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Question

Difficulty: MediumSpace to Cross or Enter Traffic

When operating a commercial motor vehicle, entering a traffic stream and accelerating to cruising speed requires a substantially larger gap in traffic than simply crossing the roadway.

Answer: Answer

Answer

True
The statement is true because commercial vehicles require considerable time and distance to reach normal traffic speeds after entering a roadway. Crossing requires only the time needed for the rear of the vehicle to clear the intersecting lanes, making entering traffic require a much larger gap than crossing.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the spatial and time requirements for crossing a roadway.
Crossing requires only enough time and space for the full length of the commercial vehicle to travel across the opposing lanes and clear the roadway.
Once the rear of the vehicle clears the lane boundaries, opposing traffic is no longer obstructed.
2
Analyze the spatial and time requirements for entering a traffic flow.
Entering requires clearing the initial turn and accelerating a heavy vehicle from a stop up to the speed of traffic.
Because heavy vehicles accelerate slowly, reaching travel speed takes significant time and road distance, requiring a much larger gap to prevent approaching traffic from braking.
3
Compare the gap requirements of both maneuvers.
Entering traffic requires a substantially larger gap than crossing traffic.
The prolonged acceleration phase of merging creates a much greater demand for open space than a direct crossing maneuver.

Key Concept

Gap Requirements for Crossing Versus Entering Traffic
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Space to Cross or Enter Traffic

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