Free independent reference. Original examples, not official exam questions or a driving assessment. Follow current provincial rules, signs and authorized directions.
Sharing the road →A rider’s position does not surrender the rest of the lane
The motorcycle may occupy only a narrow part of the visible lane, but the handbook’s full-lane entitlement remains. Do not interpret the open strip beside a rider as space for your car to share.
This is a driver-awareness page for car-licence study. It does not teach motorcycle lane positioning or replace motorcycle training. The useful question here is what a nearby car driver needs to leave available.
Source: New Brunswick Driver’s Handbook — Part 6, §6.3 ↗Look for the motorcycle before entering its path
The handbook warns that motorcycles are difficult to see and can be hidden in a blind spot. Before a turn or lane change, check for the road user rather than assuming that a small-looking gap is empty.
A previous mirror view is not the same as a current observation of the space you intend to use. Recheck as the manoeuvre develops. An indicator explains your intention but does not confirm that the rider has seen it or will yield.
Source: New Brunswick Driver’s Handbook — Part 6, §6.3 ↗Apply the distinction in three original cases
Original learning cases
A motorcycle rides near one side of its lane. The empty-looking space beside it remains part of that lane; a car should not squeeze alongside.
A driver checks a mirror, then waits while traffic changes before moving. The earlier view does not establish that the intended lane is still free of a motorcycle.
A car follows a rider at a short gap because both are travelling slowly. The handbook’s extra-space advice still matters when the rider stops unexpectedly.
Allow room for the rider’s stopping movement
The handbook notes that motorcycles can stop more quickly and calls for additional following distance. Do not convert this advice into a single invented legal number that fits every surface and traffic condition.
Use the linked following-distance practice to understand how time gaps are measured, then account for the road user and conditions. A clear gap and a separate lane position address different problems; one does not replace the other.
Source: New Brunswick Driver’s Handbook — Part 6, §6.3 ↗