Sharing the road in Minnesota

By the end of this topic you can

• You can yield correctly to pedestrians at marked and unmarked crosswalks.
• You can pass a bicyclist with legal clearance.
• You can stay out of a truck's blind spots and leave it enough room.
• You can respond correctly to emergency vehicles and railroad crossing warnings.

What you need to know and understand

• You must stop for a pedestrian in a marked or unmarked crosswalk and wait until they have passed your lane.
• It is illegal to pass a vehicle that has stopped for a pedestrian.
• Leave at least 3 feet between your car and a bicyclist when passing.
• You may cross the center line to pass a bicyclist, even in a no-passing zone, when it is safe.
• When an emergency vehicle with lights and siren approaches, pull to the right and stop.
• Stay at least 500 feet behind a fire truck answering an emergency.
• When crossing signals are active, stop at least 10 feet from the nearest rail or gate.

People on foot and on bikes

Every intersection has a crosswalk, even if no lines are painted. Do not block crosswalks when you stop, and watch for blind pedestrians with white canes or guide dogs; do not honk or rev the engine near them. Breaking pedestrian right-of-way laws is a misdemeanor, and a second offense within a year is more serious.

Bicycles are legal vehicles in Minnesota. You may drive in a bike lane only to park where allowed, enter or leave the road, or prepare to turn; yield to bicyclists before crossing it. Electric-assist bicycles follow bicycle rules, and you may see riders with flashing lights at night.

Motorcycles and commercial vehicles

• Give motorcycles at least the same following distance as a car, and never drive alongside one in its lane.
• Motorcyclists may now legally ride between lanes in slow or stopped traffic (lane splitting and filtering); do not block or crowd them.
• Many motorcycle crashes happen when a driver turns left across an oncoming rider; look twice.
• Trucks have no zones: up to 20 feet in front of the cab, along both sides and up to 200 feet behind.
• A car at 55 mph can stop in about 130 to 140 feet; a loaded tractor-trailer may need over 400 feet.
• Do not pass a truck on the right when it might be making a wide right turn.
• Dim your headlights when following a truck at night.

Emergency vehicles and trains

Pull right and stop for an approaching emergency vehicle using lights and siren, or to the nearest side on a one-way road. If you are already in an intersection, clear it first. You need not stop if a median or barrier separates you. For stopped emergency and service vehicles with flashing lights, follow the Move Over Law.

At railroad crossings, look both ways every time. Never pass within 100 feet of a crossing, and expect buses and some trucks to stop at every track. Wait for a second train after the first passes, and never stop on the tracks. If your car stalls on the tracks with a train coming, get out and walk away at an angle toward the direction the train is coming from. The blue Emergency Notification System sign gives a number to report problems.

Common mistakes

• Driving around a car stopped at a crosswalk. A pedestrian may be crossing in front of it.
• Squeezing past a cyclist with less than 3 feet of space.
• Lingering beside a truck. Pass quickly or drop back.
• Stopping on the tracks in heavy traffic. Wait until there is room on the far side.

Test yourself: Sharing the road in Minnesota

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

Go deeper

• Minnesota Hands-Free Law for New Drivers
• Minnesota Road Test Explained
• Learning to Drive in Minnesota