Passing a bicyclist — District of Columbia Permit Test
Passing a bicyclist on the District of Columbia permit test — 4 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
When passing a cyclist, allow a minimum of 3 feet of clearance.
A rider may wobble or swerve around debris, and a car passing closer than that clips them or knocks them off balance.
When passing a cyclist, allow a minimum of three feet clearance.
After passing a bicyclist, return to your lane when you can clearly see the bicyclist in your rear view mirror.
Pulling back over too soon swings the side of your car into the rider you just passed.
When passing a bicyclist, wait until it is safe and allow adequate clearance (usually about three feet from the side of your vehicle) and return to your lane when you can clearly see the bicyclist in your rear view mirror.
If you are unable to pass a bicyclist safely, reduce your speed, follow the bicycle and wait for a safe opportunity to pass.
Forcing a pass with oncoming traffic squeezes the rider between your car and the curb.
If you are unable to safely pass, reduce your speed, follow the bicycle and wait for a safe opportunity to pass.
Do not use your horn to alert or alarm a bicycle rider when passing.
A horn right beside a rider can make them jerk the handlebars toward your car.
Do not use your horn to alert or alarm the rider.
On the test
What is the minimum clearance when passing a cyclist?
3 feet. A rider may wobble or swerve around debris, and a car passing closer than that clips them or knocks them off balance. DC Driver Manual, p.72: “When passing a cyclist, allow a minimum of three feet clearance.”
How this works
Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.
You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.
Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.
What it costs
- One payment, once — not a subscription. Nothing renews and there is nothing to cancel, for an exam you sit one time.
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All District of Columbia permit topics
Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against DC Driver Manual, published by the District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-10-05.
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/DC.pdf (DC Driver Manual (English), Rev. 7/29/2021, District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles, fetched 2026-10-05 from the Wayback Machine's original-bytes capture of dmv.dc.gov; sha256 pinned in SOURCES.json)
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/DC.pages.txt (the plain pdftotext fixture every citation here was cut from and verified against; sha256 pinned in SOURCES.json)
- https://dmv.dc.gov/publication/dc-dmv-automobile-driver-manual (read 2026-10-05; links only the 2023 Issuu flipbooks)
- https://issuu.com/dcdmv/docs/dc_dmv_driver_manual_english_revised_final (the current 2023 edition, read 2026-10-05 from its public page images to diff against the pinned edition; not pinnable)
- https://dmv.dc.gov/service/knowledge-tests (read 2026-10-05; states no count or mark for the knowledge test)
- https://dcregs.dc.gov/Common/DCMR/RuleList.aspx?ChapterNum=18-1 (18 DCMR chapter 1, sections 100-114, read 2026-10-05; section 104 sets what the examination covers and states no figure)
- https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/50-1401.01 (D.C. Code 50-1401.01, read 2026-10-05; requires a knowledge examination and states no figure)