Turns, lanes, passing and parking
You are on the freeway and want to move into the next lane. How far ahead of the move should you signal?
- At least five seconds before you change lanes. Correct answer
- At least 100 feet before you change lanes.
- At least three seconds before you change lanes.
Why
On a freeway the handbook switches from distance to time: signal at least five seconds before you change lanes. Everywhere else the signal rules stay in feet and in events, at least 100 feet before a turn and before every lane change, even when you cannot see anyone around you. Three seconds is a real number, but it is the following distance the handbook wants between you and the vehicle ahead, not a signal. Five seconds comes back on the way out as well: signal five seconds, roughly 400 feet, before you exit a freeway. And the signal is only the first step of the move, which also asks you to check your mirrors, look over your shoulder and check your blind spots before you go.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is At least five seconds before you change lanes.
- Section 5. An Introduction to Driving › Signals, Horns, And Headlights › Signaling, page 11
- Section 8. Safe Driving › Be Aware of Your Surroundings › Tailgating (Following Too Closely), page 57
- Section 6. Navigating the Roads › Merging And Exiting › Exiting, page 23
- Section 6. Navigating the Roads › Changing Lanes, page 15
The rule behind this one
Turns, lanes, passing and parking in California goes through the whole topic, with the page of the California Driver's Handbook behind every rule.
More on turns, lanes, passing and parking
- What are you allowed to do at a curb painted yellow?
- You are driving slowly on a two-lane road where it is not safe for anyone to pass, and five cars are now following you. What does the handbook require?
- How close to a fire hydrant may you legally park?
- When does the handbook tell you to use hand-and-arm signals instead of your signal lights?