Illinois sharing the road practice questions
2 questions below test Illinois’s own sharing the road law, each with the statute or Illinois Secretary of State handbook section it came from, plus 10 more on sharing the road rules that apply in every state.
The Illinois permit knowledge test has 35 questions in total and needs 28 correct (80%) to pass.
Illinois law
2 questions on Illinois’s own sharing the road rules
These differ from the rules that hold nationally — they are the ones that catch out drivers who studied another state’s handbook.
1. On an Illinois highway with four or more lanes allowing at least two lanes in each direction, a driver meeting a school bus stopped in the opposing roadway:
- Need not stop
- BMust slow to 20 mph only
- CMust stop only if amber lights flash
- DMust always stop
Answer: Need not stop. 625 ILCS 5/11-1414(e) says the driver need not stop upon meeting a school bus stopped in the opposing roadway on a highway with four or more lanes permitting at least two lanes each way.
Source: Illinois Vehicle Code — 625 ILCS 5/11-1414(e)
2. When overtaking a bicycle in Illinois, a motorist must leave a safe distance of not less than:
- Three feet
- BOne full lane always
- COne foot
- DTwo feet
Answer: Three feet. 625 ILCS 5/11-703(d) requires leaving a safe distance of not less than 3 feet when passing a bicycle or individual, and maintaining that distance until safely past.
Source: Illinois Vehicle Code — 625 ILCS 5/11-703(d)
Sources for the Illinois items above
Applies everywhere
Sharing the road rules that hold in every state
A sample of the national sharing the road bank. All 10 are in the practice run, combined with the Illinois items above for 12 questions in total.
1. An orange triangle with a red border on the back of a vehicle means it:
- AIs a school vehicle
- BHas an oversize load
- CIs carrying hazardous materials
- Travels well below normal traffic speed
Answer: Travels well below normal traffic speed. The slow-moving vehicle emblem marks farm equipment and similar vehicles. Closing speed is much higher than it appears.
Source: Official state driver handbook — Sharing the road — slow-moving vehicles
2. How much of a traffic lane may a motorcycle need?
- The full lane
- BNo more than half a lane
- COnly the left tire track
- DOnly the shoulder
Answer: The full lane. Motorcyclists may use the full lane and may change position to improve visibility or avoid hazards. Do not crowd them.
Source: Official state driver handbook — Sharing the road — motorcycles
3. On a two-lane road without a median, a school bus stops with flashing red lights. You must:
- Stop in both directions until the lights stop flashing
- BSlow down to 15 mph and pass carefully
- CStop only if traveling behind the bus
- DHonk your horn and proceed
Answer: Stop in both directions until the lights stop flashing. When a school bus stops with red lights flashing on an undivided road, drivers in both directions must stop until children are clear and lights stop.
Source: Official state driver handbook — Special rules — school buses
More Illinois topics
Other Illinois rules with their own questions
Sharing the road elsewhere
Sharing the road rules in other states
Sharing the road law is set state by state — compare how another state handles it.
Confirm current Illinois rules
Statutes and handbooks change. Illinois Secretary of State is authoritative for Illinois sharing the road rules and for the permit test itself.
Visit Illinois Secretary of StateCommon questions
About Illinois sharing the road rules and this practice set.