Roadwise States North Carolina Driving lessons Farm equipment & funeral processions North Carolina driving lesson · General Driving Rules
Farm equipment & funeral processions A 3-minute lesson from the North Carolina course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Read time 3 minutes
Course unit General Driving Rules
Checkpoint questions 6
Source pages 27, 28 Slow farm machinery can be found anywhere in NC, even in suburbs. Because it moves so slowly, you close the gap much faster than you expect. Patience is the key to sharing the road with it.
Know the rule
Most farm-equipment crashes happen on clear, dry, paved roads in daylight. They're typically sideswipes and angle crashes when a car tries to pass equipment that's turning left.
Handbook p. 27 ↗ Know the rule
An operator's left-hand signal is sometimes mistaken as a sign to pass. When the machine slows to turn, the passing car hits it.
Handbook p. 27 ↗ Know the rule
It's illegal and very dangerous to pass farm equipment in a no-passing zone. Equipment may be wider than it looks and may need space in both lanes.
Handbook p. 27 ↗ Know the rule
If farm equipment is delaying traffic, the operator should pull off at the nearest practical spot to let traffic pass. That's the only advisable time to pass it.
Handbook p. 27 ↗ Farm equipment facts: Required: one front white light and a rear red light visible up to 500 feet Two red reflectors at least four inches in diameter can replace the rear red light Allowed on most NC roads except interstates More common early morning and evening in planting and harvest seasons Handbook p. 27 ↗ Funeral procession rules: Every vehicle has headlights on, plus hazard signals if equipped The lead vehicle obeys all traffic signals Once the lead crosses legally or an officer or funeral director directs, the rest may go through Procession vehicles stay on the right and follow as closely as reasonable and prudent Handbook p. 28 ↗ Know the rule
Opposite-direction drivers may yield to a procession. If they do, they slow down or stop completely off the roadway so other opposite-direction traffic can keep going in its lane.
Handbook p. 28 ↗ Know the rule
Same-direction drivers may not pass a procession unless the highway is marked for two or more lanes in the procession's direction.
Handbook p. 28 ↗ Know the rule
Never knowingly drive between vehicles in a procession. If it's going through a red light, don't enter the intersection even on green unless you can do so safely without crossing its path.
Handbook p. 28 ↗ Put it into practice
A tractor ahead signals left with the operator's arm out. Don't take it as a wave to pass. Stay back until it turns or pulls over to let you by.
A useful reminder Yielding to an oncoming funeral procession is optional; if you do yield, pull fully off the road.
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.
When is it legal to pass farm equipment in a no-passing zone? Never; it's illegal When the equipment is going less than 15 mph When no other vehicles are visible When the equipment signals a left turn Answer: Never; it's illegal
It is illegal and very dangerous to pass farm equipment in a no-passing zone.
Handbook p. 27 ↗ What is a common cause of crashes involving farm equipment making a left turn? The farm equipment suddenly stops without warning A driver reads the left signal as a cue to pass The farm equipment has no lights at all The following driver is always speeding Answer: A driver reads the left signal as a cue to pass
A machinery operator's left-turn signal can be mistaken by a following driver as a signal to pass, causing a crash.
Handbook p. 27 ↗ How far must a farm vehicle's rear red light (or reflectors) be visible? 100 feet 1,000 feet 500 feet 50 feet Answer: 500 feet
Farm equipment is required to have a rear red light visible for up to 500 feet, or two 4-inch reflectors as an alternative.
Handbook p. 27 ↗ On which type of road is farm equipment generally prohibited from traveling in North Carolina? Secondary roads Rural two-lane roads Roads near residential areas Interstates Answer: Interstates
Farm equipment is legally entitled to travel on most roads in North Carolina, except interstates.
Handbook p. 28 ↗ What must every vehicle in a funeral procession have activated? Headlights, plus hazards if equipped Only the hazard lights High-beam headlights only No lights are required during the day Answer: Headlights, plus hazards if equipped
Every vehicle in a funeral procession must have its headlights on, and hazard warning signals on if so equipped.
Handbook p. 28 ↗ When may a driver pass a funeral procession traveling in the same direction? Anytime there is a passing opportunity Only with 2+ lanes in that direction Only if driving an emergency vehicle Never Answer: Only with 2+ lanes in that direction
A driver may not pass a funeral procession except where the highway is marked for two or more lanes of moving traffic in that direction.
Handbook p. 28 ↗ Previous lesson When you're stopped by law enforcement Next lesson Speed limits & stopping distance More in General Driving Rules About the source Roadwise’s North Carolina course uses the driver handbook edition supplied with this study pack. This lesson cites source pages 27, 28. The linked PDF is a third-party mirror of the handbook, rather than a government-hosted page.
Open the handbook source PDF · View the source edition
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