Driving near bicycles — Utah Permit Test

Utah law requires a minimum of three feet of distance when passing any bicyclist or vulnerable user of the highway.

Three feet is the room a cyclist needs to wobble round a drain without being under your wing mirror.

Utah law requires a minimum of three feet of distance from any bicyclist or vulnerable user of the highway you are passing.

Bicycles are considered vehicles when on roadways, and bicyclists have the same rights, privileges, and responsibilities as a driver.

A cyclist in the lane is traffic, not an obstruction. They belong there on exactly the same terms you do.

Bicycles are considered vehicles when on roadways.

A driver must yield the right-of-way where a bicycle path or bike lane intersects a road, and may not stop, park, or drive in a designated bicycle lane except to enter or leave an alley or driveway, on police direction, or in an emergency.

A car parked in a bike lane pushes every cyclist out into the traffic lane, at the moment they can least afford it.

Do not stop, park, or drive on a designated bicycle path or lane unless you are entering or leaving an alley or driveway, performing official duties directed by a police officer, or an emergency exists.

A driver should avoid sounding the horn close to a bicyclist unless there is a chance of a crash, because it may startle them into the driver’s path.

A horn beside a cyclist is a shock rather than a warning, and a startled rider swerves toward the noise.

Avoid sounding your horn close to the bicyclists unless there is a chance of a crash.

A driver must dim their headlights within 500 feet when approaching or overtaking bicyclists at night.

A cyclist has no mirrors to look away from, and high beams from behind take away what little they can see.

Dim your headlights within 500 feet when approaching or overtaking bicyclists at night.

A driver should check to the sides and rear for bicyclists before opening a vehicle door when parked on the street.

A door opened into a bike lane is a wall that appears from nowhere, and the cyclist has no time at all.

When parking on the street, check to the sides and rear for bicyclists before opening your vehicle door.

A driver should be especially careful of children riding bicycles, because they see poorly out of the corner of their eyes, have trouble judging the speed and distance of oncoming cars, and lack a sense of danger.

A child glancing toward you may not have seen you at all, and they cannot tell how fast you are arriving.

They also have trouble judging the speed and distance of oncoming cars and lack a sense of danger.

A driver may not pass a bicycle or moped when approaching or on the crest of a grade or a curve where the view is obstructed, or within 100 feet of an intersection or railroad grade crossing.

A pass that needs the oncoming lane needs a clear view of it, and a cyclist gives you less room to abandon the attempt.

When approaching within 100 feet of, or traversing, any intersection or railroad grade crossing unless otherwise indicated by an official traffic control device.

A driver may drive in a two-way left turn lane where a bicyclist ahead is traveling at less than a reasonable speed.

Utah gives the center lane as somewhere to be while passing a slow rider, instead of sitting on their back wheel.

If a bicyclist travels at less than a reasonable speed, you may drive in a center lane, that is, a two-way left turn lane

A driver should slow down and let a cyclist clear the intersection before turning, and should avoid turning sharply in front of bicyclists or forcing one off the road.

Turning across a cyclist is the commonest way they are hurt, because a driver sees a gap where a bicycle is.

You should slow down and let the cyclist clear the intersection before turning.

How much space must a Utah driver give a bicyclist when passing?

Three feet. Three feet is the room a cyclist needs to wobble round a drain without being under your wing mirror. Utah Driver Handbook 2026-2027, p.75: “Utah law requires a minimum of three feet of distance from any bicyclist or vulnerable user of the highway you are passing.”