Driver's License Test Prep
Florida Practice Lane Changes & Merging

Before you move into the left lane to pass another vehicle on a Florida road, what does state law require you to do first?

  1. A.
    Tap your horn twice
  2. B.
    Flash your high beams
  3. C.
    Activate your turn signal Correct
  4. D.
    Sound one long horn blast
The Why

The answer is "Activate your turn signal"

Florida law says you must activate your signal before moving into the left lane so that following and oncoming drivers know you intend to change lanes. Test-takers often reach for the horn tap or headlight flash instead, but those come next in the manual's list as a courtesy signal to the driver being overtaken, not the lane-change signal itself.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. Tap your horn twice

The horn tap is the daytime courtesy alert to the driver you are overtaking, used after you have already signaled. This answer substitutes the courtesy horn tap for the required turn signal, blurring the two steps the manual lists in order.

B. Flash your high beams

Flashing the headlights is the nighttime version of the courtesy alert to the driver ahead, not the signal that begins the lane change. This answer reaches for the nighttime headlight flash learned as a passing courtesy, mistaking it for the mandated lane-change signal.

D. Sound one long horn blast

The manual never calls for a long horn blast; a brief tap is the daytime alert. This answer exaggerates the courtesy horn tap into a long blast, betting that louder must satisfy the rule when the rule is about signaling.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Lane Changes & Merging in Florida. Source: Florida Driver Manual, "Passing," p.67..

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