On a long, narrow stretch of highway, a bus has just reached a passing lane. The bus is travelling slower than the rest of the traffic. What should the bus driver do?
- Use either lane; cars can pass on either side.
- Drive straight down the broken white line.
- Stay in the left lane and allow the cars to pass on the right.
- Move into the right lane and allow the cars to pass on the left. ✓
Answer: D. Move into the right lane and allow the cars to pass on the left.
Move into the right lane and allow the cars to pass on the left.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says to choose the lane that fits your speed and the traffic flow, and that the right-hand lane is best. On freeways, the left lane is meant for higher-speed traffic and passing. It also gives a specific rule for slower vehicles going up or down a hill where a passing lane is provided: always use the right lane. That is exactly the bus's situation here, so it should move right and allow faster traffic to pass on its left.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Use either lane; cars can pass on either side. — Using either lane is wrong because the handbook says the left lane is for higher-speed traffic and passing vehicles, not for a bus moving slower than traffic.
- B. Drive straight down the broken white line. — Straddling the lane line does not put the bus in the right lane, which the handbook says slower traffic should use.
- C. Stay in the left lane and allow the cars to pass on the right. — Staying in the left lane and letting cars pass on the right reverses the handbook's lane use: slower vehicles keep right and faster traffic passes on the left.
Remember it
Think slow traffic, right lane: leave the left lane open for passing.