Motorcycle-Specific Traffic Laws and Riding Restrictions
Motorcycle-Specific Traffic Laws and Riding Restrictions
This domain tests rules that apply specifically to motorcycles: helmets, passengers, lane use, and required equipment. These are easy marks if you know the Mississippi defaults.
Legal requirements
- All riders and passengers must wear a DOT-approved helmet.
- A passenger needs a proper seat and footrests; the motorcycle must be designed to carry a passenger. Do not carry a passenger on a permit.
- A motorcycle is entitled to a full lane. Mississippi does not authorize lane splitting or sharing a lane with a car.
- Required equipment includes a headlight, taillight, brake light, horn, mirror, and a working muffler. Do not remove or modify emissions or noise-control equipment.
Riding restrictions
- Keep at least one hand on the handlebar and both feet on the footpegs while moving.
- Do not attach yourself or a package in a way that interferes with control.
- Group riders should use a staggered formation on straight roads and single file in curves.
Worked example
A rider wants to take a friend on a short trip. The motorcycle has no passenger footpegs. That is illegal: a passenger needs a seat and footrests. The rider must install proper equipment or take a different vehicle. A helmet for the passenger is also mandatory.
Traps
- Treating lane splitting as legal in heavy traffic.
- Carrying a passenger while on a learner's permit.
- Assuming a modified loud exhaust is allowed.
- Forgetting that a passenger needs footrests, not just a seat.