Intersections, lane changes, expressways and school buses

Key points

1. Before moving after a stop, look left, then right, then left again.

   Source: Handbook p. 7-2

   “Look left, then right, then left again before you enter the intersection.”
   Maine Driver's License Manual, Handbook p. 7-2

2. If buildings, trees or parked cars block your view of a cross street, edge forward slowly until you can see.

   Source: Handbook p. 7-2

   “If your view of a cross street is blocked by buildings, trees, a fence or a row of parked cars, edge forward slowly until you can see.”
   Maine Driver's License Manual, Handbook p. 7-2

3. Do not turn in front of a car just because its turn signal is on.

   Source: Handbook p. 7-2

   “Do not turn into a lane just because an oncoming vehicle has a turn signal on.”
   Maine Driver's License Manual, Handbook p. 7-2

4. Before changing lanes, check your blind spot by turning your head and looking over your shoulder.

   Source: Handbook p. 7-3

   “Check your “blind spot” by turning your head and looking over your shoulder in the direction you plan to move.”
   Maine Driver's License Manual, Handbook p. 7-3

5. Always signal at least 100 feet before a lane change.

   Source: Handbook p. 7-4

   “Always signal what you intend to do at least 100 feet before making a change.”
   Maine Driver's License Manual, Handbook p. 7-4

6. On an expressway, stay in the right lane unless passing, and never pass on the shoulder.

   Source: Handbook p. 7-5

   “You should always be in the right-hand lane unless you are passing. Do not pass on the right or pass on the shoulder of the roadway.”
   Maine Driver's License Manual, Handbook p. 7-5

7. Never stop on an expressway unless it is an emergency.

   Source: Handbook p. 7-5

   “Never stop on an expressway unless it is an emergency.”
   Maine Driver's License Manual, Handbook p. 7-5

8. For a stopped school bus with red lights flashing, stay stopped until the bus moves or the driver signals you to go.

   Source: Handbook p. 7-8

   “You must not proceed until the bus resumes motion or until signaled by the school bus driver to do so.”
   Maine Driver's License Manual, Handbook p. 7-8

9. On a divided highway, you do not have to stop if a solid divider separates you from the bus.

   Source: Handbook p. 7-9

   “If the roadway has a solid divider between you and the bus, you do not have to stop.”
   Maine Driver's License Manual, Handbook p. 7-9

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Maine practice test

1. 1. How should a driver approach an intersection where buildings or trees block the view of the cross street?

   1. Maintain speed because the obstruction protects the vehicle
   2. Edge forward slowly until the cross street can be seen
   3. Drive into the cross street before looking to save time
   4. Use the horn as a substitute for checking both directions
   Show answer

   Edge forward slowly until the cross street can be seen. A blocked view requires a controlled approach. Maine advises edging forward slowly until the driver can see the cross street, while remaining ready to stop. Maintaining speed reduces the time available to detect a vehicle, and moving into the crossing before looking places the front of the vehicle in hidden traffic. A horn may warn someone but cannot reveal every hazard. Treat a building, tree, fence, or parked-car row as a cue to creep forward only as visibility improves.

2. 2. On an undivided Maine highway, what must a driver do when a school bus is stopped with red lights flashing?

   1. Stop only if approaching from behind
   2. Pass slowly after checking for children
   3. Stop completely and wait until the bus resumes or the driver signals
   4. Move onto the shoulder and continue
   Show answer

   Stop completely and wait until the bus resumes or the driver signals. On an undivided highway, a stopped school bus with flashing red lights requires traffic approaching from either direction to make a complete stop. The driver waits while children board or leave and does not proceed until the bus moves or the school bus driver gives a signal. Looking for visible children is not a substitute for stopping. The divided-highway exception depends on a solid divider, so do not apply it to an undivided road.

3. 3. When may a driver on the opposite side of a divided highway continue past a school bus with red lights flashing?

   1. Only when the bus driver waves every vehicle through
   2. Whenever the driver is late
   3. Only after passing the bus on the shoulder
   4. When a solid divider separates that roadway from the bus
   Show answer

   When a solid divider separates that roadway from the bus. Maine allows traffic on the opposite side of a multi-lane divided highway to continue when a solid divider separates that roadway from the school bus. The divider is the condition that creates the exception. A driver cannot use lateness, the shoulder, or a missing wave as justification. Vehicles traveling on the bus’s side still stop when the red lights flash or the stop arm is extended, then proceed slowly only after those warnings end and children are watched for.

Source: the Maine Driver's License Manual, Section 7: General Driving. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.