Rules of the Road: Right-of-Way at Intersections, Emergency Vehicles, School Buses, Parking, the Move Over or Slow Down Law and Steer It-Clear It: The Law Says Who Yields, Failure to Yield as Iowa's Top Killer, Watching Out for Bicyclists, Right Turns on Red, Sidewalks and Driveways, Left Turns, All-Way Stops and the Driver on the Right, Uncontrolled Intersections, Pulling Right for Emergency Vehicles and Clearing the Intersection First, the Median Exception and 500 Feet Behind, Stopping 15 Feet Behind a School Bus on Two- and Three-Lane Roads, Slowing to 20 mph When Meeting One, the Four-Lane Exception, 180-Day Suspensions, Parking Within 18 Inches, Eleven Places You May Not Park, Moving Over or Slowing for Flashing Lights and the One-Year Suspension, and Clearing the Lane After a Crash
Written for aiforu2 as the source for a practice-test bank and the on-device tutor for the Iowa driver's license knowledge test. The facts follow the official manual; the wording is ours.
Source: Iowa Driver's License Manual (Iowa DOT, July 2026), Chapter 2 "Traffic Signs & Rules of the Road", sections 2.22–2.28 (pages 18–22).
Right-of-way at intersections
Where vehicles or pedestrians may meet without signs or signals, rules say who yields and who goes first; the law says who must yield and gives no one the right-of-way, and whatever the rule, you must do everything possible to avoid striking a pedestrian or vehicle. Failure to yield the right-of-way is the number one cause of traffic deaths in Iowa. Be especially alert for bicyclists: although they share the road's rights and duties, they are very vulnerable in a crash and have no defense against a vehicle, so drive defensively around them and be ready to yield even when they should yield to you. At controlled intersections: after stopping at a red light you must yield before turning right, and right turns on red are allowed unless a sign prohibits them; drivers crossing a sidewalk or entering or leaving a driveway, alley or parking lot must yield to pedestrians, and driving on a sidewalk is illegal except to cross it; drivers turning left yield to oncoming vehicles going straight; at an all-way stop the driver who arrives first goes first after a complete stop, and when vehicles arrive together the vehicle on the right goes first; drivers entering from a driveway, alley or roadside yield to vehicles on the main road; and you must yield or stop for pedestrians in marked or unmarked crosswalks. At uncontrolled intersections with no stop sign or signal, every driver slows and approaches carefully, all the same rules apply, extra caution is needed, and when two vehicles arrive at about the same time the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.
Emergency vehicles
Yield to a police vehicle, fire engine, ambulance or other emergency vehicle using a siren or air horn and/or red or blue flashing lights by pulling to the right edge of the road, or as near the right as possible, when you see or hear one approaching from any direction. If you are in an intersection, including a roundabout, drive through it before pulling over; but on a street or highway separated by a median, you need not stop for an emergency vehicle on the other side. Stay at least 500 feet behind any emergency vehicle using lights and sirens.
School buses
On a two- or three-lane road, approaching a bus from the rear, flashing red or amber warning lights mean you may not pass and should be ready to stop; when the bus stops and extends its stop arm, stop behind it no closer than 15 feet, stay stopped until the arm retracts and the bus moves, and proceed with caution. Meeting the bus from the front, flashing amber lights require slowing to no more than 20 mph and being ready to stop; when the bus stops and extends its arm, stop in front of it and stay stopped until the arm retracts. On a road with four or more lanes, the rules from the rear are the same, including the 15-foot stop; meeting the bus in one of the opposite lanes, you need not stop even when the bus is stopped with lights flashing and arm out, the only time you may pass a stopped school bus with its arm extended. A violation may suspend your license for up to 180 days.
Parking
You are responsible for a parked vehicle that becomes a hazard: park in a designated area if possible; on a roadway park as far from traffic as possible, within 18 inches of any curb; park far enough from any travel lane not to interfere; and check traffic before opening the door, leaving on the curb side if necessary. Check signs and colored curbs for limits, and do not park on a crosswalk; in front of a public or private driveway; on any bridge outside city limits or in a highway tunnel; beside another stopped or parked car (double parking); closer than five feet to a fire hydrant or in a hydrant red zone; closer than 10 feet to a stop sign; closer than 20 feet to a fire station entrance; closer than 50 feet to a railroad crossing; in no-parking zones marked by signs, yellow curbs or pavement markings; in an intersection; on a sidewalk; or on interstates and highways. Spaces reserved for persons with disabilities may be used only with a Persons with Disabilities Parking Permit.
The Move Over or Slow Down law and Steer It-Clear It
Iowa's Move Over or Slow Down law requires changing lanes when approaching any stopped emergency, tow, recovery, maintenance, construction, solid waste or recycling collection vehicle with its flashing lights on, and any stopped vehicle, including a passenger car, continuously showing its hazard lights. If a lane change is impossible, illegal or unsafe, slow down and be ready to stop; no speed is specified, but it must be reasonable and proper for conditions. A violation may suspend your license for up to one year. Under Steer It-Clear It, after a crash with no injuries you must move an operable vehicle out of the driving lanes if it can be moved safely, because every minute an interstate lane stays blocked raises the risk of a secondary crash by roughly 2.8 percent.
Practise this with Iowa Driver License questions
More of this guide
Who counts as an Iowa resident, carrying your license, registration and insurance, the tests, nine sign colors and every shape, regulatory and warning signs, pedestrian conveyances, the 35 mph slow-moving triangle, every light and arrow, active and passive railroad crossings and the 15- to 50-foot stop, work zones, yellow and white lines, reversible and shared lanes, bicycle lanes, beacons and sight-impaired pedestrians, with sign pictures.
Brakes, lights, 70 percent tint, the penny test, exhaust and mirrors, sitting 10 inches from the air bag, which driver-assistance features are allowed on the test, blind spots, belt laws and fines, child restraints, loose objects, the three distractions and the hands-free law, OWI at 0.08, implied consent, the $1,250 refusal, 0.02 under 21, open containers and drowsy driving.
Shifting automatics and manuals, stopping distances from 69 to 464 feet, the three- to four-second rule, required stops, ABS, unposted limits from 20 to 70 mph, hand positions, backing, signaling 100 or 300 feet ahead, turns on red, changing lanes one at a time, five steps to pass and where passing is illegal, seven defensive techniques, tailgaters, headlights, the horn and breakdowns.
Three steps at intersections, crossing rural four-lane roads, on-ramps, reduced-conflict intersections, roundabouts, gravel roads, night glare, deer, truck no-zones, motorcycles, passing bicyclists, hot cars, rain, floods, fog, tornadoes, ice and snowplows, equipment failures, the $1,500 crash report within 72 hours and traffic stops.