roadwise.Open study app

Connecticut driving lesson · Driving Behaviors & Space Cushion

Changing lanes and passing

A 4-minute lesson from the Connecticut course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

Study this lesson in the app Back to the course
Read time
4 minutes
Course unit
Driving Behaviors & Space Cushion
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
25

Every lane change or pass puts you in someone else's path for a moment. Check mirrors and blind spots, move one lane at a time, and pass only when you have plenty of room — oncoming cars are closer and faster than they look.

Know the rule

Changing lanes includes moving from one lane to another, merging from an entrance ramp, and entering the roadway from the curb or shoulder. Before any of them, check for traffic beside and behind you.

Handbook p. 25 ↗

How to change lanes:

  • Check rear-view and side mirrors; make sure no one is in the lane or about to pass you
  • Look over your shoulder toward your move — blind spots at the rear corners can't be seen in mirrors
  • Check quickly; don't take your eyes off the road ahead for more than an instant
  • Check the far lane — someone there may be moving into the same lane
  • Change one lane at a time
Handbook p. 25 ↗

Know the rule

As a general rule, pass only one vehicle at a time. Always allow 3 feet when passing a bicycle.

Handbook p. 25 ↗

You can lose your passing space because of:

  • People or bicyclists near the road
  • A narrow bridge or other spot where the lane narrows
  • A patch of ice, a pothole, or something on the road
Handbook p. 25 ↗

Passing at 55 mph

Passing at 55 mph
What you needAmount
Time to passAbout 10 seconds
Distance you travel in 10 secondsOver 800 feet
Clear distance to pass safelyOver 1,600 feet (about ⅓ mile)
Handbook p. 25 ↗

Know the rule

A far-away vehicle often seems to be standing still. If you can actually see it coming closer, it may be too close for you to pass.

Handbook p. 25 ↗

Know the rule

Return to your lane only when you can see both headlights of the vehicle you passed in your rear-view mirror.

Handbook p. 25 ↗

Do not pass:

  • Where signs or markings show a no-passing zone
  • At intersections, railroad crossings or shopping center entrances
  • On the shoulder, paved or not
Handbook p. 25 ↗

Know the rule

When your direction has fewer than three lanes, Connecticut law requires you to drive in the right lane except when passing. You may move left to turn left or exit on the left, safely and with a signal.

Handbook p. 25 ↗

Know the rule

On multi-lane roads the left-most lane is for passing. If you pass on the right, the other driver may not see you and may change lanes into you.

Handbook p. 25 ↗

Put it into practice

On a two-lane road at 55 mph you want to pass a slow truck. You'd need over 1,600 feet of clear road, and you can see a car coming over a rise. It seems still but is growing larger — too close. You stay behind and wait.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

About how many seconds does it take to safely pass another vehicle at 55 mph?
  1. About 20 seconds
  2. About 6 seconds
  3. About 3 seconds
  4. About 10 seconds

Answer: About 10 seconds

At a speed of 55 mph, you need about 10 seconds to pass.

Handbook p. 25 ↗
At 55 mph, about how much total distance is needed to safely complete a pass, accounting for the oncoming vehicle?
  1. Over 1,600 feet
  2. About 400 feet
  3. About 800 feet
  4. About 1,000 feet

Answer: Over 1,600 feet

At 55 mph you need over 1,600 feet, about one-third of a mile, to pass safely since the oncoming vehicle is also closing distance.

Handbook p. 25 ↗
When is it safe to return to your lane after passing another vehicle?
  1. When you see its front bumper in your side mirror
  2. As soon as your rear bumper clears their front bumper
  3. After counting three seconds past it
  4. When you see both its headlights in your mirror

Answer: When you see both its headlights in your mirror

When you can see both headlights of the vehicle you just passed in your rear-view mirror, it is safe to return to your lane.

Handbook p. 25 ↗
On a road with fewer than three lanes in your direction, where does Connecticut law require you to drive except when passing?
  1. In the right lane
  2. In whichever lane you will exit from
  3. In the left lane
  4. In whichever lane has less traffic

Answer: In the right lane

When your direction of travel is less than three lanes, Connecticut law requires you to drive in the right lane, except when passing.

Handbook p. 25 ↗
How many vehicles should you generally attempt to pass at one time, according to the handbook?
  1. As many as fit in the passing zone
  2. Up to two vehicles
  3. Up to three vehicles
  4. Only one vehicle at a time

Answer: Only one vehicle at a time

As a general rule, only pass one vehicle at a time.

Handbook p. 25 ↗
It is legal to pass another vehicle on the paved or unpaved shoulder of the road.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: False

Never pass on the shoulder, whether paved or not; other drivers never expect you there.

Handbook p. 25 ↗
Take the lesson checkpoint in the app

More in Driving Behaviors & Space Cushion

All Connecticut lessons