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Sharing the road
Read about how your learner can safely share the road with everyone.
In this topic
Sharing the road in stage four
Driving around bike riders and motorcyclists
Sharing the road with bike riders and motorcyclists
Video: How much space should drivers give riders?
Video: Checking for bike riders and motorcyclists
Shared zones
Video: Give way to people walking
Safety zones
We all have a role in road safety
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Sharing the road in stage four
Across the stages of the learner period your learner’s been sharing the road with other road users.
There are lots of different road users on the road, so it’s important to know what your learner can do to help to keep everyone safe.
Driving around bike riders and motorcyclists
Bike riders and motorcyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as drivers.
They also have a higher risk of injury than drivers, as they have less protection in the event of a crash.
They’re harder to see because they’re smaller than cars so your learner needs to always check their blind spot.
Riders of bikes and motorcycles need to move around in the lane due to the road surface, so your learner should create a lot of space from them.
Sharing the road with bike riders and motorcyclists
When sharing the road with bike riders and motorcyclists, your learner should remember to:
- Slow down and be patient.
- Keep at least one metre away in speed zones up to 60km/h and give them even more space at higher speeds.
- Follow the road signs and lane markings.
- Always use their mirrors and do a head check.
- Watch out for riders that can be obscured behind vehicles or objects.
- Look out for riders before turning, entering an intersection or changing lanes.
- Use their mirrors and do a head check before opening their car door.
Giving bike riders enough space
We're asking drivers to slow when passing bike riders and give at least 1 metre in speed zones up to 60km/h and at least 1.5 metres in zones over 60km/h. It’s just a little bit of space.
Safe driving tips
Sharing the road with bike riders and motorcyclists.
Shared zones
A shared zone usually has a speed limit of 10km/h or as indicated on the shared zone sign and drivers must always give way to people walking and bike riders.
Giving way to people crossing
When turning at any intersection (except a roundabout), you must give way to any people crossing the road you are entering.
Safety zones
A safety zone is an area of the road at or near a tram stop with safety zone signs and a traffic island or dividing strip.
When approaching a safety zone, your learner should always slow down and be prepared to stop.
People walking can also be hard to see if they’re stepping out from behind or in front of a bus or tram.
Everyone makes mistakes
So we all need to play our part in keeping our roads safe, whether you’re a person walking, bike rider, motorcyclist, driver or other road user.
All road users have safety rules to follow when sharing the road.
To help share the road safely when your learner drives, they should:
- Let others know where they’re going, use their indicators when they turn or change lanes.
- Give others space.
- Leave a gap between their vehicle and the vehicle in front.
- Be predictable and control their speed smoothly.
- Let others pass, stay in the left lane unless overtaking.
- Stay behind the line and keep intersections clear.
- Be courteous and let others merge.
- Check their blind spot and change lanes safely.
- Slow down near roadworks and be careful of road workers.
Your learner needs to remember to use their indicators even if they think there’s no one around. There may still be other drivers or road users that aren’t directly in their sight.