Key Massachusetts facts: Right-of-Way
Traffic entering a rotary yields to vehicles already in it, unless signs or police say otherwise, and to pedestrians. Chapter 4, Rotary Traffic Rules, p. 101 Traffic in a rotary travels counter-clockwise around a central island. Chapter 4, Rotary Traffic Rules, p. 101 If you miss a rotary exit, go around again when it is safe and don't stop inside the rotary. Chapter 4, Choosing a Lane, pp. 101-102 Coming onto a paved road from a driveway, private road or unpaved road, stop first, then let pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles on that road go. Chapter 4, Private Roads, Driveways, and Unpaved Roads, p. 100 A driver on a single or two-lane road reaching a divided highway or a road of three or more lanes must yield. Chapter 4, Intersection of Single or Two-Lane Road and Multiple-Lane Road, p. 101 Sample Right-of-Way questions
A trolley is letting passengers on and off. How close may you drive to its passenger step?
No closer than 50 feet No closer than 15 feet No closer than eight feet No closer than three feet Show the answer
No closer than eight feet
State law bars driving within eight feet of the passenger step while people get on or off.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), Chapter 4, Buses and Trolleys, p. 107
A funeral procession reaches an intersection. Whom must it yield to?
All cross traffic with a green light Any vehicle already at the intersection Emergency vehicles with lights or sirens Only pedestrians in the crosswalk Show the answer
Emergency vehicles with lights or sirens
Processions go first at intersections, except for emergency vehicles or where police direct otherwise.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), Chapter 4, Funeral Processions, p. 107
A school bus across the road has red lights flashing and its stop sign out. There is no barrier. What must you do?
Stop until the signals end Keep going, since it is on the other side Slow down and pass with care Stop briefly, then go if no children are visible Show the answer
Stop until the signals end
You must stop on either side of the road and stay stopped until the lights end or the sign folds back.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), Chapter 4, School Buses, p. 105
You are about to enter a rotary. Who has the right-of-way?
You, if you are going straight Vehicles entering from your left only Vehicles already in the rotary Whichever vehicle is larger Show the answer
Vehicles already in the rotary
Rotaries have yield signs at the entrances. Yield to traffic already circulating, and to pedestrians.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), Chapter 4, Rotary Traffic Rules, p. 101
You are leaving a driveway onto a paved road. What must you do first?
Sound your horn and pull out Stop, then yield to road users Slow down and merge if clear Signal, then take the lane Show the answer
Stop, then yield to road users
Come to a stop, then let pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles on that road go first.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), Chapter 4, Private Roads, Driveways, and Unpaved Roads, p. 100
A rider leading a horse on the road signals you to stop. What must you do?
Stop Sound your horn once Keep going if you were there first Pass slowly on the left Show the answer
Stop
A signal from the rider or driver means stop, and you go on only once it is safe.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), Chapter 4, Animals and Horse-Drawn Vehicles, pp. 108-109
You miss your exit in a multiple-lane rotary. What should you do?
Go around again when it is safe Cut across the inner lanes at once Back up to the exit Stop and wait for a gap Show the answer
Go around again when it is safe
Don't stop in a rotary. Check traffic and circle again so you can leave properly.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), Chapter 4, Choosing a Lane, pp. 101-102
A driver waves you across stopped traffic to complete a left turn. Who has the right-of-way?
The driver who waved at you Whichever vehicle moves first Oncoming traffic, whatever the wave You, since you were waved in Show the answer
Oncoming traffic, whatever the wave
This is how courtesy crashes happen. Turn only if you can see that oncoming traffic is clear or stopped.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), Chapter 4, Courtesy Crashes, p. 102
A school bus is unloading on the far side of a divided highway with a barrier between directions. What must you do?
You don't have to stop Stop only for a yellow bus Stop until its lights end Stop, then go at 5 mph Show the answer
You don't have to stop
That is the only exception to the stopping rule. Without a barrier between directions, you stop.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), Chapter 4, School Buses, p. 105
Your two-lane road meets a road with three lanes at an intersection with no signs. What must you do?
Go first if you are on the right Go first if you reached it first Yield the right-of-way Stop only when a truck is coming Show the answer
Yield the right-of-way
A driver coming from a single or two-lane road yields at a divided highway or a road of three or more lanes.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026), Chapter 4, Intersection of Single or Two-Lane Road and Multiple-Lane Road, p. 101
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About these questions
We wrote these practice questions from the facts in the Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised April 2026 (cover letter), English PDF, text read in the built-in browser on 2026-11-08 because mass.gov refuses plain downloads; page numbers in sections are the manual's printed numbers (PDF page = printed page + 8) edition) and from official sources on road signs. Every answer links to its source, so you can check it and read more.
DMV Decoded is an independent guide, not a government agency. This practice test is not connected to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV), and your actual test will have different questions. Study the handbook, and check the agency's website for current rules.
