Why does the manual tell you to reduce speed when passing a bicyclist?
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A.
Sudden acceleration is banned within 500 feet of a bicyclist on the road.
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B.
Passing at speed engages the vehicle's stability control system.
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C.
Air pressure from a vehicle passing quickly can push the bicyclist off balance. Correct
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D.
Bicyclists are required to pull over when a vehicle overtakes them from behind.
The answer is "Air pressure from a vehicle passing quickly can push the bicyclist off balance."
Air pressure from a vehicle passing at speed can push a bicyclist off balance, which is why the manual asks you to reduce speed. Option A's 500-foot figure tempts drivers who carry over another state's fixed-distance passing rule for bicyclists and inflate the number.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Sudden acceleration is banned within 500 feet of a bicyclist on the road.
The manual grounds the speed reduction in air pressure, not in a set foot count. This answer carries over another state's fixed-distance passing rule for bicyclists and swaps the small foot count for a larger one.
B. Passing at speed engages the vehicle's stability control system.
The manual cites the effect on the bicyclist, not the driver's stability control system. This answer reframes the warning as a driver-safety issue about the car when the rule is about the person on the bike.
D. Bicyclists are required to pull over when a vehicle overtakes them from behind.
Bicyclists share the road under the same rules as other traffic and are not required to pull over. This answer treats a bicyclist like a slow-moving farm vehicle, which in some states must pull over when a line of cars builds up behind it.
This question tests your knowledge of Sharing the Road in New York. Source: New York State Driver's Manual, "Chapter 11 - Sharing the Road: Bicyclists," p.68..
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