Driver license the official handbook

32  
©2017 Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
Bike Lanes
Motorized vehicles are not allowed 
to drive in bike lanes; they may 
cross over them when turning at 
intersections, but only when no 
bicyclists are present in the bike 
lane.
Red Reflectors
Red reflectors on lane lines always 
mean you are facing traffic the 
wrong way and could have a head-
on collision.
  • If you see red reflectors facing 
you on the lane lines, you are on 
the wrong side of the road. Turn 
around or get into the proper 
lane immediately!
  • If you see red reflectors on the 
edge lines of the road, you are 
going the wrong way on an 
entrance or exit ramp. Pull over 
immediately! Turn around when 
it safe to do so. 
Safe Following Distances
Rear-end collisions are almost 
always caused by drivers following 
too closely. Maintaining a large 
enough following distance (the 
space between you and the vehicle 
in front of you) greatly helps you 
to avoid a collision with the vehicle 
in front of you. The more distance 
between your vehicle and others, the 
more time you have to react. Keep 
a minimum following distance of 
four seconds during normal weather 
and traffic conditions. (Increase 
following distance during unusual 
weather or traffic conditions.)
Determine your following 
distance:
 1.  Watch when the rear of the 
vehicle ahead passes a stationary 
marker such as a sign or light 
pole.
 2.  Count the seconds it takes you 
to reach the same marker: “One-
thousand-one, one-thousand-
two, one-thousand-three, one-
thousand-four.”
 3.  If you pass the stationary 
marker before counting to one-
thousand-four, you are following 
too closely.
 4.  Reduce speed and then count 
again at another stationary 
point. Repeat until you are 
following no closer than four-
seconds.
Increase your following distance 
in these situations:
  • Rain or when roads are wet.
  • Low visibility—dusk, dawn, 
nighttime, fog, etc. 
  • When being passed (more space 
in front of your vehicle so the 
pass can be completed safely).
  • Carrying a heavy load or pulling 
a trailer. (The extra weight 
makes it more difficult to stop 
quickly/steer correctly.) 
  • When stopped behind another 
vehicle on an incline; it may roll 
back before moving forward.
  • When following:
 
◆
 Motorcycles. The chances of a 
motorcyclist falling are greater 
on wet or gravel roads, or 
metal surfaces such as bridges. 

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The Official Florida Driver License Handbook—rev. 051417
  
33  
.......................................................................................................................................DRIVING SAFELY
You will need extra stopping/
steering distance to avoid 
hitting the bike/rider.
 
◆
 Emergency vehicles. It is 
against the law to follow a 
fire truck responding to a fire 
alarm closer than 500 feet. 
 
◆
 Vehicles required to come to a 
stop at railroad crossings, such 
as city buses, school buses, and 
vehicles carrying hazardous 
materials.
 
◆
 Vehicles with a blocked rear 
view. Drivers of trucks, buses, 
vans, or vehicles pulling 
trailers may not be able to see 
your vehicle when you are 
directly behind them. 
If your vehicle is being followed too  
closely, slow down and keep to the 
right.
Following Distance for Trucks
A truck or any vehicle towing 
another vehicle must not follow 
within 300 feet of another truck 
or vehicle towing a vehicle. This 
law does not apply to overtaking 
and passing, and it does not apply 
within cities or towns.
Blind Spots
Blind spots are areas near the left 
and right rear corners of your 
vehicle that you can’t see in your 
rear-view mirrors or with your 
peripheral vision. Before you move 
to change lanes on a highway or to 
pass on any road, turn your head to 
make sure these areas are clear. 
Do not drive in someone else’s blind 
spot. Move forward or drop back so 
that the other driver can see you.
The larger the vehicle, the larger the 
blind spots. Large trucks and SUVs 
have blind spots close to the rear of 
the vehicle that cannot be seen in 
rear-view mirrors. (See “No Zones” 
on page 44.) 
Passing
 1.  Stay a safe distance behind the 
vehicle you want to pass—the 
closer you get, the less you can 
see ahead.
 2.  Before you pull out to pass, 
check your blind spots and 
make sure that you have plenty 
of time and room to pass.
 3.  Activate your signal before 
moving into the left lane to 
notify all other motorists that 
you are about to change lanes to 
pass.
 4.  Tap your horn (day) or flash 

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34  
©2017 Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
your headlights (night) to let 
the other driver know you are 
passing.
 5.  Do not return to the right side 
of the road until you can see the 
tires of the vehicle you passed 
in your rear-view mirror. Signal 
when you are about to return to 
your lane.
 6.  You must return to the right 
side of the road before coming 
within 200 feet of any vehicle 
coming from the opposite 
direction.
You should not attempt to pass 
more than one vehicle at a time. 
Passing multiple vehicles is 
dangerous. 
Stay within the speed limit. It is not 
legal to exceed the speed limit while 
passing.
Passing on the Right
Pulling off the roadway to pass on 
the right is against the law.  Passing 
on the right is only legal when there 
are two or more lanes of traffic 
moving in the same direction or the 
vehicle you are passing is making a 
left turn. 
You Must Not Pass...
  • where there is a single solid 
line, or double-sided solid line 
dividing lanes;  
  • when the double-sided yellow 
line is solid in your lane; 
  • in Do Not Pass and No Passing 
zones;
  • on hills or curves where you 
can’t see at least 500 feet ahead;
  • within 100 feet of a bridge, 
viaduct, tunnel, railroad 
crossing, or intersection; 
  • when a school bus is stopped 
and has its warning flashers on 
and stop sign extended;  
  • at crosswalks where a vehicle has 
stopped to allow a pedestrian to 
cross.
Being Passed
You must not increase your speed 
while you are being passed,. Move 
to the right side of your lane to give 
passing drivers more room and a 
better view of the road ahead.
Limited-Access Highways
Limited-access highways—also 
called expressways, interstate 
highways, turnpikes, toll roads, 
freeways, and—are multiple-
lane roads with no stop signs, 
traffic lights, or railroad crossings. 
Pedestrians, hitchhikers, bicycles, 
animal-drawn vehicles, and motor-
driven cycles/motor scooters (with 
150 cubic centimeter displacement 
or less) are not allowed on limited-
access highways.

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