Move over and crash reporting

Key points

1. For a parked emergency, police or NDDOT maintenance vehicle with lights flashing on an interstate or multi lane highway, move to the other lane and proceed with caution.

   Source: Handbook p. 20

   “If an emergency vehicle, law enforcement vehicle, or North Dakota Department of Transportation maintenance vehicle is parked on the Interstate system or a multilane highway with its emergency or work lights flashing, move over to the opposite lane and proceed with due caution.”
   North Dakota Noncommercial Driver License Manual, Handbook p. 20

2. For a stranded vehicle with hazards on, yield and move to a lane not next to it.

   Source: Handbook p. 32

   “a driver approaching or passing this vehicle should yield the right of way and move safely to the lane not adjacent to the stranded vehicle.”
   North Dakota Noncommercial Driver License Manual, Handbook p. 32

3. If you cannot move over, proceed with caution and reduce speed.

   Source: Handbook p. 32

   “If only lane available to move safely to is the adjacent lane to the stranded vehicle, proceed with caution and reduce speed.”
   North Dakota Noncommercial Driver License Manual, Handbook p. 32

4. Report crashes with $4,000 or more in combined damage, or any injury or death.

   Source: Handbook p. 27

   “If you are involved in a crash that results in the combined damage of $4,000 or more, or results in personal injury or death, you must:”
   North Dakota Noncommercial Driver License Manual, Handbook p. 27

5. Outside city limits, report such a crash immediately to the Highway Patrol or the County Sheriff's Office.

   Source: Handbook p. 27

   “Immediately report it to the Highway Patrol or the County Sheriff’s Office if you are outside city limits.”
   North Dakota Noncommercial Driver License Manual, Handbook p. 27

6. Drivers in a crash with injury or damage must exchange name, address, insurance company and policy number.

   Source: Handbook p. 27

   “In all crashes involving injury or damage, the drivers must exchange the following information: driver’s name, address, motor vehicle insurance company, and policy number.”
   North Dakota Noncommercial Driver License Manual, Handbook p. 27

7. If you hit an unattended vehicle and cannot find the owner, leave a note with your name, address and insurer.

   Source: Handbook p. 27

   “If the owner cannot be found, the driver must leave a note at a conspicuous place on the unattended vehicle. The note must list the driver’s name, address, and motor vehicle insurance company.”
   North Dakota Noncommercial Driver License Manual, Handbook p. 27

8. If the driver cannot report, a non driving owner must give notice within five days.

   Source: Handbook p. 27

   “then the owner of the vehicle involved shall, within five days after learning of the crash, give notice and insurance information not given by the driver.”
   North Dakota Noncommercial Driver License Manual, Handbook p. 27

Numbers to know

3 questions from the North Dakota practice test

1. 1. How should drivers pass a parked emergency or NDDOT maintenance vehicle with emergency or work lights flashing on an Interstate or multilane highway?

   1. Move over to the opposite lane and proceed with due caution
   2. Stop and wait until an officer waves traffic through
   3. Honk and maintain normal speed in the same lane
   4. Turn around before reaching the parked vehicle
   Show answer

   Move over to the opposite lane and proceed with due caution. When the specified emergency or NDDOT maintenance vehicle is parked with lights flashing, drivers should move to the opposite lane and proceed with due caution. Waiting for an officer is not the ordinary instruction, and sound or normal speed does not create the needed buffer. Turning around is unnecessary and may be unsafe. Identify the lights early, check the opposite lane, signal the move, and maintain a careful pace while passing the work area.

2. 2. What should a driver do when approaching or passing a stranded vehicle with flashing hazard lights?

   1. Yield the right of way and move safely to the lane not adjacent to the vehicle
   2. Stop in the travel lane until the vehicle is removed
   3. Pass on the shoulder without slowing
   4. Maintain speed beside the vehicle
   Show answer

   Yield the right of way and move safely to the lane not adjacent to the vehicle. A driver approaching or passing a stranded vehicle with flashing hazard lights should yield the right of way and move safely to the lane not adjacent to that vehicle. This creates separation for people who may be outside the vehicle or working near it. Stopping in a travel lane creates a new hazard, and using the shoulder at speed does not provide the required cautious response. If the only safe lane is adjacent, proceed cautiously and reduce speed. Look ahead for the flashing lights and plan the lane change early.

3. 3. After a crash involving injury or damage, what information must the drivers exchange?

   1. Vehicle make, model, and color but no insurance details
   2. Only each driver's name and telephone number
   3. Name, address, insurance company, and policy number
   4. A written statement only after the police arrive
   Show answer

   Name, address, insurance company, and policy number. For crashes involving injury or damage, the manual lists four items for exchange: the driver's name, address, motor vehicle insurance company, and policy number. The name-and-telephone choice omits the address and coverage information. Vehicle description alone is not the required set, and the rule does not postpone the exchange until police arrive. Keep this checklist in mind at the scene, while also making the required report to local police, the Highway Patrol, or the county sheriff depending on where the crash occurred.

Source: the North Dakota Noncommercial Driver License Manual, Rules of the Road. 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.