Rules of the Road, Part Two: Signaling and Hand Signals, Turning Do's and Don'ts, Left Turns From and Onto One-Way Streets, Left Turns on Red, Multiple Turn Lanes, Right Turns, Roundabouts, U-Turn Rules, Lane Usage, Divided Highways and Crossovers, the Shared Center Turn Lane, Reversible, Reserved and HOV Lanes, Changing Lanes, Passing on the Left and Right, When Not to Pass, Passing Bicycles and Trucks, Backing, Parking Rules, Hill Parking, Parallel Parking, Interstate Entering and Exiting, Interchanges, Interstate Hypnosis and Breakdowns

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

Source: Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual (TDOSHS, July 2022 information), Section B chapter 4 pages 55–67 (Turning through Backing and Parking) and chapter 5 "Interstate Driving" (pages 68–73).

Signaling

Signal before changing lanes or moving right or left, turning at an intersection, driveway, alley or lot, entering or leaving an interstate, pulling from or to the curb, and slowing or stopping suddenly. Signaling never gives you the right-of-way. Use the lights or hand signals: left arm straight out for left, bent up for right, bent down for slow or stop; bring the arm in during the turn, and remember hand signals are hard to see after dark but useful in bright sun and heavy traffic. Keep the signal lights clean and working, lightly pump the brakes to signal a stop, and cancel the signal afterward. Signal at least 50 feet before a turn or lane change. If you will turn beyond an intersection, do not signal until you are in it. Never use signals to wave a driver past or to relay another driver's intentions.

Turning

The common faults are not signaling, signaling too briefly, not searching for hazards, turning from the wrong lane and turning improperly. Turn from the closest lane in your direction into the closest legal lane in the new direction. Do: signal 50 feet ahead, check traffic behind and beside, move into the turn lane early, select the gear before the intersection, accelerate slightly through the turn, watch for pedestrians and cyclists, and finish in the proper lane before changing. Don't: turn where signs prohibit it, turn from the wrong lane (go to the next intersection instead), swing wide or cut corners, turn your wheels while waiting for oncoming traffic (a rear hit would push you into it), enter if traffic ahead may keep you from clearing before the light changes, brake or depress the clutch mid-turn, or shift gears in the intersection. Left turns: two drivers turning left at once each pass to the left of the other. From a two-way street to a two-way street, approach just right of the center line, signal 50 feet, keep the wheels straight, begin turning just before the imaginary center point and enter the first lane right of the center line, never the right lane. Use a marked left-turn lane only, stay in your lane through multiple turn lanes, and do not proceed if the light turns yellow while you wait. Two-way onto a one-way: make the two-way approach, then turn sharply into the first lane by the left curb (one-way center lines are white, two-way are yellow). One-way to one-way: approach in the lane nearest the left curb and turn sharply into the first lane on the left; this is the only left turn allowed on red, after a complete stop, unless posted. One-way to two-way: approach by the left curb, drive into the intersection, then turn sharply into the first lane right of the yellow line; this turn cannot be made on red. In multiple turn lanes, a second-lane vehicle may turn only where a sign or marking permits, and white channel lines guide you. Right turns: check behind and beside, get close to the right curb without crowding pedestrians, bicyclists or parked cars, signal 50 feet, look left and right, and turn into the lane nearest the right curb without swinging left first, which invites a pass on the right. Trucks and buses must swing wide to turn right, so never pass one on the right that might turn. Right on red requires a complete stop before the crosswalk or stop line and yielding to traffic, pedestrians and bicyclists.

Roundabouts and U-turns

A roundabout slows traffic around a central island, and many Tennessee towns have a town-square version. Travel counterclockwise to the right, stay right of the splitter island, yield on entry to traffic already circulating, enter at a gap and do not stop inside unless directed, keep to the posted 15 to 25 mph, exit at any street or go around again, never pass in a multilane roundabout, expect vehicles exiting from the inside lane, signal right to exit, and yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk. A U-turn reverses direction in one smooth arc; some cities prohibit them. You may not make one at an intersection controlled by a signal or an officer, where you cannot see traffic for 500 feet each way, where signs prohibit it, between intersections in a city (drive around the block), at or near a curve or hill crest without 500 feet of view, or on an interstate, where emergency crossovers are for emergency and maintenance vehicles only.

Lanes

White on your right, yellow on your left: yellow to your right means you are on the wrong side, so pull over at once. Drive right except when passing, passing an obstruction (go around crashes to the right when possible), on a one-way road, or turning left. A two-lane road has a broken yellow center line; a four-lane road is split by two solid yellow lines with dashed white lines between same-direction lanes. On a divided highway stay on the right roadway and never cross the median except at an authorized crossover; use a crossover like a cross street, keeping right in it, waiting in the left lane with your signal on if a vehicle is already in it, and never bunching up behind it. Interstates have no crossovers. Red reflectors facing you or Wrong Way and Do Not Enter signs mean you are going the wrong way. Dual-use lanes allow straight or the marked turn under normal right-of-way rules. The shared center turn lane, marked by solid and broken yellow lines with alternating arrows, serves left turns in either direction only: enter it just before your turn, never use it to pass or to travel more than 300 feet, do not use it to reach an intersection turn lane, and when vehicles enter from opposite directions the first to enter has the right-of-way. You may turn from a driveway into it, stop, and merge right when clear. Reversible lanes, marked by double broken yellow lines, follow signs and lane signals: green arrow yes, red X no, flashing yellow X turns only, steady yellow X move out. Reserved lanes (transit, bikes) are marked by signs and a white diamond; do not use them unless turning across within the next half block. HOV 2 means at least two people. Change lanes only after checking clearance, mirrors, a look over the shoulder and your blind spots, signaling and moving gradually; never cruise in another vehicle's blind spot, and when a driver ahead signals a lane change, slow and let them complete it.

Passing

Improper passing crashes are often fatal. Pass on the left on a two-lane road only when you can complete the pass and return before coming within 100 feet of any no-passing marking or oncoming vehicle; any sign of an oncoming car means it is too close. Stay well back for a view, signal, check mirrors and your blind spot, never swing across the center line for a look, move left only when safe, and return when you see the whole vehicle in your rearview mirror, then cancel the signal. Passing more than one vehicle is legal but unsafe unless the road is straight and level with excellent visibility. Avoid passing at night on unfamiliar roads or in twilight and bad weather. Pass on the right only when the vehicle ahead is turning left (never pass on the left of a driver signaling a left turn), on a road with unobstructed pavement wide enough for two or more lanes each way, or on a one-way street with two or more lanes, and never by leaving the pavement, in a bike lane, a parking lane or the emergency lane near a signal or stop sign; a right-side passer who hits a turning car is at fault. The end of a no-passing zone only means better visibility. You may cross a solid yellow line to turn left into or out of a driveway, alley or side road. Do not pass with an oncoming car, approaching an intersection, railroad crossing, narrow bridge, viaduct or tunnel, with a solid yellow line on your side, approaching a hill or curve, a stopped school or church bus with lights flashing, or a car stopped for pedestrians, and do not weave. When passed, stay in your lane, keep to the right, hold your speed, and slow if an oncoming car appears so the passer can return. Pass a bicycle slowly leaving at least 3 feet until fully past; never squeeze between a bicyclist and oncoming traffic or pass where the street is too narrow. Passing a truck, finish quickly, never linger alongside in the blind spot (if you can see the tractor from the door back to the fifth wheel you are probably invisible), remember that if you cannot see its mirrors the driver cannot see you, keep your speed after passing, and expect trucks to slow uphill and speed up downhill.

Backing and parking

Never back into a travel lane except into a parallel space; backing is the maneuver that most often fails new drivers. Check behind before getting in, look front, sides and rear, turn to look through the rear window rather than opening the door, back slowly, and never back into an intersection from a driveway or back up on the interstate. Do not stop in travel lanes for any reason. Park where you do not interfere with traffic and are visible; outside city limits keep all four wheels off the pavement if possible, leave at least 18 feet of road width, and be visible for 200 feet each way. Never leave a parked unattended vehicle running, take the keys, look and yield when leaving any space, set the parking brake and leave a manual in gear, and never double park. Do not park in front of a driveway, on interstate ramps unless disabled, in an intersection, within 15 feet of a hydrant, in a fire lane, within 20 feet of a crosswalk, within 20 feet of a fire station driveway on its side or 75 feet across the street, within 30 feet of a signal, stop sign or other control device, within 50 feet of a railroad crossing, on a sidewalk, on a bridge or in a tunnel, in a handicapped space (a $100 misdemeanor and towing), beside another parked vehicle, on an interstate shoulder except in emergency, or where signs prohibit it. Curbs: white for picking up or dropping off passengers, yellow for loading while staying with the car, red for no stopping at all. Hills: downhill with a curb, wheels toward the curb; uphill with a curb, wheels away from the curb so the car rolls back into it; without a curb, wheels toward the edge of the road either way, and always the parking brake. Parallel parking: signal and stop even with the car ahead of the space, bumpers aligned and no closer than two feet; look over your right shoulder and back slowly, turning sharply right to about 45 degrees; when your front passenger door passes its rear bumper, straighten and back straight; when your front bumper is even with its rear bumper, turn sharply left; then turn right and pull forward to center, ending within 18 inches of the curb, and check traffic before opening the door. Parking meters have posted limits, and angle parking calls for signaling, steering in sharply, and backing out slowly with a walk-around first.

Interstate driving

Interstates are safer because access is controlled: no stop signs, crossings or lights, and few head-on crashes. Plan your entrance and exit, check fuel, and stay off if you cannot keep the minimum speed. Enter by speeding up on the ramp to match traffic, signaling left and yielding to vehicles on the interstate; never stop at the end of a ramp. A Lane Added sign means the ramp becomes a new lane with no merge; a Merge sign means the entering traffic must merge into the right lane. Leave the far left lane for faster traffic, hold an even speed, stay centered, avoid packs and other drivers' blind spots, and move right early before an exit. Keep at least two seconds back, four in bad weather, at night and on high-speed rural sections, and scan 15 to 20 seconds ahead; tap the brakes to warn followers of a tie-up. Keep pace with traffic without exceeding the limit; driving too slowly is illegal, slower drivers use the right lane, and if a faster driver comes up behind you in the left lane, move right. HOV lanes on the far inside are reserved during peak hours (7 to 9 a.m. inbound and 4 to 6 p.m. outbound) for vehicles with two or more people (a baby counts), buses, motorcycles and emergency vehicles; solo drivers, even passing, face a $50 fine plus costs, and the lane is general purpose at other times. To exit, get in the exit lane early (exit signs appear at least a mile ahead), hold speed until the deceleration lane, then slow to the ramp speed. Do not use the shoulder except for marked deceleration or emergencies; never park on ramps, back up, U-turn or cross the median; a missed exit means the next exit. At a diamond interchange the exit ramp comes before the crossroad, the right-turn entrance ramp before crossing the interstate and the left-turn ramp after; at a cloverleaf all turns are right turns, taking the ramp before the overpass to turn right and after it to turn left; a weaving interchange, where traffic enters and exits in the same lane, demands give and take. Fight interstate hypnosis by shifting your eyes, quitting when drowsy, keeping the car cool, stopping every two hours or 100 miles, and driving no more than eight hours a day. Dynamic message signs give travel times, closures, lane control, event warnings and Amber Alerts. Rubbernecking, tailgating, needless lane changes, inattention and running out of gas cause congestion. If you break down, move to the right shoulder, turn on the flashers, raise the hood or tie a white cloth to it, stay near the vehicle away from traffic, and never walk along the interstate; troopers and, in the four metro areas, yellow TDOT HELP trucks will assist, and their operators direct traffic like police. Dial **\THP* (\*847) for a free connection to the Highway Patrol. After a crash with no serious injuries, move drivable vehicles to the emergency lane; never move a seriously injured person or disturb a fatal scene, and never leave.

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