1. Safe Driving Rules & Regulations
Chapter 4
Safe Driving Rules & Regulations

2. SPEED CONTROL The Law
Exceeding the speed limit is cause for most accidents
Always obey speed limit
Speed affects EVERYTHING while driving
Always keep with flow of traffic
Keep your distance

3. Speed Limits School Zone, Business and Residential Districts
Suburban Business and residential areas

4. Speed Limits (cont.) Non-posted rural roadways
Certain state highways (as posted) and all other interstates

5. Speed Limits (cont.) Certain Interstate Highways (as posted)
Note- Drivers pay double fines for exceeding a 65 mph limit by 10 mph or more. Double fines also apply to most other moving violations committed in 65 mph zone.

6. Speed Control
Never drive faster than weather, or road conditions allow you to
Regardless of speed limit
Judge your speed by existing road conditions
Motorists should slow to see clearly and stop quickly
Failure to do so may result in a moving violation

7. When should you slow down while driving?

8. You Should Slow Down When…
You are on a winding or narrow road
At an intersection or railroad crossing
On hills
At sharp or blind curves
Where pedestrians or driving hazards are present
On wet or slippery roads

9. Driving too Slowly
Keep up with normal flow of traffic without exceeding the posted speed limit
Slow driving can cause collisions
When road surfaces and traffic are normal, NJ law prohibits blocking traffic through slow driving

10. Safe Corridors Doubles fines for
Speeding
Aggressive driving
Placed in areas with high accident rates

11. Passing Stay to the right of center lines
Passing is only safe when there is no oncoming traffic
Watch for lane makings

12. Lane Markings

13. Lane Markings

14. Passing Only When Safe Most passing should be made on the left.
Pass on the right only when roads have more than one lane going in the same direction or the driver ahead of you is turning left.
New Jersey law prohibits passing on the right shoulder of the roadway.

15. Do Not Pass...
*on a hill or a curve, or at any time sight lines are impeded
*at a street crossing or intersect
*at a railroad crossing
*on narrow bridges, or in an underpass and tunnels
*when a sign prohibits passing or center lines restrict passing
*when behind a vehicle that has stopped to let a pedestrian cross

16. Keep to the Right
New Jersey law requires driver to keep to the right, except when passing.
Drive as closely as possible to the right -hand edge or curb of the roadway, except when passing another vehicle.

17. Yielding the Right of Way
Emergency Vehicles: Always yield to police cars, fire engines, and ambulances when they are giving warning signs such as flashing sirens and lights.
Buses: when re-entering the flow of traffic
Postal Vehicles: when re-entering the flow of traffic
Pedestrians: when in a crosswalk
Motorized devices: in a crosswalk
Other vehicles already in the intersection

18. Intersections Where two or more roads intersect
Most accidents occur at intersections
Single solid white line across your lane means you must stop behind that line

19. Controlled Intersections
Always yield to the driver on your right if arriving at a four-way stop
Always yield to any driver at or in an intersection
When making a left turn at an intersection, yield to oncoming traffic and all pedestrians within a crosswalk

20. Uncontrolled Intersections
Motorists entering the intersection from a private road or driveway must yield to all traffic on the main road.
Vehicle on left should yield to vehicle on the right
Reduce speed and be ready to stop if traffic is coming from left or right
If a traffic light is out treat it as a 4 way stop

21. Blind Intersections
Buildings, parked cars, trees, crops, and bushes can obstruct motorists’ line of sight.
Slow down or stop completely to make sure there is no cross traffic before proceeding.

22. Traffic Circle No set rules for a circle Major road has right of way
Traffic signs control
Person to left yields to person on right

23. Entering Highways, Parkways, and Turnpikes
Acceleration Lane: used to speed up to join flow of traffic
Obey posted speed limits
Speed up to the flow of traffic
- Try to avoid coming to a complete stop in the acceleration lane
- Yield to traffic and enter the right-hand lane when safe

24. Leaving Highways, Parkways, and Turnpikes
Deceleration Lane: used to slow down when exiting
Start Slowing down when entering deceleration lane
Obey the posted speed
If you miss an exit take the next one
Never back up on exit ramp

25. Curves Vehicle will tend to keep going straight
Slow down before entering the curve
Do not drift into other lanes

26. Interchange
Cloverleaf is used to enter/exit express traffic roads.

27. Right Turn On Red
Do not turn right when there is a no turn on red sign.
Come to a complete stop.
Watch all oncoming traffic and pedestrians

28. Right Turns Get into right hand lane Signal right turn
Slow down to turn
Do not make a wide turn
Do not cross lane markings

29. Left Turn Signal left turn keep close to center line
Yield to oncoming traffic
Turn into left lane
Do not cut corner
Don’t cross lane markings

30. Other Left Turns Signal left turn keep close to center line
Yield to oncoming traffic
Turn into the nearest left bound lane
May cross solid center lines to turn left between intersections

31. Stopping Regulations Never try to beat a traffic light
Be careful when at a fresh green light
Most accidents occur in the first few seconds of a light changing
Stop at yellow light following a green light

32. Stopping at Railroad Crossings
Motorist must stop at least 15 ft. from railroad crossing when there are lights flashing, bells, or flag signals
Never attempt to cross until gates have been raised and lights have stopped flashing
Commercial Vehicles must stop at all railroad crossings
Never stop on the tracks

33. Stopping for school buses
You must stop for a school bus with flashing red lights
State law requires that a motorist stop a least 25 ft. Away if traveling on a 2 lane road, or on a multi-lane highway where lanes are only separated by lines, or on a privately maintained road

34. Stopping for school buses cont.
When traveling on a dual lane highway you can pass at 10mph if on the other side of the raised or island median
If a school bus has stopped directly in front of a school to pick up or let off children, pass from either direction no more than 10 mph.

35. Stopping for Desert Trucks

36. -Yield to the right of way to any person who is crossing the street to or from the vehicle.
-Watch out for children and be prepared to stop.
-Never drive past the vehicle at a speed faster than 15 M.P.H.
-You don’t have to stop on a dual highway when traveling on the other side of a safety island or raised median

37. Stopping for Emergency Vehicles

38. -New Jersey requires motorists to yield to emergency vehicles sounding or flashing red or blue lights
-Steer to extreme right
-Wait for the vehicle to pass
-Keep 300 ft. behind emergency vehicle
-Do not park 200ft within fire department vehicle

39. Using Headlights
Headlights must be turned on one half hour after sun set and one half hour before sunrise.
They must also be used when it is snowing, raining, and any precipitation that might be falling from the sky.

40. Different types of beams
There are two different settings when it comes to headlights. The first, is the dim lights or the everyday driving lights. They are used when there are other vehicles are around. The other type is high beams, used for open country driving and when other cars are not in the area.

41. Parking Regulations & Littering

42. Before exiting a vehicle:
Check for bicycles and mopeds and other hard to see object.
Look for all parking related signs for parking restrictions.
It’s illegal to park more than 6 in. from the curb.

43. Do NOT Park: On crosswalks
between a safety zone for pedestrians or 20 feet from the end of a safety zone
near street construction
in a handicapped space
on an interstate highway
In a bus stop zone
in front of a public/private driveway
with an intersection
within 10 feet of a fire hydrant
within 25 feet of a crosswalk or intersection

44. Do NOT Park
Within 20 feet of the driveway entrance to any fire station entrance
Within 50 feet of a stop sign
on any bridge or tunnel
next to another vehicle parked at the curb

45. CELLULAR PHONES

46. As of July 1, 2004, hand held cell phones were not permitted at the wheel

47. Cell Phones Can Only Be Used In:
~traffic accident
~Fire

48. ~Serious Road Hazard
~medical emergency

49. And Hazardous material emergency
--> Drivers in these situations would still have to keep their hands on the wheel <--

50. To prove that these situations happened, drivers would have to bring in written statement, witness testimony, and phone records
The fine for breaking this law in $100 to $250

51. Littering Throwing trash from a vehicle is illegal up to $1,000 fines
driver’s license could be suspended.