Vehicle Equipment, Sharing the Road, and Special Conditions
Equipment basics
Your vehicle must be in safe working order: brakes, headlights, taillights, brake lights, turn signals, horn, mirrors, tires with adequate tread, and a clean windshield. Seat belts are required for front-seat occupants and for all passengers under 18, and children must be in an approved child restraint until age 8 or 80 pounds, then a booster. Headlights are required from sunset to sunrise and whenever visibility is poor.
Sharing the road
Motorcycles and bicycles are entitled to a full lane. When passing a bicyclist, North Carolina requires at least two feet of clearance; slow down and wait until you can give that space. Large trucks have big blind spots ("No Zones") on all four sides, need more room to stop, and swing wide before turning right - never squeeze between a truck and the curb. Near railroad crossings, slow down, look both ways, and never stop on the tracks.
Special conditions
In rain, snow, fog, or smoke, slow down and increase following distance. In work zones, obey flaggers and reduced limits. At night, use low beams when meeting traffic.
Traps
The school-bus question is the biggest trap: on a two-lane road you stop for flashing red lights in both directions, but on a divided highway with a median, traffic on the opposite side does not stop. Another trap: a motorcycle may not share your lane, and you may not share its lane.
Worked example
A school bus stops with red lights flashing on a four-lane road divided by a median; you approach from the opposite direction. You do not have to stop, but stay alert for children.