Passing
Passing tests whether you can judge sight distance, lane markings, and closing speed before moving around another vehicle. NY permit questions emphasize when passing is legal, which side to use, and when a line or location makes passing prohibited.
Core rules
- Pass on the left when it is safe and legal. Signal, check mirrors and blind spots, accelerate smoothly, and return to the lane only when you can see the passed vehicle in your rearview mirror.
- Do not exceed the speed limit to pass.
- Passing on the right is limited. It is generally allowed when the vehicle ahead is making a left turn, or when there are multiple lanes moving in the same direction and it is safe. Never pass on the shoulder, off the pavement, or in a bike lane.
- Do not pass where a solid yellow line is on your side, on hills or curves with limited sight distance, at intersections, or at railroad crossings.
- Do not pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk for a pedestrian, and never pass a stopped school bus with red lights flashing on your side of an undivided road.
- A broken yellow line permits passing only when the road ahead is clear; it does not require you to pass.
Worked example
You approach a broken yellow line, but the road curves and you cannot see far enough ahead to confirm a safe gap. The broken line is permission to consider passing, not an order to pass. Because sight distance is insufficient, you stay behind until the road straightens and you can see clear space.
Traps that cost marks
Passing at a railroad crossing or intersection, misjudging the speed of oncoming traffic, returning to the lane too soon, and using a shoulder to get around a left-turning car. Also remember that a solid line on your side forbids passing even if the other side is broken.