Sharing the road
The car in the lane next to yours has stopped at a crosswalk, but you cannot see anyone crossing. What should you do?
- Do not pass it; someone may be crossing where you cannot see. Correct answer
- Pass it slowly, since the crosswalk in front of you looks clear.
- Pass it after sounding your horn to warn anyone crossing.
Why
A vehicle stopped at a crosswalk is usually stopped for a reason you cannot see yet. The stopped car blocks your view of the crosswalk, and a pedestrian can step out from in front of it straight into your lane. That is why New York law forbids passing a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk for a pedestrian, and the manual repeats the rule in its tips for drivers. Passing slowly does not fix a problem you cannot see, and the horn gives no one the right to go. The rule sits next to its cousin: always stop for a school bus with flashing red lights. A car stopped at a crosswalk beside you is your signal to stop as well, whatever you can or cannot see.
Where this comes from
New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), April 2026 version. The correct answer is Do not pass it; someone may be crossing where you cannot see.
More on sharing the road
- You are about to get out of your car after parking along a street where bicyclists ride. What should you do before opening the door?
- You are on a divided highway. On the opposite side of the median, a school bus has stopped with its red lights flashing. What must you do?
- A school bus ahead of you has stopped with its red lights flashing. What minimum distance from the bus does the manual tell you to keep when you stop?
- You have stopped for a school bus with flashing red lights. The children have finished crossing, but the bus has not moved and its red lights are still on. When may you drive on?