Sharing the Road, What to Do in a Crash, and Driver Assistance Systems

Written for aiforu2 as the source for a practice-test bank and the on-device tutor for the New York State Class D knowledge (written) test. The facts follow the official manual; the wording is ours.

Source: New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, chapter 11 "Sharing the Road" (pp. 67–76), chapter 12 "If You Are in a Traffic Crash" (p. 77) and chapter 13 "Advanced Driver Assistance Systems" (pp. 78–79).

Pedestrians

Pedestrians are at high risk and the law demands extra care. Watch for children near schools, bus stops, playgrounds, parks and ice cream trucks. When backing, look through the rear window, not just the mirrors, and before backing into or out of a driveway with children nearby, get out and check behind the vehicle. Pedestrians walk on the side of the road facing traffic, so watch the right side on right turns and the far left on left turns. A blind pedestrian with a guide dog or a white or metal cane has the right-of-way at any marked or unmarked crosswalk even when the signals and normal rules are against them. Keep your eyes moving to the sides every few seconds.

Pedestrians must obey signals, officers and signs, use the sidewalk or walk facing traffic as far from the lane as possible, and never stand in the road to hitchhike or do business with motorists. Drivers must yield to pedestrians at every crosswalk and intersection, marked or unmarked, particularly where there is no signal, must yield when turning, must not block or park in crosswalks, and must never pass a vehicle stopped for pedestrians. Left turns are especially dangerous: more than 35 percent of New York City pedestrian injury crashes happen during a driver's left turn. Stop well back from a crossing so other drivers can see the pedestrians, watch for people with hearing, sight or mobility challenges, remember that the A-pillars create blind spots, and expect pedestrians to appear anywhere, including outside crosswalks. A driver in a crash with a pedestrian, or who injures a pedestrian or bicyclist, or fails to exercise due care, can be ticketed.

Bicyclists

Bicyclists may share the road, riding in the same direction as traffic; they are hard to see and unprotected, so check blind spots by turning your head before turning, parallel parking, opening a door or leaving a curb. Give them room and reduce speed when passing, because the air pressure of a fast pass can unbalance them, and expect sudden changes of speed, direction or lane position at road hazards, as with a motorcyclist. Yield to them as to any vehicle and do not underestimate their speed; look right and behind before turning right on red, since a bicyclist may be coming up on the right rear; pass them as you would a vehicle, by moving into the adjacent lane when safe. Know the dedicated spaces drivers may not use: the bicycle lane, the two-way cycle track, the bike box (a marked area at an intersection ahead of where traffic must stop, giving bicyclists extra space), and green painted lanes for visibility.

Bicyclists must ride in a bike lane where there is one, otherwise near the right curb or edge or on the right shoulder, except when preparing a left turn or avoiding hazards; come to a full stop before entering a road from a driveway, alley or over a curb; ride no more than two abreast in a lane; not ride on a sidewalk where local law prohibits it; signal turns, lane changes and stops by hand (a right turn may be signaled with the right arm straight out); never carry an infant under one year; carry children 1 to 4 only in an attached safety seat; carry no passenger without a passenger seat; keep at least one hand on the handlebars and carry nothing that prevents control; and report any bicycle crash causing death or serious injury to DMV within 10 days (form MV-104C). Riders and passengers aged 1 to 13 must wear an approved helmet. A bicycle on a public road needs adequate brakes and a horn or bell audible from 100 feet; at night a headlight visible from 500 feet ahead and a red taillight visible from 300 feet behind, one of them visible from 200 feet to each side; a dealer-sold bicycle needs wide-angle spoke reflectors or reflective tires, a wide-angle rear reflector and pedal reflectors.

Skaters, scooters, motorcycles and mopeds

In-line skaters, skateboarders and non-motorized scooter riders are as vulnerable as pedestrians and bicyclists; the driver owes them due care, especially along the roadside, in bike lanes, at intersections and crosswalks.

Motorcyclists have the same rights and duties as drivers but are far more likely to be hurt in a crash, and riders must wear approved helmets and goggles or a face shield. They are hard to see because they are smaller, seem farther away and faster than they are, may move within the lane, and have less obvious lighting: their headlights are always on and so do not stand out among daytime running lights, their taillights are small and always on so the brake light hides, they lack an eye-level center brake light, and their turn signals usually do not cancel themselves, so a flashing signal may mean nothing. Two motorcycles may ride side by side in one lane, but a motorcycle may not pass or share a lane with another kind of vehicle; a motorcycle may be hidden ahead of the car you are passing or in the lane you merge into. Nationally in 2015, 41 percent of fatal motorcycle crashes involved another vehicle turning left across a motorcycle going straight, and in 2014 more than half of New York's motorcycle crashes involved another vehicle. Train yourself to look for motorcycles, not just cars. Do not tailgate (motorcycles can stop faster and their slowing is hard to notice), give more room in rain or darkness, expect a rider to slow, rise off the seat and cross railroad tracks at a right angle, and to move to the center of the lane on a steel deck bridge; and pass carefully, since your air pressure affects them too.

Mopeds (limited use motorcycles) come in three classes by top speed: Class A, 31 to 40 mph; Class B, 21 to 30 mph; Class C, 20 mph or less. All must be registered (A, B or C plate) and ridden with the headlight on; a helmet and eye protection are required for A and B and recommended for C; insurance is mandatory for A and B and recommended for C (mandatory for a rented Class C); annual inspection is required for A and recommended for B and C; no title is required; Class A needs a Class M license or permit, B and C any class. Class B and C mopeds may use only the right lane or shoulder, except to turn left, while Class A may use any lane; mopeds are not allowed on expressways unless signs permit. Approach a moped as you would a bicyclist.

Large vehicles

In more than 60 percent of fatal car-truck crashes the car driver contributed to the cause, and four times in five it is the car driver who dies. The bigger the vehicle, the bigger its blind spots, the longer it takes to stop, the more room it needs to maneuver, and the longer it takes to pass. Large vehicles have deep blind spots behind, large ones on both sides, and long-hood tractors a blind spot of 20 feet in front: the "no zones." Tractor-trailers stop much later than cars because air brakes delay braking; leave plenty of space, signal early ahead of a truck and make no sudden moves. Trucks make wide right turns, moving left first, so watch the signals and do not linger beside them. Never cut in front; when exiting, slow and exit behind the truck; after passing, pull in only when you can see its whole front in your mirror. Passing takes longer, especially on a two-way road; a truck slows on an upgrade and speeds up on a downgrade, which stretches your pass. An approaching tractor-trailer looks slower and smaller than it is, so keep right on a two-way road. Never pass close behind a truck that is backing up; wait. When stopped behind a truck or bus at a light, especially uphill, leave room because it may roll back, and enough room to pull around it.

Slow-moving vehicles, ATVs and horses

The reflective orange triangle must be shown on the back of animal-drawn vehicles, most farm vehicles, construction equipment and rural mail delivery vehicles; approach with caution and pass only when safe. ATVs and snowmobiles may cross many highways: they must stop, yield, and cross at a 90-degree angle. Horse riders are protected by the rules of the road and must ride single file near the right edge; you must pass at a reasonable speed and distance, and sounding the horn near a horse is illegal.

If you are in a crash

New York has more than 300,000 crashes a year; carry an emergency kit with flares and first-aid supplies. You must stop, whatever the damage: leaving the scene of a property-damage crash is a traffic violation, and leaving one with an injury or death is a crime. Exchange your name, address, license number, registration and insurance information including the policy number and effective date with the other drivers and the police, and show the insurance card on request. If you damage a parked car or other property or injure a domestic animal, find the owner or notify police. If anyone is hurt or killed, notify police immediately and make sure an ambulance is called. Move the vehicles off the road if you can, protect the scene with reflectors or flares while watching for leaking fuel, and guard against oncoming traffic.

Do not stop at someone else's crash unless you are involved or help has not arrived. First aid: do not move an injured person unless fire or another life-threatening danger forces it, and then keep the back and neck straight, supporting the neck with your upper arms and pulling the person head first by the clothing; stay away from downed wires, and if wires touch or lie near the vehicle, tell the occupants to stay inside.

Report to DMV within 10 days on form MV-104 for any crash with an injury or death, or with $1,000 or more in damage to any one person's property; telling your insurer does not satisfy this. Failing to report is a misdemeanor that can suspend or revoke your license and registrations and the owner's. An injured driver's passenger or the owner may file it.

Driver assistance systems

Many vehicles carry features such as blind spot warning, backup cameras, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assistance and active parking assist. They assist; they do not drive. Stay focused, do head checks, use mirrors and cameras, read the owner's manual, know each feature's limits, expect them to fail in rain, snow, ice, fog, hills and curves, keep sensors clean and software updated. On the road test you may use warning systems (backup warning, blind spot monitor, cameras, curve speed warning, detection systems, forward collision warning, high speed alert, lane departure warning, parking sensors, rear cross-traffic alert) and some assist systems (automatic emergency braking, automatic reverse braking, lane keeping assist, left-turn crash avoidance), but not adaptive cruise control or automatic parallel parking; the examiner judges whether you drove safely without relying on them.

Practise this with New York Driver License questions

More of this guide