10.5 Road Respect, Aggressive Drivers & Special Road Users

Roads are meant to be shared by drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians, and courtesy is expected from everyone. Drivers must take special care because more vulnerable users can be seriously injured or killed. This section covers aggressive drivers and the special road users the manual lists alongside trucks and buses.

Aggressive Drivers

Aggressive drivers often:

• Cut people off
• Speed
• Switch lanes without signaling
• Tailgate
• Run red lights
• Prevent others from passing

If You Are Confronted

1. Try to get out of their way.
2. Do not challenge the driver.
3. Avoid eye contact.
4. Ignore rude gestures.
5. Wear your safety belt, which keeps you in control and protects you in a crash.

Do Not Become One

Control your anger and do not let the situation get worse. If you have a phone, call the State Police at 911 to report an emergency. State Police patrol highways in unmarked vehicles looking for aggressive drivers. If you are arrested for aggressive driving, the RMV can suspend your license and registration before your court date if you are a threat to public safety.

Slow-Moving Vehicles

Most farm vehicles, construction rigs and other slow vehicles carry orange warning signs on the back. When you approach one:

• Reduce your speed and use caution.
• Treat it as you would a bicyclist or pedestrian.
• Leave plenty of room if you pass.

Funeral Processions

A funeral procession is two or more vehicles, including a lead or escort vehicle, traveling in daylight with the body or cremated remains of a deceased person. M.G.L. chapter 85, section 14A sets the rules.

• Processions have the right-of-way at intersections, except that they must yield to emergency vehicles using lights or sirens, and must follow police directions.
• If the lead vehicle (a hearse or a police vehicle) legally enters an intersection, every vehicle in the procession may follow, even if the light changes or there is a stop sign.

If You Are in the Procession

• Drive carefully, following the vehicle ahead as closely as is safe.
• Watch for pedestrians and vehicles when entering intersections.
• Do not exceed 55 mph on a highway with a limit of 55 mph or more, and do not go more than 5 mph below the limit on other roads.
• Turn on headlights and taillights.
• The first and last vehicles turn on their hazard lights.

If You Are Not in the Procession

• Do not drive between procession vehicles, unless police direct you or you are driving an emergency vehicle with lights and siren.
• Do not join the procession.
• On a multi-lane highway, do not pass it on its right, unless the procession is in the far-left lane.
• Do not cross an intersection, even on a green light, while the procession passes through a red, unless you can do so without crossing its path.

A funeral home vehicle may display a flashing purple light, and no other color, during a procession.

Animals and Horse-Drawn Vehicles

Always give the right-of-way to an animal that someone is leading, riding or driving. The law covers horses, cows and other draft animals. Animals scare easily, so when you get near one:

• Slow down.
• Stop if the animal or vehicle is coming toward you or crossing your path, and let it pass.
• If it is going your way, allow plenty of room to pass safely and drive at a reasonable speed.
• Do not honk your horn or make a loud noise.
• If the animal looks scared, pull to the side and stop.
• Stop if a rider or driver signals you to.
• Proceed only when it is safe.

In rural areas, take extra care passing hay rides, which are usually animal-drawn and full of passengers. Horseback riders and horse-drawn carriages are also vulnerable road users entitled to at least four feet of passing space (Section 10.1).

Hay Rides, Riders and Rural Roads

Rural Massachusetts roads often combine narrow lanes, blind curves and farm traffic. Expect to come around a bend and find a tractor, a horse and rider, or a hay ride moving at walking speed. Slow before curves you cannot see around, keep your speed low enough to stop in the distance you can see, and pass only when you can give plenty of room without crossing into danger.

Courtesy Without Confusion

Courtesy should never create confusion. Waving another driver through can cause a courtesy crash (Section 9.2). The safest courtesy is predictable driving: signal early, keep to your lane, and let faster traffic go by.

Scenarios

1. A driver tailgates and flashes high beams at you on the highway: move over when safe and let them pass. Do not brake-check, speed up or make eye contact.
2. A funeral procession is going through a red light ahead while your light is green: wait unless you can cross without entering its path.
3. A rider on a nervous horse raises a hand as you approach: stop and stay stopped until it is safe.