You're on an Oregon road with two or more lanes going the same direction and you approach a tow truck stopped on the right shoulder with its lights flashing. What does the handbook require?
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A.
Maintain speed and lane: the stopped vehicle is on the shoulder, not in your lane.
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B.
Change lanes so you do not drive next to the stopped vehicle. Correct
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C.
Stop and wait until the stopped vehicle moves.
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D.
Slow at least 5 mph below the posted limit but stay in your lane.
The answer is "Change lanes so you do not drive next to the stopped vehicle."
On a road with two or more lanes going the same direction, when you approach any motor vehicle stopped with its lights flashing, you must change lanes so you do not drive next to the stopped vehicle. Slowing at least 5 mph below the posted speed limit is permitted but does not replace the required lane change, and the rule covers any stopped motor vehicle with lights flashing, not just emergency vehicles or vehicles in a travel lane.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Maintain speed and lane: the stopped vehicle is on the shoulder, not in your lane.
The rule applies to any motor vehicle stopped with lights flashing on a road with two or more lanes going the same direction; the manual carves out no exception for vehicles on the shoulder. Misreading: Invents a shoulder exemption; the rule covers any stopped motor vehicle with lights flashing, regardless of position on the roadway.
C. Stop and wait until the stopped vehicle moves.
The rule directs you to change lanes around the stopped vehicle, not to halt for it. Misreading: Reads the rule as a stop-and-wait requirement; the manual requires a lane change, not stopping.
D. Slow at least 5 mph below the posted limit but stay in your lane.
Slowing at least 5 mph below the posted limit is permitted, but the manual lists it after the lane change as an additional measure ("You may also slow down"), not as a substitute. The required action is to change lanes. Misreading: Treats the optional 5 mph speed reduction as if it replaced the required lane change; the manual requires changing lanes and only permits the speed reduction as an additional measure.
This question tests your knowledge of Sharing the Road in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Approaching Stopped Vehicles," p.57..
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