Turns, lanes, passing and parking
On a two-lane, two-way road, the vehicle ahead of you slows down and signals to turn left. May you pass it on the right?
- Yes, if you can do it safely without driving on the shoulder or across the edge line. Correct answer
- No; passing on the right is allowed only on roads with two or more lanes in each direction.
- Yes, and you may use the shoulder to get around it if needed.
Why
Passing is normally done on the left, but the manual lists a few situations where passing on the right is allowed, and a vehicle ahead making a left turn is the first of them. Two conditions still apply. You must be able to pass safely, and you may not drive on or across the shoulder or edge line unless a sign allows it or a traffic officer tells you to. That makes the third answer wrong: the shoulder is not a passing lane. The second answer is wrong because roads with two or more lanes in each direction are a separate case, not the only one. When you pass on the right at an intersection, watch the right side for pedestrians, bicyclists, in-line skaters and moped riders.
Where this comes from
New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), April 2026 version. The correct answer is Yes, if you can do it safely without driving on the shoulder or across the edge line.
More on turns, lanes, passing and parking
- You are passing a slow vehicle on a road with a 55 mph limit, and to finish quickly you would need to reach 62 mph. What does the manual say?
- You park on a hill next to a curb. Besides setting the parking brake and putting the transmission in Park, how should you turn your front wheels?
- You stop to pick someone up and want to wait at the curb 10 feet from a fire hydrant. Under state rules, when is that allowed?
- You want to park near an intersection controlled by a STOP sign. What is the closest you may legally park to the STOP sign?