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Tennessee driving lesson · Sharing the Road

Sharing the road with bicycles

A 4-minute lesson from the Tennessee 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
4 minutes
Course unit
Sharing the Road
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
119, 120

Bicycles are hard to see, their riders are exposed, and drivers often misjudge their speed. Most car-bike crashes happen when a driver turns left in front of an oncoming bicycle or turns right across its path.

Turning near bicycles

  • Turning left? Wait for an oncoming cyclist to pass first
  • Sharing a left-turn lane? Stay behind the cyclist until they finish
  • Turning right with a cyclist on your right? Let them go through first
  • Merge behind bicycle traffic before a right turn — don't cut across
  • Try to make and keep eye contact with the rider
Handbook p. 119 ↗

Know the rule

On most roads bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as other road users. They're prohibited on limited-access highways and expressways, and must ride on the right, with traffic, as far right as practical.

Handbook p. 119 ↗

Know the rule

Expect sudden moves: potholes, trash, oil, dogs or an opening car door can force a rider to swerve. A cyclist moving toward the center to avoid parked cars is riding properly.

Handbook p. 119 ↗

Passing a bicycle

  • Pass slowly with at least 3 feet of clearance, kept until you're past
  • Never pass between a cyclist and oncoming traffic on a two-lane road
  • Don't pass where it's too narrow or would push the rider toward parked cars
  • On a narrow road, tap your horn gently — never blast it
Handbook p. 119 ↗

Know the rule

Follow bicyclists with plenty of room, take extra care in rain and ice, and don't use high beams toward an oncoming rider at night.

Handbook p. 119 ↗

Bicycle hand signals

Bicycle hand signals
SignalHow it's given
Left turnLeft arm straight out (or point left)
Right turnLeft arm bent up at 90°, or right arm straight out
Stop or slowEither arm bent down at 90°, palm back
Handbook p. 119 ↗
Hand signals (bicyclist)
Bicycle hand signals

A cyclist may use the full lane when:

  • Passing another vehicle going the same way
  • The lane is marked for bicycles only — drivers never use it to turn, pass or park
  • Parked cars, debris, potholes or other hazards make the edge unsafe
  • The lane is too narrow for a car and bike to share
Handbook p. 120 ↗
500 feet

At night a bike needs a white front lamp and a red rear reflector or lamp visible this far

Handbook p. 120 ↗

Know the rule

Cyclists should wear a helmet and bright, reflective clothing, ride with traffic, and never slip between a truck or bus and the curb.

Handbook p. 120 ↗

Know the rule

In neighborhoods, children on bikes may ride mid-street or ignore stop signs — watch for bikes from driveways and behind parked cars. A red or orange pennant flag on a bike often means the rider has impaired hearing: slow down.

Handbook p. 120 ↗

Put it into practice

You're turning left at a green light and a cyclist is coming straight through from the other direction. Wait for the cyclist to clear the intersection, just as you would for a car, before you turn.

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.

After moving over to pass a bicyclist with 3 feet of clearance, how long must you keep that clearance?
  1. Until your front bumper passes the bike
  2. Until you are safely past the bicycle
  3. For about 100 feet
  4. Only on roads without a bike lane

Answer: Until you are safely past the bicycle

Tennessee law requires at least 3 feet of clearance when passing a bicyclist, maintained until you are safely past the bicycle.

Handbook p. 119 ↗
A bicycle used at night in Tennessee must have a front lamp visible from what minimum distance?
  1. 100 feet
  2. 50 feet
  3. 1,000 feet
  4. 500 feet

Answer: 500 feet

A bicycle used at night must have a white front lamp visible from at least 500 feet.

Handbook p. 120 ↗
A bicyclist may take the full lane when:
  1. The lane is too narrow to share
  2. There is no traffic anywhere nearby
  3. The rider is going the speed limit
  4. Never; bicyclists must always ride at the far right

Answer: The lane is too narrow to share

A bicyclist may use the full lane when it's too narrow to safely share, among other conditions like passing or avoiding hazards.

Handbook p. 120 ↗
When your vehicle is turning right and a bicyclist is approaching on your right, you should:
  1. Turn quickly before the bicyclist arrives
  2. Let the bicyclist go first
  3. Pass the bicyclist, then turn
  4. Signal and turn; the bicyclist must yield

Answer: Let the bicyclist go first

If turning right and a bicyclist is approaching on the right, let the bicyclist pass through the intersection first.

Handbook p. 119 ↗
Bicyclists are prohibited from riding on limited-access highways and expressways.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

Bicyclists are prohibited on limited-access highways, expressways, and certain other marked roadways.

Handbook p. 119 ↗
A red or orange pennant flag on a pole attached to a bicycle is a common signal that the rider has impaired hearing.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

The handbook says a red or orange pennant flag on a bicycle commonly indicates the rider has impaired hearing — slow down.

Handbook p. 120 ↗
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More in Sharing the Road

All Tennessee lessons