6a – Other types of vehicles
Emergency Vehicles
Encounter with an emergency vehicle (code 3)
This is not a Close Encounter of the 3rd Kind…
Upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle which is sounding a siren and which has at least one lighted lamp, the surrounding traffic shall, except as otherwise directed by a traffic officer, do the following:
1 ) The driver of every other vehicle shall yield the right-of-way and shall immediately:
drive to the right-hand edge or curb of the road, clear of any intersection, and thereupon shall stop and stay stopped until the authorized emergency vehicle has passed. (See video at the bottom.)
2) A person driving a vehicle in an exclusive or preferential use lane shall exit that lane immediately upon determining that the exit can be accomplished with reasonable safety.
Use your common sense.
If you’re driving south on Interstate 95, and you see a CDF fire equipment rolling northbound with their lights and sirens on, you may slow down but the emergency vehicle will not cross the safety barrier separating the 2 opposite lanes, therefore you do not have to pull over and stop since that might create havoc on a freeway.
SCHOOL BUSSES
Crashes and injuries in school zones are on the rise despite improvements in bus safety and school zone signage.
School police are now allowed to issue citations on nearby streets.
You are required to stop for school buses that are loading or unloading students.
A driver must stop at any location for a school bus displaying a flashing red light signal.
You may not attempt to overtake or proceed past the school bus until the bus driver has turned off the flashing red lights.
If the road is divided only by pavement markings or isn’t divided:
Vehicles traveling in both directions must stop for a bus with its red flashing lights on.
Traffic on the same side of the bus always stops if a school bus is stopped with red flashing lights.
Nevada law requires drivers to remain stopped until the lights stop flashing.
THERE IS ONE EXCEPTION TO THIS RULE:
The only time a driver can pass a stopped school bus that is flashing its red lights is when the road is divided by a physical barrier such as a median (island or raised curb) and if the driver is traveling in the other direction..
PLEASE NOTE
The DMV driver’s handbook may be confusing when it calls “median” a single painted line on the road. This is NOT considered a solid barrier.
Tramways
Double Kissing
.
You may like sandwiches, but do not become one. Tramways have the right of way.
You may find tramways in large towns like San Francisco. The travel on a rail and cannot swerve. They have the right of way, like trains, ALWAYS!
By transporting thousands of people every day, tram service helps reduce congestion on the streets. So it is important to know how to share the roads with trams when driving. By observing the road rules when driving you will help to keep our roads safe and reduce delays to trams and their passengers.
As for school buses, you must stop behind the tram at a tram stop until the doors close and passengers have cleared the road. Once the tram’s doors are closed and it is safe to proceed, you must not exceed 15 mph while passing a stationary tram at a tram stop.
You must not move into the path of a tram.
You must not park within 100 feet of a tram stop unless there is a sign which permits parking.
Commercial Vehicles
You may have the right of way and may be right…Don’t be dead right!!!
They are much bigger and heavier than you, be smart!
Do not play Peek-a-Boo…They don’t see you or not clearly depending on your position (see “dead-zones”.
Over 200,000 crashes occur between cars and commercial vehicles each year. Many of these crashes could be avoided by keeping these points in mind:
- • Large commercial vehicles cannot maneuver like a car or other smaller vehicles.
- • Large commercial vehicles have much larger blind spots than smaller vehicles.
- • Large commercial vehicles take more time and space to slow down, turn or stop.
- • Most crashes between large commercial trucks and smaller cars are caused by the car drivers.
- • In commercial vehicles and small car accidents, the people in cars are much more likely to be killed or injured than the driver of the commercial vehicle..
- * When turning right, a large truck may pull first to the left to make a wide turn. Do not assume you can pass to the right because you have space. Besides this, passing on the right places you in a NO ZONE (blind zone for the truck driver).
Would you put you hand inside a meat grinder?
What is a No-Zone?
Front No-Zones
When passing you could get “rear-ended” by a large commercial truck or bus if you cut in front too soon after passing, then immediately slow down. This can force truck and bus drivers to slam on their brakes.
These large vehicles need nearly twice the time and distance to stop as cars. When passing, look for the whole front of the commercial truck or bus in your rear-view mirror before pulling into the truck’s lane – and then do not slow down!
Rear No-Zones
Avoid tailgating! Unlike cars, large commercial trucks and buses have huge No-Zones directly behind them. The truck or bus driver cannot see your car there, and you cannot see what is going on beyond the truck or bus.
If the truck or bus driver brakes or stops suddenly, you have no place to go and could end up running into them.
Side No-Zones
Side No-Zones are really Dead-Zones. Especially the rear left side of a semi, as the tractor’s cabin is not in alignment with the rid and the entire left side disappeared from the driver’s view. Moreover, the left back corner of the trailer is swaying sideways and if you are too close, il will crush you like a lemon.
Do not “hang out” on either side of trucks or buses!
Trucks and buses have big No-Zones (blind spots) on both sides. They are much larger than your car’s blind spots.
If you cannot see the driver’s face in the side view mirror, he or she cannot see you. If that driver needs to swerve or change lanes for any reason, the chances of a collision are greatly increased.
Pay close attention!
Never pass behind a commercial truck that is backing up! Hundreds of motorists and pedestrians are killed or injured each year by ignoring trucks that are backing up. The truck drivers cannot see smaller vehicles or people directly behind their vehicles and may not see you cut in behind them.
Wide Right Turns: Avoid the “squeeze play”!
Large commercial trucks and bus drivers sometimes need to swing wide to the left in order to safely make a right turn or swing wide to the right to safely make a left turn. They cannot see cars directly behind or beside them. Trying to “squeeze” between a commercial vehicle and the curb is an invitation for disaster!
To understand “NO SAFE ZONE” – see it from inside the cabin and imagine your small car around this giant (4 million miles+).
“Under” No-Zone: You don’t want to be there!!!!!.
MOTOCYCLES
Motorcyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as other drivers.
However, braking in a car is entirely different from braking on a motorcycle. Having to worry about flying over your handle bars or your tail slipping out from underneath you on a bike gives you an entirely new appreciation for braking gently, knowing your vehicle’s limits, and maintaining proper distances from the cars in front of and behind you. That’s translated to my driving when I’m in a car as well. There’s just no real reason to ever tail people.
However, there are special situations and conditions we all need to be aware of to safely share the road.
- • Motorcycle operators have the right to use a complete traffic lane. Motorcycles and mopeds may, with the consent of the drivers, be operated no more than two abreast in a single traffic lane. Without the consent of the driver, motorcycles couldn’t ride side by side and would have to remain in a staggered formation.
- • Because of their smaller size, motorcycles are less visible and may appear to be farther away than they really are.
- • It is difficult for other drivers to judge how fast a motorcycle is going.
- • Motorcycles may be forced from their position on the road by strong winds or a rough road surface.
- • Turn signals are not self-canceling on most motorcycles. Before you make a lane change or turn that depends on what path a motorcycle is taking, be sure you know what the motorcyclist is doing.
- • Watch for clues, such as operators or passengers turning their heads to look behind or operators beginning to lean or tilt their motorcycles.
- • If you are following a motorcycle, slow down sooner than you would for another vehicle. Leave plenty of space.
- • Always dim your headlights when approaching a motorcycle. Because motorcyclists balance as well as steer their vehicles, the blinding effect of your high beams can be far more dangerous to them than to drivers of cars or large commercial trucks.
- • Bad weather and slippery roads can present real problems for motorcyclists. Allow even more following distance when it is raining or the road is slippery.
- Motorcycle operators require a special endorsement to their Nevada Driver’s License. If you want additional information, please contact your local DMV office and ask for a copy of the Motorcycle Handbook. You may also visit the DMV website at www.dmvnv.com.
Passengers in a truck bed
It seems to be a lot of fun but….
If you live in Nevada and are under the age of 18, you may not ride on the bed of a flatbed truck or within the bed of a pickup truck if the truck is being driven on a paved highway.
The exception to this is if you are being driven in a parade authorized by a local authority or if the vehicle is being used in the course of farming or ranching.
Camper Shells:
If the passengers are riding in areas that are enclosed by a camper shell, then riding on the back of a pickup truck is allowed. (still)
HOWEVER WE DO NOT RECOMMAND IT AS IT IS STILL VERY UNSAFE:
When passengers hit the camper shell during an accident, it doesn’t hold. We see time and time again that a person’s body weight is enough to push the shell right off the truck,” said Greg Manuel, commander of public affairs for the California Highway Patrol. A camper shell, he adds “does not provide any additional protection. It is just like riding unprotected.”
End of Topic 6a : “Other Vehicles”
Next Topic 6b “Bicycle and Pedestrians Law”