Sharing the Road: Trucks, Motorcycles, Light Rail, Bicycles, Pedestrians and Distracted Driving

Written for aiforu2 as the source for a practice-test bank and the on-device tutor for the Texas Class C knowledge exam. The facts follow the official handbook; the wording is ours.

Source: Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), Texas Department of Public Safety, rev. January 2026, chapter 9 "Some Special Driving Situations", second part (pp. 51–54), chapter 12 "Pedestrian Safety" (p. 61) and chapter 13 "Bicycle Laws and Safety" (pp. 62–63).

Large trucks

Trucks weigh more, need longer distances to stop and to accelerate, and turn in a wider radius. Drive defensively around them.

Passing a truck: check front, rear, mirrors and blind spots, and move into the passing lane only when it is clear and legal. Flash your headlights to tell the driver you are passing, especially at night; the driver should keep to the far side of the lane. On level ground a truck takes three to five seconds longer to pass than a car; on an upgrade it slows and is easier to pass; on a downgrade its momentum speeds it up, so you may need more speed. Finish the pass quickly and do not sit alongside. A flash of the truck's lights after you pass means it is clear to pull back in, but only move over when you can see the entire front of the truck in your rearview mirror, then keep your speed. When a truck passes you, keep to the far side of your lane and slow slightly; never speed up. Meeting a truck head-on, keep as far to your side as you can: the turbulence between two vehicles pushes them apart, it does not pull them together.

Following a truck: a car at 55 mph stops in about 240 feet, about three-quarters of a football field; a loaded tractor-trailer may need more than 400 feet. Stay out of the rear blind spot: if you cannot see the driver in the truck's side mirror, the driver cannot see you. Dim your headlights behind a truck at night, since bright lights reflect off its big mirrors. Stopped behind a truck on an upgrade, leave room in case it drifts back, and keep left in your lane so the driver can see you.

Trucks make wide right turns and may leave an open space on the right just before turning: never pass a truck on the right when it might turn. Never cross behind a truck that is preparing to back up; wait for it to finish. On multi-lane highways tractor-trailers stay in the center lane to help local traffic on and off and to keep escape options. Never cut in front of a truck to reach an exit or beat it to a single-lane work zone; you remove the driver's safety cushion. A tractor-trailer often looks slower than it is, so many car-truck crashes happen at intersections where the driver misjudged how close and fast it was.

Motorcycles

Riders have the same rights and privileges as any driver. About half of motorcycle crashes involve another vehicle, and riders are about 35 times more likely to die in a crash than car occupants. Drivers miss them because they look for cars, because the small profile is hard to see and its speed and distance hard to judge, because riders move within the lane to cope with the road, and because of distraction.

The most common car-motorcycle crash is a car turning left in front of a motorcycle at an intersection. Motorcycles hide in blind spots; always check mirrors and blind spots before entering or leaving a lane and at intersections, and take a second look before turning, especially left. Road conditions that are a nuisance to you, such as potholes, gravel, railroad crossings and wet surfaces, are hazards to a rider, who may suddenly change speed or position; leave room. A strong gust or the wind blast from a truck can push a motorcycle across a whole lane, and a van, bus or truck can hide one entirely.

Signal every lane change and merge, even when you see no one. Do not trust a rider's flashing turn signal: motorcycle signals usually do not cancel themselves, so wait until the bike actually turns. Give a motorcycle the full lane width; never share its lane. Follow at four to six seconds, since the slightest contact can throw the rider, and stop a full vehicle length behind at intersections and crossings so a rear-end hit does not push you into the bike. On dry pavement a motorcycle stops faster than a car. The Texas Motorcycle Operator Training and Safety program, created in 1983 and run by TDLR since 2020, is funded partly by each motorcycle license fee.

Light rail

Light rail trains run along city streets and are quieter than most buses and cars. Never walk in front of, between or behind a train; trains cannot start or stop quickly. Never drive, stop or park on the tracks. Cross only at designated crossings, look both ways because trains run in both directions, obey every sign, light and gate, listen for horns and bells, and follow an officer's instructions. Never race a train or try to beat it to a crossing (even a tie is a loss), never put anything on the tracks, and never drive around crossing gate arms.

Bicycles: rules for drivers

A bicycle is a vehicle, and its rider has a driver's rights and responsibilities and gets the same penalties; convictions go on the driver record whether earned on a bicycle or in a car. Cyclists are not confined to the right lane, for instance on a one-way multi-lane street or when moving left to turn, and follow the same path a car would. Before a right turn, merge with bicycle traffic rather than turning across its path. A cyclist rides as far right as possible only when the lane is wide enough for a car and a bicycle side by side, and may take the full lane when overtaking another vehicle, preparing a left turn, avoiding unsafe conditions, or when the lane is narrower than 14 feet with no bike lane or otherwise too narrow to share.

The commonest car-bicycle crashes caused by drivers: turning left in front of an oncoming bicycle (overlooked or its speed misjudged), turning right across a bicycle's path (slow down and merge instead), and pulling away from a stop sign without yielding to bicycle cross traffic; right-of-way rules apply equally to bikes.

Bicycles: rules for riders

Do: obey every law, sign and signal, stopping at stop signs and red lights; ride with traffic; ride only on a permanent, regular seat; on a one-way road with two or more lanes, ride as near as possible to the left curb; ride two abreast only within a single lane without impeding traffic; the shoulder may be used; signal turns and stops by hand: right turn with the left arm up or the right arm straight out, left turn with the left arm straight out, stop with the left arm down.

Do not: carry more people than the bike is built for; ride against traffic; hitch to a moving vehicle; or carry anything that keeps at least one hand off the handlebars.

Equipment: a brake that can skid the wheels on dry, level, clean pavement; at night a front white light visible from 500 feet and a red DPS-approved rear reflector visible from 50 to 300 feet (a red rear light visible from 500 feet may be added). Hearing-impaired riders may fly a safety flag, and a mirror is allowed. A helmet may be required by local ordinance. Ride slowly and carefully on pedestrian facilities, do not weave among parked cars, get off the street to stop or make repairs, pick a route matching your skill, and wear light or reflective clothing. In the wet, manhole covers and painted stripes are slick, potholes hide under water, and drivers see less.

Shared lane markings ("sharrows") show cyclists where to ride in a lane shared with parallel parking, so they stay clear of opening doors, and in lanes too narrow to share; they tell drivers where to expect bikes, encourage safe passing, and discourage wrong-way riding.

Pedestrians

Rules for pedestrians: obey traffic signals unless a pedestrian signal says otherwise; do not cross between intersections; use the sidewalk, and without one walk on the left side of the road and step off when a car comes; when crossing anywhere other than a crosswalk at an intersection, or without using a provided tunnel or overpass, yield to all vehicles; keep right in a crosswalk; only blind, partially blind or disabled people may carry a white cane on a public road; do not stand in the road to solicit a ride, contributions or business (charity collections need local authorization); never dart into a vehicle's path; wait on the curb for the green or WALK; wear white or light colors and carry a light or reflector at night; look both ways and before stepping out from between parked cars; take care getting off a bus or streetcar; get in and out of cars on the curb side; and do not walk on a road while drinking or under the influence. Local ordinances may require crossing only in crosswalks in business districts and on designated highways.

Rules for drivers: slow down, sound the horn if needed and be ready to stop for a pedestrian crossing or trying to cross. Be alert for a person with an assistance animal or a white cane: take every precaution to avoid endangering them, and come to a full stop if that is the only way to avoid injury or danger. Watch for blind pedestrians at bus stops, intersections, business areas and near schools for the blind.

Distracted driving

Anything that takes your eyes, hands or mind off driving is a distraction: texting, talking with passengers, adjusting the radio or climate controls, eating, drinking or smoking, reading maps, picking something up, reading billboards, watching other people, phone or CB conversations, navigation devices, and daydreaming. Your eyes can look at something and not see it. If drivers react a half-second slower, crashes double. Prepare before you move: learn the vehicle's electronics, preset the radio, clear loose objects, plan the route, adjust the mirrors, and while driving do not read, text or write, avoid eating, drinking and smoking, and avoid intense conversations. Spot other distracted drivers by drifting within or across lanes, inconsistent speed, and preoccupation with food, phones or passengers; give them room and take care passing them, since they may drift into your path.

Texting: reading, writing or sending messages on a phone or other portable wireless device while driving is illegal and punished with fines. If the phone rings, do not answer; you may use it to contact law enforcement or in an emergency, and otherwise pull safely off the road or let a passenger make the call. Drivers under 18 may not use a wireless device at all, even hands-free, except in an emergency, and no one may use one in a posted school zone.

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