Motorcycle being passed — New Mexico Permit Test

Motorcycle being passed on the New Mexico permit test — 3 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

When being passed from behind or by an oncoming vehicle, a rider stays in the center portion of the lane.

The middle of the lane keeps the bike away from the passing car's side, mirrors and wind blast.

When you are being passed from behind or by an oncoming vehicle, stay in the center portion of your lane.

New Mexico Driver Manual, p.39

A rider being passed does not move to the part of the lane farthest from the passing vehicle, because that can invite the driver to cut back in too early.

A wide-open gap looks like room to the passing driver, who may swing back into the lane while still beside the bike.

Do not move into the portion of the lane farthest from the passing vehicle.

New Mexico Driver Manual, p.39

A passing vehicle's extended mirrors are a danger to a rider, because they hang out farther than its fenders.

A driver may judge the gap by the car's body and forget the mirror sticking out toward the bike.

Some drivers forget that their mirrors hang out farther than their fenders.

New Mexico Driver Manual, p.39

On the test

Where in the lane should a rider stay while being passed?

In the center portion. The middle of the lane keeps the bike away from the passing car's side, mirrors and wind blast. New Mexico Driver Manual, p.39: “When you are being passed from behind or by an oncoming vehicle, stay in the center portion of your lane.”

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

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Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against New Mexico Driver Manual, published by the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-10-04.