Passing — Pennsylvania Permit Test

Passing on the Pennsylvania permit test — 6 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

After passing, return to the right lane only after seeing the passed vehicle in the rearview mirror.

Seeing the whole vehicle in the mirror is a practical check that enough space has opened.

Do not pass within 100 feet of an intersection or railroad crossing unless traffic control permits it.

A car or a train can come into the gap just as you are alongside, and there is nowhere left to go.

When a pass uses an opposing lane, the passing vehicle must return to an authorized lane before coming within 200 feet of an approaching vehicle.

The clearance prevents two vehicles from closing head-on while one remains committed to the wrong side of the road.

A driver may pass a left-turning vehicle on the right when it can be done safely, but may not drive off the roadway or onto the berm or shoulder.

Going around on the right is allowed, but the shoulder is not a lane and a car may be stopped on it.

Do not pass on the left near the crest of a hill or on a curve when the view is obstructed enough to create a hazard.

A car you cannot see yet can take the whole lane away before either of you has room to move.

A driver being passed must not increase speed until the passing vehicle is completely clear.

If the car being passed speeds up, the one passing is stuck out there with something coming at it.

On the test

When has a driver gone far enough past a vehicle to return to the right lane?

Return after the passed vehicle appears in the mirror. Seeing the whole vehicle in the mirror is a practical check that enough space has opened.

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.

All Pennsylvania permit topics

Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against Pennsylvania Driver’s Manual, published by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-08-31.