A 3-minute lesson from the Kentucky course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Rural highways bring hazards you rarely see in town: loose surfaces, narrow lanes with ditches instead of shoulders, one-lane bridges and intersections with no signs at all. Stay alert, watch for warning signs and obey the speed limit.
Rural road conditions
Rural road conditions
Condition
What to do
Gravel or dirt
Slow down, add following room; you may skid stopping
Narrow road with ditches or drop-offs
Slow down, center in your lane, watch oncoming traffic
Narrow or single-lane bridge
Take turns; the first driver there usually goes first
A three-wheeled motor vehicle in a category of its own: riders sit as in a car, it has a steering wheel, pedals and a 3-point belt, and it goes faster than 40 mph.
An autocycle is considered a motorcycle and must follow all traffic regulations, but the operator needs only a valid operator's license—no motorcycle license or endorsement—and is exempt from headgear requirements.
On a narrow rural road, you and an oncoming pickup approach a single-lane bridge, and the pickup gets there first. Let it cross—generally, the first driver to the bridge has the right of way.
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.
On narrow rural roads without shoulders, you should:
Reduce speed and center your vehicle in your lane
Keep to the far right edge
Straddle the center line for extra room
Use high beams to warn oncoming drivers
Answer: Reduce speed and center your vehicle in your lane
Reduce speed, center your vehicle in the lane, and watch for oncoming traffic that may share your lane.