On-Road Driving and Traffic Maneuvers
This domain covers the on-road skill test: turns, lane changes, intersections, curves, expressway entry and exit, and stops. The examiner scores smoothness, position, mirror use, and whether you finish each maneuver in the correct lane.
Core rules
- Right turn: approach in the right lane, check the right mirror for cyclists and pedestrians, swing wide enough to keep the rear wheels off the curb, and finish in the correct lane, not the far lane.
- Left turn: keep your vehicle to the right of the centerline before turning, watch tail swing, and do not cut the corner.
- Lane change: mirror, signal, head check, then move smoothly. One lane at a time.
- Intersections: do not enter unless you can clear them; never block the box.
- Expressway: build speed on the ramp, merge into a gap without forcing others to brake, and slow to a safe ramp speed on exit.
- Massachusetts rotaries: yield to traffic already in the circle; do not stop inside it.
- Right turn on red is allowed after a full stop unless a sign prohibits it.
- Know your height and clearance; low bridges and canopies are not forgiving.
Worked example
A right turn at a tight corner: the driver signals early, moves to the right lane, checks the right convex mirror for a cyclist, stops behind the crosswalk, then turns while watching the rear wheels in the mirror, completing the turn in the rightmost lane with no curb contact.
Traps that cost marks
Clipping the curb; turning into the far lane; failing to yield in a rotary; entering an intersection you cannot clear; ignoring overhead clearance signs.