Sharing with motorcycles — Georgia Permit Test

A motorcycle is allowed the full width of a lane to maneuver in, and Georgia tells a driver not to share a lane with one even where there looks to be room.

The room you would take is the room the rider needs to get around a pothole or some gravel.

Motorcycles are allowed the full width of a lane in which to maneuver. Although it may seem that there is enough room in the traffic lane for a motor vehicle and a motorcycle, the motorcycle needs the room to maneuver safely. Do not share the lane.

A motorcycle looks smaller than a car from ahead or behind, which makes it seem farther away and slower than it really is.

Your eyes judge distance by size, and a small shape reads as a shape that is still a long way off.

From ahead or behind, a motorcycle's outline, whether 2 or 3 wheels, is much smaller than a passenger vehicle's outline

Intersections are where a car and a motorcycle are most likely to crash, usually because the driver did not see the motorcycle and turned into its path.

A rider is a narrow shape against a busy background, and a driver looking for cars does not find them.

Intersections are the most likely places for car/motorcycle crash to occur.

Georgia tells a driver not to trust a flashing turn signal on a motorcycle, because motorcycle signals may not cancel themselves and riders sometimes forget them.

A signal left blinking from the last turn looks exactly like a signal for the next one.

Don't be fooled by a flashing turn signal on a motorcycle

Georgia asks for more following distance behind a motorcycle, three or four seconds, so the rider has room to maneuver or stop in an emergency.

A rider who has to brake hard may have to swerve as well, and the space is what lets them.

Allow more following distance -- three or four seconds - when following a motorcycle so the motorcycle rider has enough time to maneuver or stop in an emergency.

A Georgia driver being overtaken by a motorcycle holds their lane position and their speed while the rider completes the pass.

Speeding up or drifting over while somebody is alongside you leaves them nowhere at all to go.

The motorist being overtaken by a motorcycle should maintain lane position and speed.

How much of a lane is a Georgia motorcycle allowed?

The full width of the lane. The room you would take is the room the rider needs to get around a pothole or some gravel. Georgia Driver's Manual, p.121: “Motorcycles are allowed the full width of a lane in which to maneuver. Although it may seem that there is enough room in the traffic lane for a motor vehicle and a motorcycle, the motorcycle needs the room to maneuver safely. Do not share the lane.”