Sharing the Road With Trucks, Buses, School Buses, Railroads, Light Rail, Bicyclists, Motorcyclists and Pedestrians: Motorcycle Lane Filtering at 15 mph, Stop Bars, the No Zones, Wide Turns, Runaway Truck Ramps, Transit Buses, Amber and Red School Bus Lights, When Oncoming Traffic Must Stop, Stalling on the Tracks, the ENS Sign, the Only Round Sign, 10 Feet From the Tracks, Quiet Zones, Crossbucks, 40-Ton Light Rail Cars and 18-Foot Wires, Every Bicycle Law Including the 2022 Stop-as-Yield Rule, the Dutch Reach, Bicycle Hand Signals, Motorcycle Collision Causes and Pedestrian Rules

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), "Sharing the Road", "Railroad Crossing", "Light Rail", "Bicyclists", "Motorcycles" and "Pedestrians" (pages 19–24).

Sharing the road

Everyone has a right to the road and a duty to follow the law and look out for each other; bicycles, motorcycles, buses and trucks all behave differently. A rider of a two-wheeled motorcycle may pass vehicles in the same lane when those vehicles and the vehicles in the adjacent lanes are stopped and there is room to pass safely at no more than 15 mph; this is lane filtering.

Large trucks and buses

Trucks and buses need more room to turn, change lanes and maneuver. Stay behind the white stop bars at signs and signals, since many are measured to give trucks turning room. Their blind spots, the No Zones, are where cars vanish or crowd so close the driver cannot stop or maneuver safely. Do not pass or stop close to a truck that is backing, because the trailer hides the No Zone. Pass trucks quickly and on the left, and because they need longer to stop, do not pull in front of one until you see both its headlights in your mirror. Their rear blind spots are large, so do not tailgate: the driver cannot see you and you cannot see the traffic ahead. Their side blind spots are far bigger than a car's, so an emergency lane change can sweep you up. Trucks and buses often swing left to make a right turn; cutting between the truck and the curb invites a collision. Runaway truck ramps exist for vehicles that have lost their brakes; never chain up, change a tire or park on a ramp or its entrance, which is illegal and unsafe, and smoke from the brakes is a sign of a runaway, so get out of its way and never pull in front of it. Buses stop frequently, so stay alert behind one and stop smoothly; pass a stopped bus with care since it may pull out; buses have the right-of-way when leaving a stop and merging; and watch for pedestrians boarding, leaving or loading bikes in front of the bus.

School buses

Be especially careful near school buses in neighborhoods and school zones, where students board, alight and cross. When a bus is about to stop, its amber warning lights come on and stay on until the door opens; when the door opens the red stop lights and stop arm activate. Stop and remain stopped until the driver retracts the arm and turns off the red lights, at least 20 feet from the bus's front or rear bumper, and stay alert for children darting from in front of or behind it. On a two-lane road and on a four-lane road without a median, traffic in both directions must stop. On a divided highway of four or more lanes with a median, and on a highway of five or more lanes with a shared center turn lane, only the vehicles in the lanes behind the bus must stop and oncoming traffic is not legally required to. Failing to stop is illegal and has serious legal consequences.

Railroad crossings

A train can come at any time; obey every light, gate and sign, and at a crossing without lights or gates stop if necessary to check for trains. Never stop on the tracks, which is illegal and deadly, and never drive onto a crossing until the tracks are clear and there is room beyond them, watching for a second train on multiple tracks. If you stall on a crossing, get everyone out and far away at once even with no train in sight, and call the number on the blue Emergency Notification System sign near the crossbuck or local police; every public crossing has one, giving a 24-hour number and the DOT crossing number so the dispatcher can stop trains. Judge a train's speed and distance carefully, since its size makes it look slower than it is, and a freight train at 55 mph needs about a mile to stop. The advance warning sign, the only round traffic sign, is placed far enough back to let you stop. Pavement markings of R X R and a stop line may be painted before a crossing; stay behind the line, or at least 10 feet from the tracks if there is no line, because trains overhang the rails by 3 feet. In a quiet zone a "No Train Horn" sign hangs below the advance warning sign, and only the lights and gates warn you. The crossbuck is treated as a yield sign, with a plaque for the number of tracks, and becomes regulatory when a train approaches. Commercial buses and hazardous-materials trucks must stop at most crossings, so be ready to stop behind them. Always stop for flashing lights and do not cross until they stop; where gates are used, wait until they rise and the lights stop, because a lowered gate means the road is closed.

Light rail

Denver's RTD light rail vehicles run on some streets with traffic and on others against it, obey all signals and signs, and have the same rights and duties as other drivers, but each car weighs up to 40 tons and cannot stop quickly. Never turn in front of an approaching train, never cross the tracks without checking every direction, watch for people getting on and off, remember that buildings and foliage hide trains, treat traffic lights, warning lights and gates at rail crossings as the same command to stop and not cross, never drive around gates even after a train has passed because another may come the other way, mind your vehicle height under overhead wires that are 18 feet 6 inches above the track center, assume any hanging wire is live and never touch it or anything touching it, and report hanging wires or faulty devices to 911 or RTD.

Bicyclists

Bicycles are vehicles with the same rights and duties as motorists and generally follow the same rules; local ordinances may let them ride on sidewalks and in crosswalks with a pedestrian's rights. Look actively for them, since they are small and vulnerable and some are children. Colorado law: riders keep as far right as is safe but may take the center of the lane for visibility, on narrow roads or to avoid the door zone, glass or grates; when passing a bicyclist, including one in a bike lane, leave at least three feet from the outermost part of your vehicle or attachments, crossing a double yellow line if necessary when no one is coming, and if you cannot give three feet, slow down and stay behind; riders may ride side-by-side when not impeding traffic; yield to bicyclists in intersections as you would to anyone; they have the right-of-way in a bike lane, which continues through an intersection with or without paint; never stop, park or drive in a bike lane, though you may cross one when turning or entering or leaving a road, driveway or alley; riders may ride outside a bike lane; signal before turning and cancel it when going straight; on a multi-lane one-way street a bicyclist may ride on the right or the left; turn right from close to the curb and from a conflict zone where there is one, so a rider behind cannot pass on your right; forcing a bicyclist off the road is aggressive driving with legal consequences; and since a 2022 law, bicyclists aged 15 and older may treat a stop sign as a yield sign and a red light as a stop sign when the intersection is clear and they already have the right-of-way.

Good practice: treat riders as vulnerable drivers with a right to the road, judge their speed and distance, look for them anywhere even though they must ride with traffic, leave more than three feet in larger vehicles, rural areas or wind, never turn, slow or stop sharply in front of a rider whose brakes are weaker than yours, take extra care when the road is wet or littered, check beside and behind before opening a door and use the hand nearest the center of the car, the Dutch Reach, check for riders before backing, changing lanes or turning, look right and to the shoulder before a left turn, slow, yield and let a rider clear the intersection before turning right beside one, come to a complete stop and look everywhere before a legal right on red, and avoid the horn near riders unless a crash is imminent, since it can startle them. Riders must signal turns and stops but may keep both hands on the bars when conditions demand, so watch for head turns and shoulder checks: right arm straight out or left arm up at a right angle means a right turn, left arm straight out a left turn, and the left arm dropped at the elbow means slowing or stopping.

Motorcyclists

Motorcyclists have the same rights and duties as drivers, are very vulnerable with little protection, and are entitled to the full lane width. They move around in the lane to see, be seen and avoid hazards, and wind can shove them out of it. Lane filtering at up to 15 mph is legal as described above. Motorcycles are small, hard to see, and can accelerate and stop faster than expected; road defects and debris endanger them; use extra caution and increase your following distance. The most common driver-caused crash is a motorist turning left in front of an oncoming motorcycle or bicycle: look for riders on the shoulder, the lane edge or behind other vehicles and judge their speed before turning. Other common causes and cures: running a stop sign or signal (stop first, then yield); opening a door without looking (check behind and open with the far arm); turning right in front of a rider going straight (yield, let the rider clear, and turn from close to the curb); pulling out of a driveway without looking (check both directions and beyond the curb when crossing a sidewalk, path or road); and, for bicyclists, riding against traffic (ride with it).

Pedestrians

Pedestrians, standing, walking, running or using mobility aids, are the most vulnerable road users, and heavy vehicles make protecting them your responsibility. Never assume they can hear or see you or the crossing signals; some are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or blind. Keep to the limit or slower so you can see and respond; children and wheelchair users sit low. Pedestrians have the right-of-way at every intersection and crosswalk, marked or not, and you must yield or stop completely to let them pass. Look for them at every intersection, especially when turning; before a right turn on red, be in the correct lane, stop completely and check every direction for pedestrians before checking for vehicles; never stop with any part of the vehicle over the crosswalk; watch for people getting in and out of parked cars; drive very cautiously near schools, parks, parking lots, bus stops and events; never pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk, since it may be stopping for someone you cannot see; and check mirrors and blind spots when backing out of a space or driveway.

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