When passing another vehicle on a road with two lanes traveling in opposite directions, you should:
- Return to the driving lane when there's enough room between you and the vehicle you passed. ✓
- Remain in the left lane if you intend to turn left.
- Return to the right side of the roadway immediately.
- Drive in either lane.
Answer: A. Return to the driving lane when there's enough room between you and the vehicle you passed.
You should return to the driving lane when there is enough room between you and the vehicle you passed.
Why this is the answer
Pass on the left, and stay out of the right lane until you have safely cleared the vehicle you passed. The handbook says to wait until you can see that car in your rearview mirror before returning to the right lane. That gives you enough room so you do not cut off the driver you just passed. The answer matches this rule: you return to the driving lane when there is enough room between you and the vehicle you passed, not at some fixed instant.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. Remain in the left lane if you intend to turn left. — Staying in the left lane because you plan to turn left is not the rule for finishing a pass; the handbook says to signal and return to the right lane after you safely clear the passed vehicle.
- C. Return to the right side of the roadway immediately. — Returning immediately can leave you too close to the vehicle you passed, and the handbook says to wait until you can see it in your rearview mirror before returning.
- D. Drive in either lane. — Driving in either lane is not what the handbook describes; it directs you to pass on the left and then return to the right lane after clearing the vehicle.
Remember it
Use your rearview mirror as the sign that the passed car is far enough behind before you move right.