South Carolina SCDMV Permit Practice Test 17
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
-
1. You have loaded the trunk heavily. Why might oncoming drivers flash their lights at you at night?
Show answer
Answer D: The rear sits lower, so your headlights point higher and dazzle them
Weight in the back tips the vehicle nose up and lifts the beam pattern, so low beams shine into the eyes of drivers coming the other way.
-
2. A driver who is passing you cannot complete the pass because a vehicle is coming. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Ease off the accelerator and make room for them to drop back in
The only place for the passing vehicle to go is the gap behind you, and easing off opens that gap immediately.
-
3. You are stopped at a stop sign on a two-way stop intersection and the cross street has no stop signs at all. What does that mean for you?
Show answer
Answer A: You yield to all cross traffic no matter how long that takes
At a two-way stop only your direction is controlled, so there is no taking turns; you wait for a gap big enough to enter safely.
-
4. How does higher speed affect the outcome of a crash?
Show answer
Answer A: It leaves less time to react and greatly increases the force of impact
Speed shortens the time available to avoid a hazard and raises the energy released in an impact, so both the likelihood and the severity of a crash increase.
-
5. As a center two-way left-turn lane reaches an intersection, the markings change into a single left-turn lane. What does that mean for you?
Show answer
Answer D: From that point it serves one direction only, so use it just to turn left
Where the shared lane becomes a marked turn bay it belongs to one direction of travel, and only vehicles making that left turn may occupy it.
-
6. Where should the lap part of the seat belt sit?
Show answer
Answer C: Low and snug across the hips, touching the tops of both of the thighs
The hip bones can take crash forces, but the abdomen cannot, so the lap belt goes low and tight across the hips.
-
7. An upward-pointing pentagon with a yellow legend and border on a blue background is used as
Show answer
Answer D: a county route marker
The pentagon serves both the school warning series and county route markers, and the blue background with yellow legend identifies the county route version.
-
8. When must a South Carolina special restricted license holder be accompanied by a licensed adult who is at least 21?
Show answer
Answer A: After 6 p.m., or after 8 p.m. during daylight saving time
The special restricted license is valid for daylight driving, and after 6 p.m. (8 p.m. during daylight saving time) a licensed adult 21 or older must accompany the holder.
-
9. You are in the middle of an intersection when you hear a siren and see an emergency vehicle approaching. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Keep going, clear the intersection, then pull to the right and stop
Stopping inside an intersection blocks the emergency vehicle. Clear the intersection first, then pull over to the right and stop.
-
10. Why is it risky to brake hard and steer sharply at the same moment?
Show answer
Answer C: The tires have a limited amount of grip that braking and turning must share
Each tire can deliver only so much grip, and asking it to slow the vehicle and change direction at once can exceed that limit and start a skid.
-
11. A school sign paired with a plaque showing a diagonal downward-pointing arrow is installed
Show answer
Answer D: at the school crossing itself, or as close to it as possible
The diagonal downward arrow points at the crossing, so this assembly is placed at the crossing location rather than in advance of it.
-
12. A truck passes you in heavy rain and its spray blanks out your windshield. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Hold the wheel steady, ease off slightly and let the wipers clear it
The blackout lasts a second or two. Keeping your line and easing off is far safer than braking hard or steering blind toward the shoulder.
-
13. You are stopped in South Carolina and cannot show proof of insurance. What does SCDMV say happens next?
Show answer
Answer B: You have 30 days to provide proof, which may avoid a license suspension
SCDMV states that a driver ticketed for failing to show proof has 30 days to provide it, and doing so may avoid a driver license suspension that otherwise costs 100 dollars to reinstate.
-
14. A person in a wheelchair is traveling in the roadway because the sidewalk is blocked by construction. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Pass slowly with plenty of room, or wait
A blocked sidewalk leaves the person no choice but the road, and a chair cannot move aside quickly, so pass wide and slow or wait for room.
-
15. When is it appropriate to use cruise control?
Show answer
Answer B: On a dry, open highway with light traffic
Cruise control suits steady conditions where you rarely need to change speed. It is a poor choice in traffic, on curves, on slippery roads or when drowsy, because it removes you from the speed decision.
-
16. What is the penalty for a first offense of illegally passing a stopped South Carolina school bus?
Show answer
Answer B: A fine of not less than 500 dollars, or up to 30 days imprisonment
Section 56-5-2780(A) sets a first-offense fine of at least 500 dollars, or up to 30 days imprisonment, with community service as an option.
-
17. You are inside a tunnel with no shoulder when an ambulance comes up behind you with lights and siren. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Keep going at a safe speed and pull over once you are clear of the tunnel
Stopping in a tunnel or on a narrow bridge blocks the only lane, so continue at a safe speed to the first place where you can pull clear.
-
18. How does South Carolina's basic speed law describe an unlawful driving speed, apart from posted numeric limits?
Show answer
Answer D: A speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions then existing
Section 56-5-1520(A) defines the basic speed law as prohibiting a speed greater than reasonable and prudent under existing conditions.
-
19. A sign reads REDUCED SPEED LIMIT AHEAD. What does it tell you?
Show answer
Answer D: A lower limit begins further along the road
The sign gives advance notice so a driver can slow gradually, and the new figure takes effect at the speed limit sign that follows.
-
20. Children are playing close to the edge of a residential street. What is the right speed choice?
Show answer
Answer D: Well below the limit, slow enough to stop for a sudden dash
Children can step out without warning, so the safe speed is the one that lets you stop within the distance you can see to be clear.
-
21. What is the correct first step when parallel parking behind an empty space?
Show answer
Answer D: Signal, pull up alongside the vehicle in front of the space, then back slowly into it
Parallel parking is done in reverse from a position alongside the vehicle ahead of the space, because backing in lets the rear wheels guide the vehicle to the curb.
-
22. How long is the suspension for a South Carolina driver who reaches twelve to fifteen points?
Show answer
Answer B: Three months
The statutory scale gives three months for twelve to fifteen points, rising to six months once twenty points are reached.
-
23. The accelerator sticks open while you are driving. What is the first thing to do?
Show answer
Answer A: Shift into neutral and brake while steering off the road
Neutral disconnects the engine from the wheels so the vehicle can be braked normally, while shutting off the ignition may lock the steering and remove power assistance.
-
24. You have stopped on the shoulder of a highway and want to rejoin the traffic. What is the correct way?
Show answer
Answer D: Signal, build up speed along the shoulder, then merge into a gap
Entering a fast lane at a slow speed is what causes the conflict, so the shoulder is used to gain speed before the merge in the same way as an acceleration lane.
-
25. How does being tired change your total stopping distance?
Show answer
Answer A: It lengthens it, because you take longer to notice and react
Fatigue stretches perception and reaction time, and every extra fraction of a second is added distance before the brakes even begin to work.
-
26. Your vehicle leaves the road and enters deep water. What gives you the best chance of escape?
Show answer
Answer B: Release your seat belt and get out through a window as quickly as possible
Water pressure holds the doors shut, so a window is the reliable exit and the first seconds after entry are the best time to use it.
-
27. Which color scheme is standard for the drums and barricades that channel traffic through a work zone?
Show answer
Answer C: Alternating orange and white retroreflective stripes
Drums and barricades carry alternating orange and white retroreflective stripes, and the traffic cones used in the same zones are predominantly orange.
-
28. How should you position your vehicle for a right turn from a two-way street?
Show answer
Answer B: As close as practical to the right curb or edge, then turn into the nearest right lane
Right turns are made from the lane nearest the right edge into the nearest available lane, which keeps the turn tight and prevents a wide sweep into other traffic.
-
29. You are leaving a private driveway and entering a public street. What are you required to do?
Show answer
Answer B: Stop and yield to traffic on the street and to pedestrians on the sidewalk
A driver entering a roadway from a driveway, alley or private road must stop and yield to traffic on the roadway and to pedestrians on the sidewalk being crossed.
-
30. Why should a driver crossing several lanes change only one lane at a time?
Show answer
Answer B: Each lane has its own traffic and its own blind spot to be checked
Sweeping across two or three lanes means entering lanes you never checked, so each change gets its own signal, mirror check and head check.