Sharing the Road — Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania permit practice test: 355 free practice questions (140 official sample questions · Official driver handbook). Official test format: 18 Q, pass 15. Sharing the Road: 50 questions.
Pedestrians, cyclists, school buses, emergency vehicles and heavy trucks.
This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines.
| Topic / Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Topic | Sharing the Road |
| License test | Pennsylvania Car learner's permit test |
| Topic questions | 50 (14% of 355 total) |
| Review status | This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines. |
Official handbook
pa.gov ✓ Verified from official source
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Questions (50)
1. WHEN DRIVING ON A ONE WAY STREET AND AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE WITH FLASHING LIGHTS IS BEHIND YOUR CAR, YOU:
- Drive with your flashers on
- Drive toward the nearest road side and stop ✓
- Speed up and take the nearest exit
- Slow down until the vehicle passes you
Answer: B. Drive toward the nearest road side and stop
When an emergency vehicle with flashing lights is behind you on a one-way street, drive toward the nearest roadside and stop. The Pennsylvania manual says that when you hear a siren or see an emergency vehicle approaching with flashing red or red-and-blue lights, you must pull over to the curb or side of the road and stop. It specifically adds that on one-way streets, you should drive toward the nearest roadside and stop. That matches the answer here: make room by moving to the nearest roadside and stopping, not by just slowing down or continuing on.
2. WHO MUST YIELD WHEN A DRIVER IS TURNING AND A PEDESTRIAN IS CROSSING WITHOUT
- TRAFFIC LIGHT?
- Whoever started last
- The driver ✓
- Whoever is slower
- The pedestrian
Answer: C. The driver
The driver must yield when turning and a pedestrian is crossing without a traffic light. The Pennsylvania manual puts the duty on the driver. It says drivers must yield to pedestrians at intersections that have no traffic signal, and it separately covers yielding when turning while pedestrians cross. The practice question in the same manual asks this exact situation and gives the driver as the answer. So the person steering the vehicle must wait for the pedestrian, rather than the pedestrian waiting for the turn.
3. IF YOU STOP AT A RAILROAD CROSSING WITH MORE THAN ONE TRACK:
- Wait until you have a clear view of both tracks ✓
- Stop on the railroad track and watch for another train
- Go through as soon as the train passes
- Go through when one of the tracks is free
Answer: A. Wait until you have a clear view of both tracks
Wait until you have a clear view of both tracks before you start across the crossing. At a railroad crossing with more than one track, the Pennsylvania manual says not to start as soon as the train passes. You must wait until you can see clearly down both tracks. A second train may be coming on the other track, so a clear view lets you confirm no train is approaching before you cross. The manual also says not to stop on the tracks, so you should watch from a safe position rather than pause on them.
4. IF YOU ARE FOLLOWING A TRUCK THAT SWINGS LEFT BEFORE MAKING A RIGHT TURN AT AN INTERSECTION, YOU SHOULD REMEMBER THAT IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO:
- Try to squeeze between the truck and curb to make a right turn ✓
- Apply your brakes until the truck has completed the turn
- Violate the “4 – second” following distance rule
- Honk your horn at the truck driver
Answer: A. Try to squeeze between the truck and curb to make a right turn
It is very dangerous to try to squeeze between the truck and the curb to make a right turn. The handbook explains that trucks need to swing wide to clear the corner, and a truck may look like it is going straight or turning left when it is actually setting up a right turn. The same passage says truck drivers cannot see vehicles that squeeze between the truck and the curb. Because of those blind spots, trying to slip past on the right puts you where the driver cannot see you. The manual says to stay put and give the truck room to finish the turn, so squeezing into that gap is the dangerous choice.
5. AFTER A TRAIN HAS PASSED, YOU SHOULD:
- Check again for approaching trains and proceed with caution ✓
- Wait for a green light
- Proceed across the tracks
- Blow horn and proceed
Answer: A. Check again for approaching trains and proceed with caution
After a train has passed, check again for approaching trains and proceed with caution. The Pennsylvania manual says not to start across immediately after a train passes, even at a single-track crossing, because another train may be coming. It also says you may proceed with caution only after all signals are done and there is evidence no train is approaching. So the safe move is to look again and make sure the crossing is clear before you drive over the tracks. The manual warns that familiar crossings can be dangerous when drivers assume no train will come.
6. WHEN YOU SEE AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE WITH FLASHING LIGHTS, YOU MUST:
- Slow down and keep moving in your lane
- Keep driving in your lane
- Pull to the curb and stop ✓
- Stop exactly where you are
Answer: C. Pull to the curb and stop
7. YOU MAY DRIVE AROUND THE GATES AT A RAILROAD CROSSING:
- When the train has passed
- Never ✓
- When the lights have stopped flashing
- When other drivers drive around the gates
Answer: B. Never
The correct choice is never: you may not drive around the gates at a railroad crossing. The handbook says a lowered crossing gate is a signal of an approaching train, and you are required to stop. It also tells drivers not to move forward or try to go around any gate. The manual's railroad-crossing question repeats the same rule with the answer "Never." So a train passing, lights stopping, or another driver going around does not change the rule for you. Wait until the signals are finished and you can see no train is coming before crossing.
8. YOU NEED TO USE EXTRA CAUTION WHEN DRIVING NEAR A PEDESTRIAN USING A WHITE CANE BECAUSE:
- He or she is deaf
- He or she has a mental disability
- He or she is blind ✓
- He or she has a walking problem
Answer: C. He or she is blind
You need extra caution because the pedestrian using a white cane is blind. The Pennsylvania handbook connects a white cane with a blind pedestrian and says drivers must slow down, yield the right-of-way, and proceed carefully. It also says to be ready to stop to avoid injury or danger. The manual’s review question gives blindness as the reason for extra caution near someone using a white cane.
9. IF THERE ARE NO SIGNALS AT A RAILROAD CROSSING, YOU SHOULD:
- Slow down and prepare to stop if you see or hear a train approaching ✓
- Proceed as quickly as possible over the tracks
- Proceed through the crossing at a normal rate
- Proceed slowly over the tracks
Answer: A. Slow down and prepare to stop if you see or hear a train approaching
You should slow down and prepare to stop if you see or hear a train approaching. The handbook says railroad crossings need caution at all times. When a crossing has no signals, you should reduce speed and be ready to stop if a train is coming. You must look both ways and listen before you proceed. The crossbuck passage repeats the same idea: slow down and prepare to stop when a train is approaching. So the right action is to approach with care, not to rush across the tracks.
10. WHEN SHARING THE ROAD WITH A TRUCK, IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT, IN GENERAL, TRUCKS:
- Take longer distances than cars to stop ✓
- Require less time to pass on a downgrade than cars
- Require less turning radius than cars
- Require less time to pass on an incline than cars
Answer: A. Take longer distances than cars to stop
Trucks generally take longer distances than cars to stop. The handbook explains that trucks and buses may use air brakes rather than hydraulic brakes, and they take longer distances to stop. It gives an example: a loaded truck with good tires and properly adjusted brakes at 65 mph on a clear, dry road needs at least 600 feet to stop, while a passenger vehicle needs 400 feet. That direct comparison supports the answer that trucks generally need more stopping distance than cars.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · 140 official sample questions · Official driver handbook