In Oregon, under which condition may you legally pass another vehicle on the RIGHT?
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A.
When you can use the shoulder.
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B.
When oncoming traffic prevents you from passing the vehicle on the left.
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C.
On any two-lane road if traffic ahead is slow.
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D.
When the vehicle ahead is signaling a left turn. Correct
The answer is "When the vehicle ahead is signaling a left turn."
You may pass on the right only when the vehicle ahead is making or signaling a left turn (with enough paved room and a clear road ahead, and without using a bike lane or shoulder), or when you are on a road with two or more lanes traveling the same direction and the vehicle is in the left lane. Outside those two conditions, passing on the right is not permitted. Drivers who slip on C are carrying over the standard two-lane passing habit, missing that a right-side pass needs either a left-turn signal ahead or a multi-lane road.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. When you can use the shoulder.
You must not leave the paved portion or use the shoulder or bike lane to pass on the right. This answer ignores the explicit requirement that the pass occur without leaving the paved portion of the road or driving in a bike lane.
B. When oncoming traffic prevents you from passing the vehicle on the left.
A blocked left side does not authorize passing on the right; the manual lists only two specific conditions, and neither references oncoming traffic. This answer treats blocked left-side passing as permission to pass on the right; the manual permits right-side passing only when the vehicle ahead signals a left turn or when traveling on a road with two or more lanes in the same direction.
C. On any two-lane road if traffic ahead is slow.
On a two-lane road you pass on the left; right-side passes apply on multi-lane roads or when the vehicle ahead is signaling a left turn. This answer confuses normal left-side passing with the right-side rule, which requires either a left-turn signal or two or more lanes in the same direction.
This question tests your knowledge of Passing in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Passing on the Right," p.33..
Related Oregon questions
- You're making an ordinary pass of another vehicle on a two-lane Oregon road. On which side do you pass? →
- There's a solid yellow line on your side of the centerline. Are you allowed to pass? →
- You're passing a slower vehicle on a two-lane Oregon road posted at 55 mph. When may you exceed 55 mph during the pass? →
- You're approaching a slower vehicle on a two-lane Oregon road. The centerline is broken yellow on your side now, but you can see it changes to solid yellow on your side a few hundred feet ahead. May you start the pass? →
- You're driving on an Oregon two-lane road in a no-passing zone. Are there ANY circumstances in which you may legally cross the center line? →
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