Passing — Idaho Permit Test

Pass only when you will not interfere with oncoming traffic or the vehicle you are passing, and wait until you are certain you have enough time to pass safely.

A pass that goes wrong ends head on, and the closing speed is both cars added together.

do so only when you won't interfere with oncoming traffic or the vehicle you're passing

Before returning to your own lane, signal and wait until you can see the vehicle you passed in your rear-view mirror.

The mirror is how you know the whole car is behind you rather than just the part you can see over your shoulder.

signal and wait until you can see the vehicle you're passing in your rear-view mirror

If you start to pass but decide you cannot make it, pull back and wait for another opening.

Committing to a pass you cannot finish leaves the car in the oncoming lane with nowhere to go.

If you start to pass but decide you can't make it, pull back and wait for another opening

Passing is prohibited on hills, curves or other obstructions on two-lane roads that stop you seeing oncoming vehicles which might be a hazard.

The oncoming car you cannot see is traveling toward you at the same time you are using its lane.

Hills, curves, or other obstructions on two-lane roads that prevent you from seeing oncoming vehicles that might pose a hazard

Passing is prohibited within 100 feet of an intersection unless traffic-control devices indicate otherwise.

A car crossing at the intersection is looking for one vehicle, and the one passing is in a lane it does not expect.

Within 100 feet of an intersection, unless otherwise indicated by traffic-control devices

Passing is prohibited within 100 feet of a railroad crossing unless traffic-control devices indicate otherwise.

A car alongside you at a crossing cannot see what you can, and neither of you can stop on the tracks.

Within 100 feet of a railroad crossing, unless otherwise indicated by traffic-control devices

Passing is prohibited within 100 feet of a bridge or tunnel when the view is obstructed.

There is no shoulder on a bridge to recover onto, so a pass that goes wrong there has nowhere to go.

Within 100 feet of a bridge or tunnel when the view is obstructed

You may not pass when a vehicle ahead of you has stopped at a marked or unmarked crosswalk to let a pedestrian cross.

The stopped car hides the person walking, and the driver passing it arrives at exactly their position.

When a vehicle ahead of you has stopped at a marked or unmarked crosswalk to let a pedestrian cross

You may not pass when you would have to go off the pavement or roadway to do it.

The shoulder is not a lane, and its surface is loose exactly where a car would be at its least stable.

When you must go off the pavement or roadway to pass

A passenger vehicle, motorcycle or pickup not towing anything may exceed the posted limit by up to 15 miles per hour while passing a slower vehicle on a two-lane roadway where the posted limit is 55 miles per hour or greater.

The allowance exists to shorten the time spent in the oncoming lane, which is the dangerous part of the pass.

you may exceed the posted speed limit by up to 15 miles per hour while passing another vehicle that is traveling below the posted speed limit on a two-lane roadway.

The passing speed limit exception applies only where the posted speed limit is 55 miles per hour or greater, and it does not apply in work zones.

On a slow road the pass is short enough not to need it, and in a work zone nothing justifies the extra speed.

The posted speed limit must be 55 miles per hour or greater

After using the passing speed exception you must return to the right-hand lane and reduce speed to the posted limit as soon as practicable.

The allowance covers the pass and nothing after it, so the speed comes back down with the lane change.

You must return to the right- hand lane and reduce speed to the posted speed limit as soon as practicable

You may pass on the right when the vehicle you are overtaking on a two-lane, two-way road is signaling to turn left.

The turning car has moved out of the way of the lane, and waiting behind it blocks the road for everyone.

When the vehicle you're overtaking on a two-lane, two- way road is signaling to turn left

You may also pass on the right on a one-way or multi-lane street with two or more lanes going your direction, and the movement must never be made by driving off the roadway.

With a lane of its own, passing on the right is an ordinary lane change rather than an overtake.

On a one-way or multi-lane street with two or more lanes going your direction

When passing, check your mirrors and blind spots because somebody else may be trying to pass you, then turn on your left turn signal and move into the left lane.

The driver behind may already be halfway out, and pulling into them is a pass that ends before it starts.

Check your mirrors and blind spots, someone else may be trying to pass you

If the vehicle you are passing begins to drift toward you, use your horn.

They have not seen you. The horn is the only thing that reaches a driver looking the other way.

If the vehicle you're passing begins to drift toward you, use your horn

Complete a pass before coming within 200 feet of oncoming traffic.

Two hundred feet closes in about a second when both cars are moving, so the margin is smaller than it sounds.

Complete a pass before coming within 200 feet of oncoming traffic

Complete a pass before you reach a no passing zone marked with signs or pavement markings.

The zone begins where the view runs out, so being halfway through a pass at its start is the worst place to be.

Complete a pass before you reach a “No Passing” zone marked with signs or pavement markings

When you are being passed, move to the right side of your lane to give the other driver more room and a better view of the road ahead.

The pass is safer for both cars if it is shorter, and moving right is what shortens it.

Move to the right side of your lane to give them more room and a better view of the road ahead

When you are being passed, do not speed up. Maintain a steady speed or slow down.

A driver who speeds up turns a short pass into a long one, in the lane where the oncoming traffic is.

Don't speed up. Maintain a steady speed or slow down

Idaho's mountains and winding river canyons make passing risky on many two-lane highways.

The sight line ends at the next bend, and what is round it arrives at the speed of both cars.

Idaho's mountains and winding river canyons make passing risky on many two-lane highways

When should an Idaho driver pass another vehicle?

When it will not interfere with oncoming traffic or that vehicle. A pass that goes wrong ends head on, and the closing speed is both cars added together. July 2026 Idaho Driver's Handbook, p.76: “do so only when you won't interfere with oncoming traffic or the vehicle you're passing”