Right-of-Way, Speed, Turning, Parking, Freeways, Changing Lanes and Passing: Pedestrians, Bicycles, Four-Way Stops, Left Turns, Merging, Narrow Mountain Roads, Emergency, Maintenance and Transit Vehicles, Snowplows, School Buses, Work Zone Speeds, Default Speed Limits, Stopping Distance, Signaling 100 and 200 Feet, Turning Lanes and Paths, U-Turns and Two- and Three-Point Turnabouts, Where Parking Is Banned, Hill and Parallel Parking, Entering and Leaving the Freeway, Metered Ramps, Lane Changes and the Rules of Passing

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

Source: Colorado Driver Handbook (Colorado DMV, DR 2337, December 2024 edition), "Right-of-Way", "Speed", "Turning", "Parking", "Freeway Driving", "Changing Lanes" and "Passing" (pages 11–16).

Right-of-way

Where drivers or pedestrians meet without signs or signals, rules say who must yield. The law never gives anyone the right-of-way, even on a green light: you must yield to pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers already in the intersection. Pedestrians always have it; watch for children, seniors and people with disabilities, never assume they can see or hear you (some are deaf, blind or deaf-blind, often recognizable by a white cane or guide dog), and at every intersection and crosswalk come to a complete stop and let them pass. Bicycles are vehicles with most of the same rights; yield to a bicyclist in a bike lane when you merge with or cross it to turn, and a bicyclist on a sidewalk or crosswalk has a pedestrian's rights.

At a four-way stop the first vehicle to arrive goes first; when several arrive together, the vehicle on the left yields to the one on the right, and whoever has the right-of-way, you are always responsible for avoiding a crash. At an uncontrolled intersection the vehicle on the left likewise yields to the right. Turning left, look for and yield to pedestrians and smaller oncoming vehicles such as bicycles and motorcycles, judge their speed and distance, and yield to all oncoming traffic unless you have a green arrow or arrived first at a four-way stop. When changing lanes, passing or merging, yield to vehicles already in the lane and never make another driver slow for you. Reversing, yield to every vehicle close enough to be a hazard. On a steep, narrow mountain road too narrow for two vehicles, the one going downhill yields by backing to a wider spot or stopping and leaving room, unless it is more practical for the uphill vehicle to return to a turnout.

You must yield to emergency vehicles using a siren, air horn or flashing red, blue, white or yellow lights: pull to the right edge and stop where possible, and if you are in an intersection, clear it first. Approaching an emergency vehicle stopped at the roadside, leave at least one lane between you if you can; if you cannot change lanes, slow to a safe speed, which unless directed otherwise means 25 mph where the limit is 45 or less, or 20 mph under the limit where it is above 45. Yield to maintenance vehicles flashing yellow and blue lights and pass them with extra care. Be especially careful around snowplows, whose blowing snow can hide them; it is illegal to pass plows working in a staggered diagonal formation. A transit bus signaling to re-enter traffic with the yield sign on its rear lit has the right-of-way.

For a school bus stopped with red lights flashing, stop at least 20 feet before it, whether it is on your side, the opposite side, or at an intersection you are approaching, and stay stopped until the red lights stop, watching for children; you need not stop when a median or other physical barrier separates you from the bus. In a work zone, move your lane position away from workers, slow for obstacles and changes, and obey the reduced limits, which carry double fines.

Speed

Speed is the greatest factor in crash severity. Limit signs show the maximum for ideal conditions; some roads such as freeways post minimums, and going slower than the minimum is a violation unless road or weather requires it. Slow in poor weather and near tracks, pedestrians, bicyclists, animals and school buses, but driving much slower than traffic in normal conditions disrupts the flow. Unless posted otherwise, Colorado's limits are 20 mph on narrow, winding mountain highways and blind curves, 25 mph in a business district, 30 mph in a residence district, 40 mph on open mountain highways, 45 mph for trash-hauling vehicles, 55 mph on urban interstates and highways, and 65 to 75 mph on designated rural interstates and highways; towns may adopt lower limits. Stopping distance runs from the moment you realize you must stop until the vehicle halts and depends on speed, recognition, reaction and brakes; leave space so you can plan a gradual stop, since braking suddenly can skid you or get you hit. Per the National Safety Council, a light car at 55 mph stops in about 200 feet.

Turning

Signal in time, search for hazards and road users crossing your path, turn from and into the correct lane on the correct path, and accelerate out of the turn to the limit or the traffic flow. Failing to signal is a violation: signal before every turn, lane change, parking-lot entry or departure from a parked position, continuously for 100 feet in urban areas and 200 feet on four-lane highways posted above 40 mph, and as a rule for at least 3 seconds; if your signals fail, use hand signals, ending them before the turn so both hands are on the wheel. Turn right from the right-most part of your lane, close to the curb, beginning in the right-most lane; turn left from the left side of your lane; where several lanes may turn, signs and markings show which. Finish in the center of the correct lane, usually the nearest one on your side, following the white lines painted through multi-lane intersections, and avoid cutting corners, swinging wide, late turns and straddling.

Left turns are where crashes cluster. Wait at the stop line or crosswalk for a gap big enough to complete the turn safely, look for pedestrians and small oncoming vehicles, and do not creep into the intersection, which blocks it for emergency vehicles, hides oncoming traffic and exposes you if the light changes and someone runs the red. Never turn the front wheels left while waiting; a rear-end hit would push you into oncoming traffic.

A U-turn is forbidden unless it can be made without endangering anyone and is banned where signed; if you cannot make it safely, go on to the next street or turnaround, and never make a sudden U-turn in front of traffic. A two-point turnabout uses a street, alley or driveway to reverse direction when going around the block is impractical: in the reverse version you signal right, stop, check traffic, back until your rear bumper reaches the driveway's near edge, steer fully right while backing slowly, straighten and stop centered in the driveway, then shift to drive, check both ways, signal and turn left into the proper lane; in the forward version you signal left, move near the center line, turn into the driveway as near its right side as possible, stop when your rear clears the curb, check all directions, signal right, back slowly while steering fully right, straighten as you center in the nearest lane, stop, shift to drive, cancel the signal and go. A three-point turnabout is for a two-lane road too narrow for a U-turn with no way around the block: signal right and pull to the right side, stop; signal left at least 200 feet or three seconds ahead, check blind spots, turn hard left to the far side, stop; check both ways, steer sharply right and reverse to the other side, stop; then in drive, signal left, check, and turn sharply left into the right lane of the new direction, making sure the signal cancels.

Parking

Leave an automatic in park, a manual in low gear facing uphill and in reverse facing downhill, set the parking brake and take the key. You may not park on a crosswalk, sidewalk, bridge, elevated structure, railroad tracks or controlled-access highway; within 30 feet of a traffic signal, stop sign or railroad crossing; within 15 feet of a fire hydrant; in an intersection, tunnel, runaway truck ramp or on- or off-ramp; blocking a driveway; or in a bike lane. On a hill: downhill, front wheels toward the curb, letting the tire rest against it; uphill with a curb, wheels away from the curb, rolling back until the front wheel rests against it; with no curb, uphill or downhill, turn the wheels right so the car rolls off the highway. To parallel park, stop even with the car ahead, turn sharply right and back slowly, turn sharply left when clear of that car and keep backing, then turn sharply right and pull toward the curb to center in the space; pull out only after signaling and checking mirrors and blind spots. Where parallel parking is allowed, the vehicle must be within 12 inches of the curb or as close as possible to the shoulder's edge.

Freeways

Use the acceleration ramp to match freeway speed, signal, find a gap, accelerate and merge when safe, but not before the solid white line ends, and never stop in the acceleration lane unless you must; you yield to freeway traffic. On a metered ramp stop and wait for the green light. On the freeway keep to the right-most lane when slower than the flow, leave the left lane for passing, left turns and heavy traffic, move over when safe to make room for entering vehicles, watch ahead, around and behind for vehicles in your blind spots, plan with the guide signs, signal at least 200 feet before changing lanes and avoid frequent changes, and never drive across or within a median or island. To exit, signal 200 feet before the deceleration lane, hold your speed until you enter it, then slow to the ramp's advised speed; keep pace with traffic until then, never exit at the last second, and never exceed the ramp's posted limit.

Changing lanes

Lane changes include moving between lanes, passing, merging from a ramp and pulling out from the curb or shoulder. Signal and leave it on at least 3 seconds or 200 feet before moving, check traffic ahead, in the mirrors and over your shoulder for the blind spot slightly to the rear and side that mirrors miss, move when safe, check the mirror once centered, and cancel the signal within 3 seconds.

Passing

Signs and markings show where passing is allowed. Pass on the left; passing on the right is allowed only on one-way streets and roads with two or more lanes each way, and never by leaving the pavement or using the shoulder. Judge time and room by watching ahead, beside and behind, change lanes as above, accelerate past, and return one lane when you see both headlights of the passed vehicle in your mirror. Pass one vehicle at a time. Passing a bicyclist requires at least three feet between the bicyclist and the outermost part of your vehicle, mirrors and trailers included, and you may briefly cross a solid yellow line to do it when no one is coming and the view ahead is clear; give more room on rural roads, in a large vehicle or in wind, because wind blast can knock a rider down. Do not pass when you cannot return to the right before coming within 200 feet of an oncoming vehicle or bicyclist, or before a solid yellow line begins; on a curve or hill with an obstructed view; within 100 feet of an intersection or railroad crossing; or within 100 feet of a bridge, viaduct or tunnel where the view is blocked. It is illegal to pass in a marked no-passing zone, to exceed the speed limit while passing, and to pass a school bus with red lights flashing and its stop arm out.

Practise this with Colorado Driver License questions

More of this guide