Sharing the road in California: pedestrians, bikes, trucks and more

Sharing the road in California means yielding to pedestrians in any crosswalk and giving bicyclists at least 3 feet when you pass. It means staying out of a truck's blind spots. It also means pulling to the right and stopping for emergency vehicles with a siren and red lights. The handbook gives each group its own rules, and the permit test asks about all of them.

When must you yield to pedestrians?

You must yield to pedestrians in every crosswalk, marked or unmarked. The handbook says that when a pedestrian is crossing "with or without a crosswalk," you must use caution, reduce your speed, or stop to let them finish. If there is a limit line before the crosswalk, stop there.

• Do not pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk. It may be stopped for someone you cannot see.
• A flashing Don't Walk does not end your duty. The handbook says drivers must yield "even if the Don't Walk light is flashing."
• Blind pedestrians always go first. People using a guide dog or white cane have the right-of-way at all times. Do not honk at them, and do not stop in the middle of the crosswalk.
• Pedestrians are more than walkers. The handbook includes people on skateboards or roller skates, and people with disabilities using a wheelchair, tricycle or quadricycle.

Not all crosswalks are painted, and school crossings may have yellow lines. For the full order of who goes first at intersections, see our school's guide to California right-of-way rules (opens in a new tab).

How much room do you give a bicyclist?

Give at least 3 feet when you pass a bicyclist, and change lanes to pass when you can. If you cannot give 3 feet, the handbook says to wait and "do not pass the cyclist" until you can. Vehicle Code 21760, the Three Feet for Safety Act, sets the same 3-foot rule into law.

• Bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as other drivers. They may move left to avoid hazards such as parked cars or trash.
• When you turn right, you may enter a bike lane no more than 200 feet before the turn. Merge behind the cyclist, not beside them.
• Check for cyclists before you open your door next to traffic and before you change lanes. They hide easily in blind spots.
• Do not force a bicyclist toward parked cars or open doors.

How do you share a lane with motorcycles?

Give a motorcycle the full lane when you can, and keep a three-second following distance. Motorcycles are small and disappear easily in a car's blind spots, so check your mirrors and look over your shoulder before every lane change.

• Never try to pass a motorcycle in the same lane as you.
• Lane splitting, where a motorcycle rides between lanes, is legal in California. Moving to one side of your lane gives the rider more room.
• Road conditions can make a rider change speed or direction suddenly, so leave space.

Where are a truck's blind spots, the No Zones?

A truck's blind spots, called No Zones, are large areas beside and behind it where your car disappears from the driver's view. The handbook's test is simple: "If you cannot see the truck's side mirrors, the truck driver cannot see you." The DMV's sample tests ask about these blind spots.

• Stopping: a passenger car at 55 mph can stop within 300 feet; a large truck at the same speed can take up to 400 feet. Never cut in front of a truck and slow down.
• Turning: long vehicles swing wide to turn. Watch the truck's turn signal before you pass, because it may swing one way to turn the other.
• Passing: always pass a truck on the left, then move ahead of it. Do not ride beside it longer than you need to.
• Following: do not tailgate. Trucks often look slower than they really are.

What do you do for emergency vehicles?

When an emergency vehicle uses a siren and red lights, drive to the right edge of the road and stop until it has passed. If you are already in an intersection, keep going through it, then pull right and stop when it is safe. It is against the law to follow within 300 feet of a fire engine, police car or ambulance using its siren or flashing lights.

Stopped vehicles need room too. California's Move Over law, Vehicle Code 21809, covers stationary emergency vehicles, tow trucks and highway maintenance vehicles with flashing lights. Its current wording, in effect since January 1, 2026, also covers any stopped vehicle showing hazard lights, cones or flares. Change to a lane that is not next to it if you safely can; if you cannot, slow down.

How do you handle slow-moving vehicles?

Adjust your speed to the slower vehicle and pass only when it is safe. The handbook says vehicles with an orange and red triangle on the back, such as road maintenance vehicles, usually travel at 25 mph or less.

• Neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) and low-speed vehicles reach a top speed of 25 mph. They may not use roads with limits above 35 mph.
• Scooters and golf carts may also use some public roads.
• Horse-drawn vehicles and riders may share the road. It is against the law to scare horses or livestock on purpose.
• Large trucks and bicycles often lose speed on long or steep hills.

Quick answers

Check yourself

Sources

• California Driver's Handbook, Section 7: Laws and Rules of the Road (pedestrians) (opens in a new tab)
• California Driver's Handbook, Section 7: Laws and Rules of the Road (Continued), Sharing the Road (opens in a new tab)
• California Vehicle Code 21760 (Three Feet for Safety Act) (opens in a new tab)
• California Vehicle Code 21806 (yielding to emergency vehicles) (opens in a new tab)
• California Vehicle Code 21809 (Move Over law) (opens in a new tab)
• California DMV: Sample Class C Written Test 2 (opens in a new tab)

Checked: October 5, 2026. Rules and forms can change; recheck the official page before acting.

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