Key North Carolina facts: Right-of-Way
On a roadway of four lanes or more with a center turning lane, only traffic following a stopped school bus must stop. Chapter 4, Your Driving: School Buses (pp. 47-48) On a four-lane roadway without a median separation, all traffic in both directions stops for a stopped school bus. Chapter 4, Your Driving: School Buses (pp. 47-48) On a divided highway of four lanes or more with a median, only traffic following a stopped school bus must stop. Chapter 4, Your Driving: School Buses (pp. 47-48) On a two-lane roadway with a center turning lane, all traffic in both directions stops for a stopped school bus. Chapter 4, Your Driving: School Buses (pp. 47-48) Drivers stay stopped for a school bus until its stop signal is withdrawn, its red lights are off and the bus has started to move. Chapter 4, Your Driving: School Buses (pp. 47-48) Sample Right-of-Way questions
A bicyclist is riding ahead of you inside a North Carolina roundabout. What should you do?
Stay behind the bicyclist until you exit Use your horn so the rider moves over Pass as soon as there is room Show the answer
Stay behind the bicyclist until you exit
The handbook tells drivers not to overtake a bicyclist inside the roundabout.
Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, Chapter 4, Your Driving: Roundabouts (pp. 58-59)
A school bus stops on a North Carolina divided highway with a median. You are traveling the opposite way. Must you stop?
Yes, until the bus has turned its lights off No, only traffic following the bus must stop Yes, all traffic from both directions must stop Show the answer
No, only traffic following the bus must stop
The median separation means only traffic following the bus has to stop.
Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, Chapter 4, Your Driving: School Buses (pp. 47-48)
You are inside a North Carolina roundabout when an emergency vehicle with lights and siren approaches. What should you do?
Exit first, then pull over Pull onto the center island Stop where you are in the circle Show the answer
Exit first, then pull over
Exit the roundabout before pulling over. If you have not entered, do not enter while it is passing through.
Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, Chapter 4, Your Driving: Roundabouts (pp. 58-59)
Your light is green and a pedestrian starts across your path against a red signal in North Carolina. What should you do first?
Flash your headlights twice Give a warning with your horn Speed up to clear the area Show the answer
Give a warning with your horn
Give a warning with your horn. If the pedestrian does not stop, you must, whoever has the right of way.
Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, Chapter 4, Your Driving: The Driver and Pedestrian (pp. 46-47)
A pedestrian extends a white cane at a North Carolina crossing with no signals or officer. What must approaching drivers do?
Slow down and pass behind the pedestrian Come to a full stop and leave a clear lane Sound the horn and wait for a hand wave Show the answer
Come to a full stop and leave a clear lane
All vehicles at or approaching the crossing must stop, leave a clear lane and stay stopped until the person has crossed.
Source: North Carolina General Statutes, G.S. 20-175.2
In North Carolina, when need you not yield to an emergency vehicle coming from the opposite direction?
On any two-lane road with a posted limit of 55 mph or lower On a divided four-lane limited-access highway On any street with a center turning lane marked on it Show the answer
On a divided four-lane limited-access highway
Traffic normally yields regardless of direction. The exception is opposite-direction traffic where a center median divides a four-lane limited-access highway.
Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, Chapter 4, Your Driving: Emergency and Law Enforcement Vehicles (pp. 48-49)
At a North Carolina intersection without signs or signals, a vehicle is already inside when you arrive. Who has the right of way?
You, if you are traveling faster You, if you are on the wider road The vehicle already in the intersection Show the answer
The vehicle already in the intersection
A vehicle that has already entered the intersection goes first, ahead of any vehicle still approaching.
Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, Chapter 4, Your Driving: Right-of-Way at Intersections (pp. 56-57)
You have the right of way at a North Carolina intersection. Must you slow down?
No, only the other driver must Yes, the law requires it Only when you plan to turn Show the answer
Yes, the law requires it
Slowing is required at an intersection even if the right of way is yours.
Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, Chapter 4, Your Driving: Right-of-Way at Intersections (pp. 56-57)
When does North Carolina law require you to use the horn around a pedestrian?
Only when you are driving faster than the posted speed When your turn, stop or start from parked may affect them Only when the person is walking outside a marked crosswalk Show the answer
When your turn, stop or start from parked may affect them
This is a legal duty in North Carolina, and a driver must stop if the pedestrian does not.
Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, Chapter 4, Your Driving: The Driver and Pedestrian (pp. 46-47)
A funeral procession is going through a red light in North Carolina while your light is green. What should you do?
Stay out unless you can enter without crossing its path Go at once, because a green light gives you the priority Sound your horn to warn the procession and then enter Show the answer
Stay out unless you can enter without crossing its path
A green light does not let you cut across the procession, and you may not drive between its vehicles knowingly.
Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, Chapter 4, Your Driving: Funeral Processions (p. 52)
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About these questions
We wrote these practice questions from the facts in the North Carolina Driver Handbook (Revised May 2025 (printed 09/25; PDF file updated September 2026) 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 North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles, and your actual test will have different questions. Study the handbook, and check the agency's website for current rules.
