Traffic Laws and Rules of the Road
This domain tests Illinois-specific rules: what the M classification allows, required equipment, lane use for motorcycles, statewide speed limits, and the alcohol and phone laws you are held to.
Licence and equipment
A regular Class D licence does not authorize you to ride; you need the motorcycle classification. A motorcycle must have its headlight on whenever it is operated, day or night. Eye protection is required unless the bike is equipped with a windshield. A passenger may ride only if the motorcycle has a proper passenger seat and footrests, and that passenger must keep both feet on the pegs.
Lane use
A motorcycle is entitled to a full lane. Never share a lane with a car, and do not split lanes or ride between rows of traffic - Illinois does not permit it. Two motorcycles may ride side by side in one lane, but never more than two abreast, and single file is expected in curves, on narrow roads, and in poor visibility.
Speed and following distance
Illinois maximums are 70 mph on rural interstates and 55 mph on urban interstates and other highways unless posted otherwise; school zones are posted at 20 mph. Stay at least two seconds behind the vehicle ahead, and stretch that to three or four seconds behind trucks, in rain, or at night.
Alcohol and distraction
A rider 21 or older is impaired at 0.08 BAC; riders under 21 face zero tolerance. Refusing a chemical test triggers implied-consent consequences. Handheld phone use is prohibited while driving, and texting is banned for all drivers.
Worked example
At 55 mph you cover about 80 feet per second, so a two-second gap is roughly 160 feet. Directly behind a box truck that gap hides the road ahead, so drop back to three or four seconds - about 240 to 320 feet - until you can see past it.
Traps that cost marks
Assuming lane splitting is legal because it is in California; thinking every interstate is 70 mph; carrying a passenger on a bike with no passenger footrests.