Passing on the right — District of Columbia Permit Test

Passing on the right on the District of Columbia permit test — 3 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

In the District it is preferable to pass on the left, but it is legal to pass on the left or right on one-way roads with room for more than one line of traffic.

On a one-way road with two lines of traffic there is no oncoming car, so a pass on either side does not cross into danger.

However, in the District of Columbia, it is legal to pass on either the left or right on one-way roads, provided there is room for more than one line of traffic.

DC Driver Manual, p.71

In the District it is legal to pass on either the left or right on highways with 4 or more lanes.

With several lanes in each direction, a car in a slower lane can be passed on either side without meeting oncoming traffic.

It is also legal to pass on either the left or right on highways with four or more lanes.

DC Driver Manual, p.71

On a two-lane highway you may pass on the right only when the vehicle being overtaken is making or about to make a left turn.

The shoulder is where people walk, cars break down and debris collects, so a pass there can hit something you did not expect.

You may pass on the right only when the vehicle being overtaken is making or is about to make a left turn.

DC Driver Manual, p.72

On the test

On which roads is it legal in the District to pass on either the left or the right?

One-way roads with room for two lines. On a one-way road with two lines of traffic there is no oncoming car, so a pass on either side does not cross into danger. DC Driver Manual, p.71: “However, in the District of Columbia, it is legal to pass on either the left or right on one-way roads, provided there is room for more than one line of traffic.”

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.

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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.