A truck ahead of you at an intersection swings left before making a right turn. What should you do?
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A.
Honk your horn to signal the truck to move
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B.
Wait behind the truck until the turn is complete Correct
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C.
Pass the truck on the left as it turns
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D.
Squeeze between the truck and the curb to turn right
The answer is "Wait behind the truck until the turn is complete"
Pennsylvania's manual tells you to stay put and give truck drivers plenty of room to complete a wide right turn. Choice D tempts drivers who read the truck's leftward swing as opening a right-turn lane on the curb side, half-remembering the habit of taking any visible gap to keep traffic moving; that gap is the truck's turning envelope, and the driver cannot see anyone inside it.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Honk your horn to signal the truck to move
The truck is turning, not blocking you, and honking will not change the space it needs to finish the wide right turn. This answer treats the horn as a general prompt to move a slower vehicle, ignoring that the truck is completing a lawful wide right turn that requires the extra room.
C. Pass the truck on the left as it turns
Passing on the left while the truck swings that way puts you in the path of its cab as it pivots back to the right. This answer reads the truck's leftward swing as clearing the left lane for a pass, applying the general 'overtake slower vehicles on the left' habit to a truck that is actually turning right.
D. Squeeze between the truck and the curb to turn right
The manual identifies this exact move as a dangerous maneuver because you sit in the truck's blind spot at the curb. This answer reads the truck's leftward swing as opening a right-turn lane between it and the curb, treating the visible gap as an invitation to slip through on the right.
This question tests your knowledge of Passing in Pennsylvania. Source: Pennsylvania Driver Manual, "Turns," p.57..
Related Pennsylvania questions
- Unless an official traffic control device says you may, you may not pass within how many feet of an intersection or railroad grade crossing? →
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- At highway speeds, up to how long can it take to safely pass a truck? →
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