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Mississippi driving lesson · Interstate, Large Vehicles & Bicycles

Sharing the road with bicycles

A 3-minute lesson from the Mississippi course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Interstate, Large Vehicles & Bicycles
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
73

Under Mississippi law a bicycle is a vehicle, and a cyclist has the same rights and responsibilities as a motorist. Pass a cyclist the way you'd pass a car, with a full lane change, because a close pass can knock a rider over.

Know the rule

A bicycle ridden on public roads is considered a vehicle, and its rider has the same rights and responsibilities as the driver of a motor vehicle.

Handbook p. 73 ↗

Drivers must:

  • Yield to oncoming bicyclists just as you would to oncoming motorists
  • Leave at least three feet between your vehicle and the bicycle when passing
  • Pass a same-direction cyclist in a no-passing zone only when it's safe
  • After passing a cyclist, turn right only if you can do so with reasonable safety
  • Never 'cut off' a cyclist by turning in front of them
Handbook p. 73 ↗
3 feet

Minimum space between your vehicle and a bicycle when you pass

Handbook p. 73 ↗

Know the rule

Don't try to share the lane with a cyclist when passing. Reduce speed, move into the next lane and pass as you would a motor vehicle.

Handbook p. 73 ↗

Know the rule

If there's oncoming traffic, slow down behind the cyclist and pass once it has cleared. Leave plenty of room: the wind from a vehicle passing too closely can make a cyclist lose control.

Handbook p. 73 ↗
20 to 25 mph

How fast an experienced bicyclist can ride, so they may be closer than you think

Handbook p. 73 ↗

Put it into practice

You're about to turn right just after passing a cyclist. An experienced rider may be doing 20 to 25 mph and be right beside you as you turn. Let the cyclist clear the intersection first instead of cutting them off.

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.

What is the minimum distance a driver must leave when passing a bicycle?
  1. 3 feet
  2. 10 feet
  3. 1 foot
  4. 6 feet

Answer: 3 feet

Drivers must leave a safe distance of at least three feet between the vehicle and the bicycle when passing.

Handbook p. 73 ↗
When passing a bicyclist, what should a driver do?
  1. Pass only if the cyclist waves you by
  2. Pass quickly without changing lanes
  3. Move fully into the next lane and pass as with a car
  4. Slow down and share the lane closely

Answer: Move fully into the next lane and pass as with a car

Drivers should not share the lane with a bicyclist when passing; they should move into the next lane just as when passing a car.

Handbook p. 73 ↗
What should a driver do after passing a bicyclist proceeding in the same direction, before turning right?
  1. Turn immediately regardless of the cyclist
  2. Make the right turn only if it can be made with reasonable safety
  3. Turn as soon as your front bumper clears the bike
  4. Turn only if the cyclist has stopped completely

Answer: Make the right turn only if it can be made with reasonable safety

After passing a bicyclist, a right turn should be made only if it can be made with reasonable safety.

Handbook p. 73 ↗
How fast can an experienced bicyclist ride, according to the handbook?
  1. 5 to 10 mph
  2. 10 to 15 mph
  3. 30 to 35 mph
  4. 20 to 25 mph

Answer: 20 to 25 mph

An experienced bicyclist can ride 20-25 miles per hour and may be closer than you think.

Handbook p. 73 ↗
You want to pass a cyclist, but there is oncoming traffic. What should you do?
  1. Squeeze past while staying in your lane
  2. Slow down behind the cyclist and pass when it clears
  3. Pass on the cyclist's right
  4. Speed up to pass before the oncoming car

Answer: Slow down behind the cyclist and pass when it clears

If there is oncoming traffic, slow down behind the bicyclist and pass when the oncoming traffic has cleared.

Handbook p. 73 ↗
Under Mississippi law, a bicycle is considered a vehicle with the same rights and responsibilities as a motor vehicle on public roads.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

The handbook states that a bicycle is considered a vehicle with the same rights and responsibilities as any other vehicle.

Handbook p. 73 ↗
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