
B. Move onto the shoulder to give room to both
The manual directs you to slow, let the oncoming vehicle pass, then move left with three feet of clearance; the shoulder is not a passing path. This answer borrows the pull-onto-the-shoulder move drilled for yielding to emergency vehicles, treating a two-way squeeze as another kind of yield.
This question tests your knowledge of Passing in California. Source: California Driver Manual, "Choose Between Hazards," p.68..
Related California questions
- Where is the passing lane on a multilane California road? →
- A vehicle behind you signals to pass. What should you do? →
- A motorcycle is ahead of you in the same lane. May you pass it in that lane? →
- Before passing on a two-lane road, how far ahead should any hill or curve be? →
- Where does the California manual forbid passing? →
You just took one California question apart. The book does it for the whole test.
The California book unlocks a free companion: an adaptive study plan, progress synced across your devices, a denser laminate cheat sheet, and a test-day walkthrough. Verify your copy once, usually in seconds; there's nothing extra to buy.
$18.99 paperback, free companion included.