Licensing, insurance and the law
You are driving in the carpool (HOV) lane when a law enforcement officer signals you to pull over. Where should you stop?
- All the way onto the right shoulder, even though you are in the carpool lane. Correct answer
- On the left shoulder, since it is the one closest to the carpool lane.
- In the carpool lane itself, with your emergency flashers turned on.
Why
The handbook tells you to move completely onto the right shoulder during a law enforcement stop, and it adds that this applies even when you are in the carpool lane. A left shoulder may be closer, but it is not where the handbook sends you, and stopping in a travel lane is not one of its options. A few more steps belong to the same routine: turn on your right turn signal to show the officer you have seen them, choose a well-lit place when you can, turn off the radio, roll down your window before the officer reaches you, and make sure you and your passengers keep your hands in clear view. Stay in the vehicle unless the officer tells you to get out.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is All the way onto the right shoulder, even though you are in the carpool lane.
The rule behind this one
License, points and insurance in California goes through the whole topic, with the page of the California Driver's Handbook behind every rule.
More on licensing, insurance and the law
- A law enforcement officer stops you for a traffic violation. When must the officer tell you the reason for the stop?
- During a traffic stop, an officer asks for your permission to search your car. Which statement matches the handbook?
- You signed a traffic ticket but did not show up in court on your date. What can DMV do?
- You are 17 with a provisional license. In your first year of driving you are convicted of two traffic violations. What can DMV do?