Sharing the road in Arkansas

By the end of this topic you can

• You can name the blind spots around a tractor-trailer and keep out of them.
• You can pass a bicycle safely and know when a cyclist may use the full lane.
• You can give motorcycles a full lane and extra following distance.
• You can respond correctly to emergency vehicles.
• You can cross railroad tracks safely.

What you need to know and understand

• A tractor-trailer driver may not see a car up to 20 feet in front of the cab, along either side, or up to 200 feet behind.
• If you cannot see the truck driver in their side mirror, the driver cannot see you.
• A loaded tractor-trailer at 55 mph may need more than 335 feet to stop, compared with about 225 feet for a car.
• Bicycles have the same rights and duties as other vehicles and must ride with traffic.
• A red or orange flag on a bicycle signals that the rider has impaired hearing.
• Leave at least four to six seconds of following distance behind a motorcycle.
• Never share a lane with a motorcycle; it is entitled to the full lane.
• School buses, and some other vehicles such as those carrying hazardous materials, must stop at railroad crossings, so leave room behind them.

Around big trucks

Trucks swing wide, often to the left first, when turning right because their rear wheels cut inside the front wheels. Check a truck's turn signal before passing on the right. When you pass, do it on the left, fully and without lingering beside the cab. Do not cut in front of a truck to reach an exit or a single-lane work zone; slow down and go behind it instead.

Bicycles: give them room

• Expect sudden swerves around potholes, debris, dogs and opening car doors.
• Do not squeeze between a bicycle and an oncoming car. Slow down and pass after the car has gone by.
• Do not turn right across a cyclist's path after passing them. Merge behind them first.
• A cyclist may take the full lane when passing, preparing for a left turn, avoiding hazards, or when the lane is too narrow to share.
• Never use a marked bike lane to turn, pass or park.
• If the rider may not know you are there on a narrow road, a short light tap of the horn is enough.

Motorcycles: look twice

Most car and motorcycle crashes happen when a car turns left in front of a rider. Motorcycles are small and hard to judge for speed, so take a second look before turning. Their turn signals do not cancel on their own, so wait to see if the rider actually turns. Allow for riders moving within their lane to avoid gravel, wet surfaces or railroad tracks.

Pedestrians, emergency vehicles and trains

Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks and when crossing a sidewalk from a driveway. For an emergency vehicle using its siren and flashing lights, pull to the right edge and stop, after clearing any intersection you are in. At railroad crossings, never stop on the tracks, never race a train, and only start across when there is room for your whole car on the other side. If gates begin to lower while you are already crossing, keep going.

Common mistakes

• Riding alongside a tractor-trailer's cab, deep in its blind spot.
• Following a motorcycle at the same distance as a car. Leave four to six seconds.
• Assuming a motorcycle's signal means it will turn.
• Stopping on the tracks in slow traffic. Wait until there is room past the crossing.

Test yourself: Sharing the road in Arkansas

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Arkansas Teen Phone Law
• Arkansas Driver’s License Age Waiver Explained
• Arkansas Driving Test