Motorcycle driver habits — North Dakota Permit Test

Always signal your intentions before changing lanes or merging, so the motorcyclist can anticipate traffic flow and find a safe lane position.

A rider who knows where you are going can move out of your way before you get there.

This allows the motorcyclist to anticipate traffic flow and find a safe lane position.

Always make a visual check for motorcycles, by checking mirrors and blind spots, before entering or leaving a lane of traffic and at intersections.

Motorcycles hide in blind spots and are missed in a quick glance, so a lane change without a look can hit one.

Always make a visual check for motorcycles by checking mirrors and blind spots before entering or leaving a lane of traffic and at intersections.

Motorcycle turn signals usually are not self-canceling, so wait to be sure the motorcycle is going to turn before you proceed.

Riders often forget to switch the signal off, and a driver who pulls out on that signal can be hit by a motorcycle going straight.

Wait to be sure the motorcycle is going to turn before you proceed.

Motorcyclists may change speed or adjust their position within a lane suddenly in reaction to road conditions such as potholes, gravel, wet surfaces, pavement seams, railroad crossings and grooved pavement.

A bump a car rolls over can throw a motorcycle down, so riders swerve, and a driver close behind has no room.

Motorcyclists may change speed or adjust their position within a lane suddenly in reaction to road and traffic conditions such as potholes, gravel, wet or slippery surfaces, pavement seams, railroad crossings, and grooved pavement.

Allow more following distance, 3 or 4 seconds, when following a motorcycle.

The rider needs time to maneuver or stop in an emergency, and you need time not to run over a rider who goes down.

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

In dry conditions, motorcycles can stop more quickly than a car.

A car following a motorcycle at a car's distance can run into it when the rider brakes hard.

In dry conditions, motorcycles can stop more quickly than a car.

Why should you signal before changing lanes near a motorcyclist?

So the rider can anticipate traffic flow. A rider who knows where you are going can move out of your way before you get there. North Dakota Noncommercial Driver License Manual, p.33: “This allows the motorcyclist to anticipate traffic flow and find a safe lane position.”