Driver's License Test Prep
Pennsylvania Practice Lane Changes & Merging

The manual says you should make room for vehicles entering a highway. How?

  1. A.
    Signal and move to an inside lane, if it is safe to do so. Correct
  2. B.
    Slow to below the posted minimum speed until they merge.
  3. C.
    Flash your headlights so the entering driver sees you.
  4. D.
    Move onto the right shoulder to open the outside lane.
The Why

The answer is "Signal and move to an inside lane, if it is safe to do so."

The manual tells through drivers to signal and move to an inside lane when they can, opening the outside lane for the merger. Drivers who pick the headlight flash are borrowing a trucker courtesy signal the manual never mentions; the rule asks you to open the lane, not to communicate with the merger.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Slow to below the posted minimum speed until they merge.

Dropping below the minimum speed creates a different hazard for traffic behind you. This answer applies a general 'ease off the gas for merging traffic' habit in place of the manual's specific instruction to move over one lane.

C. Flash your headlights so the entering driver sees you.

Flashing headlights is not part of the manual's guidance for making room. This answer borrows the informal trucker courtesy signal for 'you are clear to merge,' which the Pennsylvania manual never lists as a lane-sharing technique.

D. Move onto the right shoulder to open the outside lane.

The shoulder is not a place to drive while helping traffic merge. This answer treats the emergency shoulder as an extra travel lane, confusing 'move to an inside lane' with vacating the roadway entirely.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Lane Changes & Merging in Pennsylvania. Source: Pennsylvania Driver Manual, "KEEP A SPACE CUSHION TO THE SIDES," p.36..

More from this topic

Related Pennsylvania questions

More than a book

You just took one Pennsylvania question apart. The book does it for the whole test.

The Pennsylvania book unlocks a free companion: an adaptive study plan, progress synced across your devices, a denser laminate cheat sheet, and a test-day walkthrough. Verify your copy once, usually in seconds; there's nothing extra to buy.

Get the book on Amazon

$18.99 paperback, free companion included.

Free study plan

Your free Pennsylvania study plan

A short run of study emails for the Pennsylvania PennDOT test: what to drill, the rules people trip on, and a final pre-test checklist. The printable cheat sheet is free to grab either way.

One email a few times a month. No spam, unsubscribe anytime. Privacy.