Before changing lanes on the expressway, what must you do in addition to signaling?
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A.
Flash your high beams at any vehicle in your blind spot
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B.
Tap your brakes to alert drivers in the destination lane
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C.
Check over your shoulder for vehicles you might cut off Correct
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D.
Wait for a gap of at least six seconds in the next lane
The answer is "Check over your shoulder for vehicles you might cut off"
The manual pairs your signal with a shoulder check. That catches vehicles behind you the side mirrors miss, so you don't cut anyone off when you move over. Choice D's six-second gap carries the following-distance rule of thumb for the car ahead over to lane-change spacing, which this expressway passage does not use.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Flash your high beams at any vehicle in your blind spot
High beams do not tell you whether the lane is clear; signal and check over your shoulder instead. This answer borrows a truck-to-truck courtesy flash meant to acknowledge another driver, treating it as a way to locate one instead.
B. Tap your brakes to alert drivers in the destination lane
Tapping your brakes may signal slowing to traffic behind you, but it is not the required check before moving into another lane. This answer borrows the informal habit of flashing brake lights to negotiate a merge and treats it as the lane-change check the expressway rule actually requires.
D. Wait for a gap of at least six seconds in the next lane
The tested rule here is signal, check over your shoulder, and do not cut off vehicles behind you; no seconds count for the gap. This answer carries the following-distance seconds rule of thumb over from car-following and applies it to lane-change spacing.
This question tests your knowledge of Lane Changes & Merging in New York. Source: New York State Driver's Manual, "Expressway Driving," p.62..
Related New York questions
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