Safe Vehicle Operation, Part One: Yellow and White Lane Markings, Changing Lanes, Passing and Where Passing Is Prohibited, Being Passed, Turning From the Proper Lane, Hand Signals, Center Turn Lanes, U-Turns and Median U-Turn Intersections, All-Way Stops, Roundabouts and Traffic Circles, Following Turning Vehicles, Every Speed Limit, School Zones, Work Zones and School Buses, Speed and Distance, Following Distance, Skids, ABS, Rollovers, Fuel Economy, Tire Pressure and Tread, Winter, Rain, Fog, Wind and Flash Floods, Night Driving and Headlights, Drowsy, Distracted and Aggressive Driving, Rural Roads and Interstates

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

Source: Indiana Driver's Manual (Indiana BMV, July 2026), Chapter 7 "Safe Vehicle Operation", pages 37–46 (Lane Markings through Driving on Interstate Highways).

Lane markings and lane changes

A defensive driver watches other drivers and anticipates problems. Yellow markings separate opposite directions: you may cross a broken yellow line to pass when safe, but not a solid yellow line except to turn. White markings separate same-direction lanes: cross a broken white line to change lanes when safe, never a solid white line. Change one lane at a time, signal before turning or changing lanes, never weave, and on a highway keep slower traffic right and leave the left lane for faster or passing traffic. To change lanes, make sure the new lane is clear ahead, check the mirrors for anyone about to pass, glance over your shoulder at the blind spot, signal, and move smoothly.

Passing

Make sure the passing lane is clear, because you must return to the right side no less than 100 feet before any oncoming vehicle; check behind and to the left for anyone passing you; signal; move into the passing lane, accelerate, and continue until you can see the passed vehicle in your rearview mirror; signal again before returning. Passing is illegal where a solid yellow line is on your side of the center, where a yellow pennant No Passing Zone stands on the left or a white Do Not Pass sign on the right, on or approaching a curve, approaching the crest of a hill, and within 100 feet of an intersection, railroad crossing, bridge, viaduct or tunnel. When being passed on the left, let the other vehicle by and do not speed up.

Turning

Move into the proper lane well ahead with your signal: the far-left lane for a left turn, the far-right lane for a right turn, yielding to oncoming vehicles and pedestrians, and turning into the corresponding lane whether the roads are one-way or two-way. Lighted signals are safest; hand signals (left arm straight out for left, bent up for right, bent down for stop or slow) may be used when the lights fail but not on the skills exam. A center lane designated solely for left turns, marked by alternating arrows or a Center Lane Only sign, serves both directions and must never be used for passing. A U-turn reverses direction 180 degrees: yield to oncoming vehicles and pedestrians, never make one on a curve or approaching a hill crest, and never on an interstate, where you drive to the next exit; at a median U-turn or J-turn intersection, signs direct you through the intersection to a median opening where the U-turn replaces the prohibited left turn. At an all-way stop, stop and look, the first vehicle to stop goes first, and when two arrive together the vehicle on the left yields; when in doubt, yield. A roundabout is entered and exited only by right turns and flows counterclockwise; entering traffic always yields to circulating traffic and to pedestrians in the crosswalk, signs and markings assign lanes in advance, and you never change lanes in the circle or walk to the center island. A traffic circle differs: it may carry traffic both ways and use stop signs. In a multilane roundabout, yield to large vehicles passing through at the same time, slowing or stopping for them, and when two large trucks arrive together the right-lane truck yields to the left-lane truck. Following a driver who signals or slows for a turn, slow and be ready to stop.

Speed limits

Indiana requires driving at the posted limit; speeding reduces steering around curves and objects, lengthens stops and makes air bags and belts less effective. On rural interstates (outside urban areas of 50,000 or more) passenger vehicles may not exceed 70 mph and trucks over 26,000 pounds 65 mph; on a rural state divided highway, 60 mph; on urban interstates, non-divided state highways and county roads, 55 mph; in most urban residential areas, 30 mph; in alleys, 15 mph. School zone limits commonly apply 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday or when the beacons flash, and local authorities may lower them whenever children are present. Work-site limits are at least 10 mph below the normal limit, some only when flashing. School buses are limited to 40 mph off interstates and state highways and 60 mph on them. Slow further in bad weather, on slick or icy roads, on worn tires, in poor visibility, with an unsafe vehicle, in impaired condition or on hazardous surfaces.

Speed, distance and control

At 35 mph you travel 51.3 feet a second, 2.6 lanes, and cross a football field in 5.8 seconds; at 55 mph, 80.7 feet a second and 3.7 seconds; at 70 mph, 102.7 feet a second and 2.9 seconds. Keep at least two to three seconds behind the vehicle ahead, timed from when it passes a fixed object. Stopping depends on weight, brakes, tires, pavement, slickness and grade. In a skid, ease off the gas, avoid a fast turn away from the skid or oversteering that spins the car, steer in the direction the rear is sliding with conventional brakes, and with ABS keep firm continuous pressure on the pedal while steering normally, never pumping; noise, vibration or pedal resistance mean the ABS is working. Rollovers cause nearly a third of passenger vehicle deaths: avoid panicked overcorrection, ease off the gas and return gradually if you leave the pavement, maintain tires, load properly, take care on undivided rural roads and unbarriered divided roads, and respect advisory speeds on curves and ramps; 15-passenger van risk rises with every occupant. Fuel use climbs above 45 mph, and 75 mph burns about 50 percent more than 55; drive sensibly, avoid roof cargo and excess weight, avoid rapid starts and stops, maintain the engine, tires and oil grade, and combine trips since cold starts can double fuel use. Tires lose up to 1 psi a month: check monthly and before trips, cold (before driving or three hours after), against the door-jamb sticker, never the sidewall number. Check tread with the penny test; below about 1/16 inch grip in bad conditions is greatly reduced.

Weather

In winter, clear the windows, expect ice to cut traction, watch for drifting snow on rural roads and icy intersections, use headlights, expect ramps, bridges and overpasses to freeze first, keep back from snowplows, warm the engine, keep a full tank so the heater lasts if stranded, brush snow off the lights, and carry sand or carpet strips, booster cables, blankets, a shovel, a flashlight, clothing, candles, matches, food and water. Wet roads are slickest just after rain begins, riding on a film of oil, dirt and water that can hydroplane the tires at speed, leaving no friction to brake, accelerate or turn; avoid bald tires, slow in heavy rain, standing water or slush, pump the brakes after puddles to dry them, slow when water is deeper than the tread, and use headlights. In fog, slow down, use low beams (high beams reflect back), use flashers, and pull far off and stop if visibility nears zero. Strong winds hit vans and SUVs hard. Flash flooding kills more people than any other road weather: never drive around barricades or past road-closed signs, watch for washed-out bridges, culverts and roadbeds, never drive where water covers the road because depth and washouts are hidden, and abandon a stalled car at once before rising water sweeps it away.

Night, drowsy, distracted and aggressive driving

Night driving brings fatigue and poor recognition of pedestrians, markings and vehicles, so reduce speed on unfamiliar roads and avoid glare by focusing on the right side of the road. Headlights are required from sunset to sunrise and whenever visibility is under 500 feet; use low beams within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle or 200 feet behind another. Fatigue figures in about 17.6 percent of fatal crashes, 18 hours awake impairs like a .08 BAC, and drivers 16 to 29 account for 64 percent of fatigue crashes; shift workers, parents, sedative users and untreated sleep-disorder patients are most at risk. Warning signs include dozing at stop lights, yawning, heavy eyelids, forgetting the last miles, missing signs or exits, drifting, head nodding, hitting rumble strips and uneven speed; the cure is sleep, a short nap in a safe place, or another driver. Distraction takes eyes, hands or mind off driving; Indiana forbids using a telecommunications device while driving except hands-free or to call 911, and a text takes the eyes off the road five seconds, a football field at 55 mph. About a third of Indiana traffic deaths come from dangerous driving (aggression, disregarding a signal or speeding). Aggressive driving under Indiana law is committing at least three of the following in one episode: following too closely, unsafe operation, passing on the right by leaving the road, unsafe stopping or slowing, needless horn use, failing to yield, disobeying a traffic control device, unsafe speed, and repeatedly flashing the headlights.

Rural roads and interstates

Gravel cuts traction and demands earlier slowing; dry dirt roads raise dust, so use low beams; narrow roads and bridges call for caution; before a steep crest, slow, keep right and never pass; and crops such as corn hide intersections and curves. On an interstate, stay right on the ramp and build speed in the acceleration lane to merge when clear; drivers on the interstate should make room, but entering drivers must yield. Never back up to a missed exit, never U-turn across the median (only emergency and maintenance vehicles may), and never stop or park on the shoulder except for an emergency or breakdown. Trucks are restricted to the right lane where there are two lanes each way and to the right two lanes where there are three or more.

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