The Driving Task: Habits, Turns, Bicycles, Motorcycles, Large Vehicles, Parking and Belts: Entering the Car and Posture, Leaving a Parking Space, Staying in Your Lane, the Rules for Turns and Signaling 100 Feet, Turning From Four-Lane Highways, Three-Point Turns and the 500-Foot Rule, Curves, Bicycle Laws and the Three-Foot Pass, Why Motorcycles Are Missed and the Two-Second Rule, the Side, Rear, Front, Backing and Turning No-Zones, 193 Versus 430 Feet to Stop, Parking on Hills, Where Parking Is Banned, Parallel Parking and the Belt and Child Restraint Laws

Written for aiforu2 as the source for a practice-test bank and the on-device tutor for the Alabama driver license knowledge test. The facts follow the official manual; the wording is ours.

Source: Alabama Driver Manual (ALEA, November 2024 edition), Chapter 3 "The Driving Task" (pages 20–30).

Good habits

Driving is a serious responsibility to yourself and everyone else on the road; a good driver knows and respects the rules, follows proper procedures and keeps a courteous attitude. Form good habits from the first trip and use them every time, whether for a few blocks or hundreds of miles. Develop a routine for entering and leaving the car: adjust the seat and mirrors, check that passengers are seated so they do not interfere, and buckle up and see that everyone else does before turning the key. With a manual transmission push in the clutch before starting; with an automatic be in park or neutral with the brake pressed. Sit erect, gripping the outside rim of the wheel with both hands, firmly but not so tightly that reflexes suffer, and keep both hands on the wheel except when signaling or working a control. Leaving a parallel space, look over your shoulder and in the mirrors, wait until the way is clear, signal, enter the nearest lane and stay in it until a lane change is safe. Drive within a single lane without weaving or straddling; a lane exists whether or not it is marked.

Turns

Prepare before you reach the turn rather than deciding at the last moment; get into the proper lane well ahead, when safe; signal at least 100 feet before and keep signaling until the turn, since signals inform pedestrians and drivers, and pedestrians have the right-of-way; keep both hands on the wheel while turning; reduce speed; finish in the proper lane; check front, rear and sides for cars and pedestrians and watch the street you are entering; and cancel the signal afterward. In daylight, hand and arm signals may be added, because bright sun can hide a flashing signal light. From a four-lane or divided highway, turn right from the right lane into the right lane of the cross street with a tight turn, and turn left from the lane nearest the center line or divider without a wide swing, entering the cross street just right of its center line; where signs or markings allow turns from more than one lane, follow them. Plan ahead, be in the proper lane, signal, slow and check the turning path, turn into the proper lane and adjust to the traffic flow.

A three-point turn reverses your direction and must be made without endangering traffic, normally where you can be seen from a great distance and traffic is light. It is not permitted on interstate freeways, on curves or near hilltops where drivers approaching from either direction cannot see you within 500 feet, and local ordinances govern it, sometimes without warning signs, though prohibitory signs usually mark hazardous spots. Slow down before curves to avoid crossing the center line or leaving the road, entering slowly enough to accelerate slightly while rounding the curve.

Bicycles

Traffic laws apply to bicyclists, who have the same rights and duties as motorists. A bicyclist rides as close as practicable to the right curb or edge except when passing, preparing for a left turn, or avoiding debris, opening doors, pedestrians and similar conditions; may ride two abreast at all times; rides with traffic and signals turns, lane changes and stops with the same hand signals as drivers; must use a bicycle lane where one exists (a lane set off by striping, signs and markings; sidewalks and multipurpose paths do not count, and in Alabama it is illegal to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk); and under 16 must wear a fastened helmet on public roads, paths and parks. A driver may not drive in a bicycle lane except to park where permitted, to enter or leave the highway, or to prepare for a turn, and when turning across one must move into the lane before the turn without endangering a rider in it. Pass a bicyclist with at least three feet between your vehicle and the rider, remembering that speed creates wind blasts that can batter a cyclist; pass with the same caution as for a car, never uphill, in a curve or where visibility is limited, and not when vehicles occupy the lane you would use; on a narrow road stay back at a safe interval without blasting the horn until you can pass. Riders are hard to see, so watch at intersections, sidewalks, alleys and driveways; a bicycle's braking is much weaker in the wet; bicycles must carry lights or reflectors at night; and in any collision the rider is nearly unprotected, so the driver of the more dangerous vehicle owes extra care.

Motorcycles

Many motorcycle crashes involve inexperienced riders, and riders have the same rights and duties as everyone else, but motorcycles are only about two feet wide against a car's five or six, hard to pick out of traffic, and even when seen their distance and speed are hard to judge. Left turns in front of an oncoming motorcycle cause a large share of injury crashes: look, look again, and be sure of the motorcycle's speed before turning. Most motorcycle turn signals do not self-cancel, so be sure a rider is really turning before you turn in front. Follow a motorcycle by the same two-second distance as any vehicle, since tailgating unnerves the rider; give riders the full lane width and never move alongside one in the same lane even if it is wide, which is illegal and hazardous. Allow more distance in the dark, in rain and on slick surfaces, when skilled riders slow down; rain and wet glare hide motorcycles, and rain, wind, dust and smog limit the rider's vision. Cross winds on open stretches and bridges, and blasts from big trucks, can push a motorcycle out of its lane. Gravel, debris, pavement seams, small animals and manhole covers may make a rider change speed or direction; at railroad crossings a rider may slow or turn to cross head-on and rise off the seat; metal or grated bridges and grooved pavement create a wobble that may make an inexperienced rider swerve or slow suddenly. Whoever is at fault, the rider usually loses.

Large vehicles

No-Zones are the danger areas around trucks and buses, several of them blind spots where your car disappears. Side no-zones are large on both sides: if you cannot see the driver's face in the side mirror, the driver cannot see you, and a lane change or evasive move could catch you; pass on the left as quickly as possible, get ahead where the driver can see you, and never ride alongside. Rear no-zones reach as far as 200 feet; tailgating means the driver cannot see you and you cannot see ahead, and when following a large vehicle at night dim your headlights, since bright lights reflect off its mirrors. Front no-zones: do not cut in too soon after passing; see the entire front of the truck in your mirror before pulling in and do not slow down, because trucks need nearly twice the room to stop; at 55 mph a car needs 193 feet and a loaded truck 430 feet. Backing no-zones: never cross behind a truck or bus that is backing, since the driver cannot see directly behind. Turning no-zones: avoid the squeeze play, because trucks and buses swing wide left to make a right turn; when the right signal is blinking do not pass on the right, or you will be trapped; wait until the turn is complete.

Parking

A vehicle left standing along a rural highway must be moved off the paved or main-traveled part, and if it cannot be moved you must light and mark it. On a hill, always set the hand brake and use park, or reverse or low gear without it: facing downhill turn the wheels toward the curb and use reverse or park; facing uphill with a curb turn them away from the curb and use low gear or park; with no curb, turn them toward the edge of the road whether uphill or downhill. Parking is not allowed within an intersection; on a crosswalk or sidewalk; within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an uncontrolled intersection; within 30 feet of a flashing beacon, stop sign or signal at the roadside; within 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing; within 15 feet of a fire hydrant; in front of a driveway; on a bridge or in a tunnel; on the roadway side of a vehicle parked at the curb or edge; or beside a yellow-painted curb or where signs prohibit it. To parallel park, pull even with the car ahead of the space, maneuver gently toward the space, turn the wheels sharply, begin straightening, and finish with the wheels parallel to the curb.

Safety belts and child restraints

Alabama's belt law requires every occupant, regardless of age, to be restrained; for maximum effect the belt is drawn snugly across the hip bones. The child restraint law covers children through age 15 in front and back seats of cars, pickups, vans seating ten or fewer, minivans and SUVs, and violators receive points and a fine. Required systems: an infant-only or convertible seat used rear-facing until at least 1 year or 20 pounds; a convertible seat forward or a forward-facing seat until at least 5 years or 40 pounds; a booster until age 6; and a seat belt until age 15. Wearing belts is the most effective way to reduce death and serious injury in crashes.

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