Sharing the road in Montana

By the end of this topic you can

• You can yield correctly to pedestrians at marked and unmarked crosswalks.
• You can pass a bicyclist safely and respect bike lanes.
• You can respond to an approaching emergency vehicle.
• You can cross railroad tracks safely and know when you must stop.
• You can react to wildlife on the road without swerving into danger.

What you need to know and understand

• Yield to pedestrians crossing in a marked crosswalk or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.
• Never pass a vehicle that has stopped to let a pedestrian cross.
• Pass a bicyclist only when you can do so safely, and yield to cyclists in a bike lane.
• For an emergency vehicle with lights or siren, pull to the right edge, out of the intersection, and stop until it passes.
• Do not follow a fire truck answering a call closer than 500 feet.
• At a railroad crossing with warning lights, a lowered gate or an approaching train, stop at least 15 feet from the nearest rail.
• Never drive around or under a closed crossing gate.

People on foot and on bikes

Pedestrians must not step out suddenly in front of a car that cannot stop, but drivers carry most of the responsibility. Do not drive through a group of school children crossing or past a crossing guard holding a stop sign.

Montana law forbids drivers from deliberately interfering with a cyclist. Give riders plenty of space when passing, wait behind them on hills and curves until you can see ahead, and check bike lanes before turning right across them.

Big vehicles, farm machines and motorcycles

• Trucks have large blind spots. If you cannot see the driver in their mirror, they cannot see you.
• Allow trucks extra room to turn and to stop.
• Behind farm equipment, slow to its speed and pass only where passing is allowed. Meeting it, slow to half the posted limit.
• Motorcycles are small and easy to miss. Look twice before turning or changing lanes, and give them a full lane.

Railroad crossings

1. Slow down and look both ways and listen as you approach any crossing.
2. Stop at least 15 feet from the nearest rail if lights flash, a gate is down or lowering, a flag person signals, or a train is close.
3. Also stop if there is not enough room to drive all the way across without stopping.
4. Outside towns, at crossings with no gates or signals, stop if your view is blocked or a train is in sight or hearing.
5. Cross only when it is safe, and never stop on the tracks.

Wildlife and livestock

Deer, elk, moose and cattle are a serious hazard in Montana, especially around dawn and dusk. If you see one animal, expect more. Slow down and be ready to stop. If a crash cannot be avoided, the Montana Driver Manual advises not to swerve sharply, because leaving the road or crossing into oncoming traffic is often worse than hitting the animal.

Common mistakes

• Passing a car stopped at a crosswalk. A pedestrian may be hidden in front of it.
• Squeezing past a cyclist on a blind curve.
• Stopping in the intersection when an ambulance approaches. Clear the intersection first, then pull right.
• Swerving hard for a deer and rolling into the ditch.

Test yourself: Sharing the road in Montana

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

Go deeper

• Learning to Drive in Montana
• Montana Road Test Guide
• Montana 50 Hour Driving Log