When you overtake a large vehicle on the highway, on which side does the manual tell you to pass?
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A.
Either side, whichever has room
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B.
The left side, without exception Correct
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C.
The right side, to stay out of the trucker's blind spot
The answer is "The left side, without exception"
The manual is direct: always pass a large vehicle on the left side, then move ahead of it after you clear. The right-side answer tempts drivers who reason they are avoiding a blind spot, when the right side is actually the truck's larger No Zone and puts them in the exact spot the driver cannot see.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Either side, whichever has room
The rule is one-sided and does not leave passing to whichever side has room at the moment. This answer applies passing-with-room logic from other vehicles to trucks, when the manual sets a single side for the pass.
C. The right side, to stay out of the trucker's blind spot
The right side is the truck's larger No Zone, so passing there enters a blind spot rather than avoiding one. This answer reverses which side is the truck's larger No Zone, taking the right as the safer path when it is actually the worst place to linger.
This question tests your knowledge of Sharing the Road in California. Source: California Driver Manual, "Maneuvering (Sharing the Road)," p.42..
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