You have just passed another vehicle on a two-lane Oregon road. When can you safely return to your lane?
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A.
When you see it in your rearview mirror; signal first. Correct
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B.
Only after counting four full seconds.
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C.
Only after the no-passing zone ends.
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D.
As soon as your front bumper passes the front bumper of the vehicle you passed.
The answer is "When you see it in your rearview mirror; signal first."
After completing your pass, you may return to your lane when you can see the vehicle you passed in your rearview mirror; that is the visual cue that you are far enough ahead to merge in without sideswiping. Before returning, signal. Cutting back too soon risks sideswiping the vehicle you passed; staying out too long risks a head-on collision with oncoming traffic. D substitutes bumper clearance for the mirror cue, moving over long before there is enough space ahead to avoid a sideswipe.
The traps in the wrong answers
B. Only after counting four full seconds.
The manual uses a visual cue (rearview mirror), not a count. This answer substitutes a fabricated four-second count for the manual's visual rearview-mirror cue.
C. Only after the no-passing zone ends.
The end of a no-passing zone governs where you may begin a pass, not when to return to your lane after one. The manual ties returning to your lane to mirror visibility. This answer confuses pass-start rules (passes must finish before a no-passing zone begins) with the rule for completing a pass and merging back into your lane.
D. As soon as your front bumper passes the front bumper of the vehicle you passed.
That is far too early; you would sideswipe. The manual specifies rearview-mirror visibility, which requires far greater distance ahead. This answer treats bumper clearance as the merge cue; the manual's cue is rearview-mirror visibility, which requires far greater distance ahead.
This question tests your knowledge of Passing in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Passing," p.31..
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