Colorado Driver License: Sharing the Road, Railroads, Bicyclists and Pedestrians

30 questions with the correct answer and an explanation for each. Topic: Sharing the Road, Railroads, Bicyclists and Pedestrians. Free, no account needed.

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1. A motorcyclist wants to pass stopped traffic in the same lane where both that lane and the adjacent lane are stopped and there is room to do so safely. What is the maximum speed allowed for this?

  1. 25 mph
  2. 20 mph
  3. 10 mph
  4. 15 mph

Answer: D — 15 mph

Lane filtering by a two-wheeled motorcycle among stopped vehicles is allowed at no more than 15 mph.

2. What is the term for a two-wheeled motorcycle passing vehicles in the same lane at low speed while those vehicles and the ones in adjacent lanes are stopped?

  1. Lane filtering
  2. Curb creeping
  3. Shoulder riding
  4. Lane splitting

Answer: A — Lane filtering

This maneuver is specifically called lane filtering.

3. A driver notices a large truck ahead is backing up. What should the driver do?

  1. Pass or stop close to the truck since it is stationary
  2. Avoid passing or stopping close to it, since the trailer hides the blind spot
  3. Honk and wait directly behind the trailer
  4. Pull alongside on the right to assist

Answer: B — Avoid passing or stopping close to it, since the trailer hides the blind spot

The trailer conceals the No Zone, so drivers should not pass or stop close to a backing truck.

4. A driver has just passed a large truck and wants to move back into the lane ahead of it. What should the driver do first?

  1. Merge as soon as the truck's cab is out of view
  2. Signal and merge immediately since trucks stop quickly
  3. Wait to see both of the truck's headlights in the mirror before pulling in
  4. Wait until the truck flashes its lights for permission

Answer: C — Wait to see both of the truck's headlights in the mirror before pulling in

Because trucks need longer to stop, a driver should not pull in front until seeing both headlights in the mirror.

5. A driver sees smoke coming from the brakes of a large truck heading downhill. What does this most likely signal?

  1. The truck is preparing to stop for a school bus
  2. The truck is entering a runaway ramp normally
  3. The truck is about to make a wide right turn
  4. The truck is a runaway with failed brakes

Answer: D — The truck is a runaway with failed brakes

Smoke from the brakes is a sign of a runaway truck, and other drivers should get out of its way.

6. A truck ahead swings left before making a right turn. What should a driver behind it avoid doing?

  1. Allowing extra room for the wide turn
  2. Cutting between the truck and the curb
  3. Stopping a safe distance back
  4. Waiting behind the truck until the turn is complete

Answer: B — Cutting between the truck and the curb

Trucks swing left to complete a right turn, and cutting between the truck and curb invites a collision.

7. A school bus ahead has its amber warning lights on but the door has not yet opened. What does this indicate?

  1. The bus has finished loading and is about to depart
  2. The bus is about to stop and traffic should prepare to stop
  3. The stop arm has already deployed
  4. The bus is experiencing a mechanical problem

Answer: B — The bus is about to stop and traffic should prepare to stop

Amber lights come on before the bus stops, warning traffic to prepare to stop; red lights and the stop arm activate once the door opens.

8. How close may a vehicle stop to a stopped school bus's front or rear bumper with its red lights on?

  1. 10 feet
  2. 15 feet
  3. 20 feet
  4. 25 feet

Answer: C — 20 feet

Vehicles must remain stopped at least 20 feet from the bus's front or rear bumper.

9. A driver is traveling on a two-lane road with no median and a school bus ahead stops with its red lights flashing. Who must stop?

  1. Only traffic behind the bus
  2. Only oncoming traffic
  3. No one, since it is a two-lane road
  4. Traffic in both directions

Answer: D — Traffic in both directions

On a two-lane road (and a four-lane road without a median), traffic in both directions must stop for a stopped school bus.

10. A vehicle stalls directly on a railroad crossing with no train visible in either direction. What should the occupants do?

  1. Try to push the vehicle off only if a train appears
  2. Get out and move far away from the tracks immediately
  3. Stay inside with hazard lights on and wait for help
  4. Wait for a police officer to arrive before exiting

Answer: B — Get out and move far away from the tracks immediately

Occupants should exit and move away immediately, even with no train in sight, since a train could arrive at any time.

11. A driver's vehicle stalls on the tracks at a railroad crossing. After getting everyone away from the vehicle, what should be done next?

  1. Call only once a train actually comes into view
  2. Look up the railroad company's general customer service line first
  3. Call the number on the blue Emergency Notification System sign or local police
  4. Skip calling, since every public crossing is already monitored automatically

Answer: C — Call the number on the blue Emergency Notification System sign or local police

Calling the number on the blue ENS sign or local police lets a dispatcher stop trains before they reach the crossing.

12. A driver sees a freight train approaching a crossing and judges it to be traveling around 55 mph. Roughly how much distance does such a train need to stop?

  1. A few hundred feet
  2. About a mile
  3. About five miles
  4. About a quarter mile

Answer: B — About a mile

A freight train at 55 mph needs about a mile to stop, so it cannot stop quickly for a vehicle on the tracks.

13. Which shape is used for the advance railroad warning sign placed before a crossing?

  1. Triangle
  2. Round
  3. Octagon
  4. Diamond

Answer: B — Round

The advance railroad warning sign is the only round traffic sign, placed far enough back to allow stopping.

14. A crossing has no painted stop line and no pavement markings before the tracks. How far back should a driver stop, given that trains can overhang the rails?

  1. 20 feet from the tracks
  2. 3 feet from the tracks
  3. Right at the edge of the rail
  4. 10 feet from the tracks

Answer: D — 10 feet from the tracks

With no line present, a driver should stop at least 10 feet from the tracks, since trains overhang the rails by 3 feet.

15. How is a crossbuck sign at a railroad crossing normally treated by drivers?

  1. As a stop sign at all times
  2. As a yield sign, becoming regulatory when a train approaches
  3. As purely informational with no legal effect
  4. As equivalent to a railroad gate

Answer: B — As a yield sign, becoming regulatory when a train approaches

The crossbuck is treated as a yield sign and becomes regulatory (requiring a stop) when a train approaches.

16. A light rail vehicle in Denver weighs up to how much?

  1. 20 tons
  2. 80 tons
  3. 40 tons
  4. 10 tons

Answer: C — 40 tons

Light rail cars weigh up to 40 tons and cannot stop quickly.

17. A light rail train has just passed a crossing, but the gate is still down. What should a driver do?

  1. Cross only if no warning lights are flashing
  2. Wait, because another train may come from the other direction
  3. Follow the vehicle ahead through if it goes around the gate
  4. Drive around the gate, since that train has already passed

Answer: B — Wait, because another train may come from the other direction

Drivers should never drive around gates even after a train has passed, since another train may be approaching from the other direction.

18. A truck's cargo is tall enough that its clearance near a light rail line is a concern. Overhead wires above the track center are typically how high?

  1. 12 feet
  2. 25 feet
  3. 14 feet 6 inches
  4. 18 feet 6 inches

Answer: D — 18 feet 6 inches

Overhead light rail wires are 18 feet 6 inches above the track center, so vehicle height must be considered.

19. A bicyclist is riding on a narrow road with broken glass along the right edge. Colorado law allows the rider to do what?

  1. Require all vehicles behind to stop and wait
  2. Ride only on the sidewalk
  3. Ride against the flow of traffic
  4. Take the center of the lane to avoid the hazard

Answer: D — Take the center of the lane to avoid the hazard

Riders may take the center of the lane on narrow roads or to avoid glass, grates, or the door zone.

20. A driver is passing a bicyclist riding in a bike lane. How much clearance must the driver leave from the outermost part of the vehicle?

  1. At least one foot
  2. At least five feet
  3. At least two feet
  4. At least three feet

Answer: D — At least three feet

Drivers must leave at least three feet when passing a bicyclist, including one in a bike lane.

21. A bike lane continues straight through an intersection but has no painted markings inside the intersection itself. Do bicyclists still have the right-of-way there?

  1. No, right-of-way in a bike lane ends where the paint ends
  2. Yes, the bike lane's right-of-way continues through the intersection regardless of paint
  3. Only if a bicyclist is under age 15
  4. Only during daylight hours

Answer: B — Yes, the bike lane's right-of-way continues through the intersection regardless of paint

Bicyclists have the right-of-way in a bike lane, which continues through an intersection with or without paint.

22. Since a 2022 change in Colorado law, what may a bicyclist aged 15 or older do at a stop sign when the intersection is clear and they already have the right-of-way?

  1. Treat it as a yield sign rather than coming to a full stop
  2. Ignore it entirely regardless of other traffic
  3. Treat it the same as a red light, requiring a full stop
  4. Only apply this rule on multi-lane one-way streets

Answer: A — Treat it as a yield sign rather than coming to a full stop

The 2022 law lets bicyclists 15 and older treat a stop sign as a yield sign under those conditions.

23. A driver is about to open a car door on the traffic side after parking. What practice, known as the Dutch Reach, helps protect passing bicyclists?

  1. Opening the door quickly to minimize time exposed
  2. Using the hand nearest the center of the car to open the door
  3. Having a passenger open the door instead
  4. Opening the door only halfway at all times

Answer: B — Using the hand nearest the center of the car to open the door

The Dutch Reach means checking beside and behind before opening a door and using the hand nearest the center of the car.

24. A bicyclist ahead extends their left arm straight out to the side. What does this hand signal mean?

  1. Slowing or stopping
  2. A left turn
  3. Merging into traffic
  4. A right turn

Answer: B — A left turn

A left arm held straight out signals a left turn.

25. A bicyclist ahead drops their left arm down at the elbow. What is the rider signaling?

  1. A left turn
  2. A right turn
  3. Nothing; this is not a recognized signal
  4. Slowing or stopping

Answer: D — Slowing or stopping

A left arm dropped at the elbow signals slowing or stopping.

26. How much of the lane width is a motorcyclist entitled to use?

  1. Half the lane, staying to one side
  2. The full lane width
  3. Whatever portion other vehicles do not need
  4. Only the portion nearest the shoulder

Answer: B — The full lane width

Motorcyclists are entitled to the full lane width and move within it to see, be seen, and avoid hazards.

27. What is described as the most common driver-caused cause of crashes involving oncoming motorcyclists or bicyclists?

  1. A driver turning left in front of an oncoming rider
  2. A driver opening a door without looking
  3. A driver running a stop sign
  4. A driver pulling out of a driveway without looking

Answer: A — A driver turning left in front of an oncoming rider

The most common driver-caused crash is a motorist turning left in front of an oncoming motorcycle or bicycle.

28. At an intersection without a marked crosswalk, who has the right-of-way when a pedestrian is crossing?

  1. Vehicles, since the crosswalk is unmarked
  2. Neither; the pedestrian must find a marked crosswalk
  3. The pedestrian, who has the right-of-way at every intersection whether marked or not
  4. Whichever party entered the intersection first

Answer: C — The pedestrian, who has the right-of-way at every intersection whether marked or not

Pedestrians have the right-of-way at every intersection and crosswalk, marked or not.

29. A driver is preparing to make a legal right turn on red. What must the driver do before checking for vehicles?

  1. Roll forward slowly while looking left
  2. Proceed if no vehicles are approaching from the left
  3. Honk once to alert any pedestrians
  4. Stop completely and check every direction for pedestrians first

Answer: D — Stop completely and check every direction for pedestrians first

Before a right turn on red, drivers must be in the correct lane, stop completely, and check every direction for pedestrians before checking for vehicles.

30. A driver approaches a crosswalk and sees another vehicle stopped there ahead. What should the driver avoid doing?

  1. Checking mirrors while waiting
  2. Stopping well behind the other vehicle
  3. Passing the stopped vehicle, since it may be stopping for a pedestrian not visible to the passing driver
  4. Waiting until the stopped vehicle moves

Answer: C — Passing the stopped vehicle, since it may be stopping for a pedestrian not visible to the passing driver

Drivers should never pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk, since it may be stopping for someone they cannot see.

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