Sharing the Road: Pedestrians and Crosswalks, Bicyclists and the Three-Foot Law, Motorcycles, School Buses, Commercial Vehicles and No-Zones, and Trailering
Written for aiforu2 as the source for a practice-test bank and the on-device tutor for the Georgia driver's license knowledge exam. The facts follow the official manual; the wording is ours.
Source: Georgia Driver's Manual 2023–2024, Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS), section 9 "Sharing the Road" (pp. 42–45).
Pedestrians
Pedestrians are almost 15 percent of Georgia's motor vehicle deaths, and distraction is a factor. Georgia law says the driver must stop and remain stopped for a pedestrian in a crosswalk when the pedestrian is on your half of the roadway (all lanes going your direction) or approaching within one lane of it; when turning left or right at any intersection; at stop signs after the full stop; at signals even on green while pedestrians are still in the crosswalk; when entering a street from an alley, driveway or private road; and always for a blind pedestrian with a white cane or guide dog.
Crosswalks exist at all four corners of every intersection even when unmarked, wherever a sidewalk would extend across the street, and mid-block when marked. Do not block them; at red lights and stop signs stop before the crosswalk. Look for pedestrians on both sides at intersections, when turning, near schools, parks and bus stops, and behind the car before backing in driveways and lots. Turning right on red, stop fully before the crosswalk, do not block it, and after looking left for a gap, look right for a pedestrian crossing in front of you. Passing stopped cars on a multi-lane road, use extreme caution: a hidden pedestrian may be crossing; when you stop at a crosswalk on a multi-lane road, stop at least 10 feet before it so the next lane's driver can see the pedestrian. Entering or leaving a driveway, alley or garage, stop before the sidewalk and wait for pedestrians; turning left into a driveway, wait for a traffic gap and for pedestrians on the sidewalk. Pedestrian injury risk rises steeply with speed: struck at 40 mph, a pedestrian's risk of death is at least 80 percent.
Bicyclists
Bicycles may use every Georgia road except interstates and limited-access highways, and riders may use the full lane; they are not required to ride in a bike lane even where one exists. Most bike-car crashes happen in daylight on straight, dry roads at intersections or driveways because drivers do not see the rider soon enough. Yield to bicyclists as you would to any driver, make eye contact at intersections, and remember that road defects hurt bikes more than cars, so leave room for a swerve.
Passing a bicyclist: move into a lane not adjacent to the bicycle if possible; if a lane change is impossible, illegal or unsafe, slow to at least 10 mph below the limit or 25 mph, whichever is more, and pass with at least three feet of clearance at all times. A violation is a misdemeanor with a fine up to $250. Expect a rider to swerve or turn in front of you (they may not have been able to merge left for a turn); dim your lights for an oncoming cyclist at night, since many have no lights or reflectors; bike lanes are for bicycles only, never for driving or parking; and cyclists may pass on your right in a bike lane or shared lane when safe. Bicyclists signal with the arm: left arm out for a left turn, left arm up or right arm out for a right turn, and an arm down for slowing or stopping.
Motorcycles
Riders have the same rights and duties as drivers but face more danger, since a motorcycle needs exceptional handling and offers no protection. Its small outline makes it look farther away and slower than it is, so look twice, check mirrors and blind spots before every lane change and at every intersection, and expect a motorcycle to appear. Allow a full lane: never share a lane, and understand that riders shift position within the lane to be seen or to avoid debris, seams, potholes, gravel, wet patches, rail crossings and grooved pavement. Intersections are the most likely crash site, usually because a driver did not see the motorcycle and turned into its path; do not assume a rider's intention until the maneuver clearly starts, and do not trust a flashing signal, which may not self-cancel. Keep three to four seconds behind a motorcycle so the rider can maneuver or stop; in dry conditions a motorcycle stops faster than a car. When a motorcycle passes you, hold your lane and speed; when you pass one, give it the whole lane and do not cut back in early, which can force the rider off the road. Treat riders as full partners in traffic.
School buses
In most cases every driver approaching or meeting a stopped school bus with its lights flashing while loading or unloading must stop. The exception is a highway separated by a median, where only traffic following or alongside the bus in the same direction must stop. Flashing red or amber lights front and rear warn you in advance. After stopping, stay stopped until the bus moves or switches off its signals and every passenger has cleared the road. Passing a stopped school bus brings a mandatory court appearance, up to 6 points, a fine up to $1,000, and a license suspension for drivers under 21.
Commercial vehicles
Heavy trucks typically weigh 80,000 pounds or more. A loaded tractor-trailer at 55 mph needs three times a car's stopping distance; trucks are longer, heavier, harder to maneuver and need much more room to turn; and they have bigger blind spots, the No-Zones, where your car disappears from the driver's view. Side No-Zones are on both sides and far larger than a car's; if you cannot see the driver's face in the side mirror, the driver cannot see you, and the right side is especially dangerous because trucks and buses swing wide right. The rear No-Zone is huge because trucks have no rear-view mirror; too close, the driver cannot see you and you cannot see ahead. The front No-Zone matters because trucks need more room to stop: never cut in front and slow down, and pull in only when you can see the entire front of the truck in your rear-view mirror.
The Georgia TACT project (Targeting Aggressive Cars and Trucks) has officers stopping unsafe drivers around commercial vehicles. Avoid a citation by not cutting off trucks, giving them room when either of you merges, not tailgating (you lose your view ahead and any room to react), and not speeding, a factor in nearly one-third of fatal crashes; one car length per 10 mph is recommended.
Trailering
Towing is a new skill: take your time, stay calm if you lose control, stay within the vehicle's capacity, distribute and secure the load, inspect and maintain the trailer and tow vehicle, practice handling it, and consider tow mirrors and extra safety equipment. AAMVA publishes more on safe trailering.
Practise this with Georgia Driver License questions
More of this guide
The 30-day residency rule and exemptions, 20/60 vision, Classes C, D, M, E and F and permit fees, Real ID documents, the Class C permit at 15, the Class D provisional license at 16 with Joshua's Law driver education and 40 supervised hours, the Class C license, transfers for new residents, the road signs and road rules exams (15 of 20), and the road test maneuvers.
TADRA's three phases, school enrollment proof, the responsible adult, Joshua's Law, teens moving to Georgia, parent-requested revocation, under-21 suspensions for reckless driving, racing, 4-point offenses and DUI, renewal by mail, voter registration, the $10 replacement and its documents, 60-day address and name changes, MVR fees and donations.
The three basic laws, who yields to whom, turns on red, the school bus rule and the median exception, how to pass on a two-lane road and where passing is prohibited (100 feet from a crossing or bridge, 200 feet from oncoming traffic), hand signals, right and left turns, U-turns, where you may never stop or park (15, 20, 30, 50 and 75 feet rules), parallel parking, keep right except to pass, and backing up.
Statutory speed limits, the $200 Super Speeder fee, driving too slowly, stopping 15 to 50 feet from the tracks, orange work zones and their $100 to $2,000 fines, controlled-access roads and Peach Pass, coasting, the .08 and .02 DUI limits, reckless, aggressive and stunt driving penalties, trailers, medians, headlight rules (500 and 200 feet), night driving, safety belts, child restraints under 8, distraction, litter, passing postal and sanitation vehicles, and hands-free penalties.
The seven sign shapes and their colors, regulatory, warning, guide, construction and service signs, express lanes, signal colors and arrows including the flashing yellow arrow, dark and flashing signals, lane control and pedestrian signals, the pedestrian hybrid beacon, stop and crosswalk lines, center, no-passing, double white, edge and lane lines, traffic striping, two-way left turn lanes, bicycle lanes and roundabouts.
The penny test, entering the car, 9-and-3 steering, low beams in fog, hydroplaning at 35 and 55 mph, steering into a skid, advisory speeds on curves, leaving the pavement without jerking the wheel, blowouts, winter driving, carbon monoxide, the two-second rule, stopping distance factors, entering and exiting expressways, gores, HOV and HOT lanes, highway hypnosis, jammed accelerators and brake failure, and metro Atlanta emissions testing.
Cancellation, revocation, suspension and commercial disqualification, mandatory suspension offenses, implied consent and the one-year refusal suspension, the points chart and the 15-point, under-21 and under-18 suspensions, the 7-point reduction and 20 percent fine reduction, the Safety Responsibility Law, habitual violators, limited driving permits, CDL major and serious violations, and what to do after a crash including the $500 reporting threshold, the Good Samaritan law, moving vehicles off the road and deer.