Motorcycle lane positions — New Mexico Permit Test

Motorcycle lane positions on the New Mexico permit test — 4 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

There is no single best lane position for a rider, and no part of the lane, including the center, needs to be avoided.

The right spot changes with traffic and the road, so a rider keeps picking the place with the best view and most room.

In general, there is no single best position for riders to be seen and to maintain a space cushion around the cycle.
New Mexico Driver Manual, p.36

If there are hazards on both sides of a rider, the center of the lane is usually the best choice.

The middle of the lane puts the most space between the bike and trouble on either side.

If hazardous conditions exist on both sides of you, the center of the lane is usually your best choice.
New Mexico Driver Manual, p.36

The oily strip down the center of a lane is usually no more than 2 feet wide, so a rider can ride left or right of it and stay in the lane.

Oil dripped from cars makes the middle slick, but the strip is narrow enough to steer around.

This strip is usually no more than two feet wide.
New Mexico Driver Manual, p.36

A rider avoids the big build-ups of oil and grease usually found at very busy intersections or toll booths.

Where many cars stop and drip, the road gets slick enough to make a tire slide.

Avoid riding on big build-ups of oil and grease that are usually found at very busy intersections or toll booths.
New Mexico Driver Manual, p.37

On the test

Is there one lane position a rider should use at all times?

No, there is no single best one. The right spot changes with traffic and the road, so a rider keeps picking the place with the best view and most room. New Mexico Driver Manual, p.36: “In general, there is no single best position for riders to be seen and to maintain a space cushion around the cycle.”

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.