South Carolina SCDMV Permit Practice Test 18
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. You enter a corner faster than the turn can be taken. What is the most likely result?
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Answer A: The vehicle runs wide and may cross into another lane
Excess speed uses up the available grip, so the vehicle follows a wider arc than intended and drifts out of its lane.
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2. You want to move into the right lane just as an entrance ramp joins the highway at that point. What is the better choice?
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Answer B: Wait until you are past the merge area so you do not squeeze the entering traffic
The merge area is where ramp traffic has to find a gap, so adding a lane change of your own into the same space creates a conflict.
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3. How should the inside rearview mirror be adjusted?
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Answer B: So you can see the entire rear window without moving your head
The inside mirror is for the view straight behind you. Framing the whole rear window from your normal seating position gives the widest useful view.
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4. On a narrow residential street, why does parking tight against the curb matter so much?
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Answer C: Because fire trucks and ambulances need the width to get through
Cars parked even a foot out from the curb on both sides can narrow a street until a fire truck or ambulance cannot pass.
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5. Traffic is backed up on the far side of a railroad crossing. What should you do before driving onto the tracks?
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Answer D: Wait behind the tracks until there is room to clear them completely
Never enter a crossing until you are certain you can drive completely across without stopping, because a vehicle trapped on the tracks cannot get out of a train's way.
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6. You enter a work zone at night where one lane is closed and a flagger is on duty. What is the safest approach?
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Answer A: Slow early, merge before the closure and be ready to stop
Merging early at a reduced speed keeps the queue orderly and leaves you room to stop for equipment, workers or traffic that has halted ahead.
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7. You are following closely behind a vehicle you intend to pass on a two-lane road. What should you do first?
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Answer D: Drop back to give yourself room to build speed before you pull out
From close behind you cannot see far enough ahead and you have no room to gather speed, so the pass takes longer and starts blind.
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8. Compared with dry pavement, how much room does a vehicle need to stop on packed snow?
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Answer D: Several times as much
Grip on packed snow is a fraction of that on dry pavement, so stopping distance grows several times over. Antilock brakes help you steer, not stop shorter.
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9. After a South Carolina driver's insurance lapses and is later reinstated following a notice, how often must the driver provide proof of coverage to SCDMV, and for how long?
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Answer B: Every seven months, for three years
Section 56-10-46 requires proof of coverage every seven months for three years after a person purchases insurance in response to a lapse notice.
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10. A bicyclist is riding around a single-lane roundabout in the middle of the lane as you wait to enter. What is your duty?
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Answer C: Yield to the bicyclist just as you would to a car
A bicyclist using the roundabout is traffic like any other vehicle and has the same claim to the circulating lane.
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11. What is true about an airbag once it has inflated in a crash?
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Answer B: It must be replaced by a technician before the car is driven any further
An airbag is a single use device, and the module and often the belts must be replaced before the vehicle protects anyone again.
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12. The gates at a railroad crossing begin to come down as you approach. What must you do?
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Answer A: Stop and wait until the gates are fully raised and the lights stop flashing
Once the gates start down you must stop clear of the tracks and wait until they are fully raised and the warning lights have stopped.
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13. In plain words, what is oversteer?
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Answer C: The rear of the vehicle slides out and the car turns too sharply
Oversteer means the rear tires have lost grip first, so the tail swings out and the vehicle turns more than you asked it to.
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14. Where does the restriction that starts at this sign come to an end?
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Answer D: Where the centerline markings show that overtaking is allowed again
The sign marks the start of the restricted section, and the centerline markings along the road show how far it runs and where overtaking becomes lawful again.
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15. What should you do with the key and your belongings when you leave the vehicle in a public lot?
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Answer D: Take the key with you, lock up and put valuables out of sight
Most vehicle thefts are opportunistic: a key left behind or a bag in plain view is the invitation.
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16. You are in the open lane where another lane is merging into yours. What is your part in the merge?
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Answer A: Keep a steady speed and leave a gap for one vehicle to come in
A merge works when each driver in the through lane lets one vehicle in, which keeps both lines moving instead of stopping them both.
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17. The posted limit is 55 mph, but heavy traffic and rain make that speed unsafe. What does the law expect of you?
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Answer D: You must slow to a speed that is safe for the conditions
The basic speed rule requires a speed that is reasonable for the traffic, weather and road, and that speed is often well below the posted maximum.
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18. The signal ahead has a sign prohibiting left turns, and your route needs a left. What should you do?
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Answer D: Go straight on and find a legal place to turn and come back
A turn prohibition applies to every driver, so you continue through and reach your route by another legal turn.
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19. A stop line is painted across the pavement at this sign. Where must the vehicle come to rest?
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Answer A: Behind the stop line, with no part of the vehicle across it
The vehicle must halt behind the stop line; where no line is painted the driver stops before the crosswalk, and where there is neither, before entering the intersection.
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20. Where is the no passing zone pennant sign installed?
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Answer A: On the left side of the roadway
The pennant is placed on the left side of the roadway at the beginning of the no-passing zone, in the field of view of a driver who is thinking about overtaking.
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21. A disabled vehicle is blocking your lane on a two-lane road with a single solid yellow line on your side. What should you do?
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Answer C: Wait until the oncoming lane is clear, then go around carefully
The solid line prohibits overtaking a moving vehicle, but in most states a driver may go around an obstruction such as a disabled vehicle once the oncoming lane is clear and the move can be made safely.
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22. On a highway with mileage-based exit numbering, you have just passed exit 42 and are looking for exit 55. About how far is it?
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Answer B: Thirteen miles
With mileage-based numbering each exit takes the number of the nearest milepost, so subtracting one exit number from another gives the distance in miles.
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23. During the reversing part of a three-point turn, where should you be looking?
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Answer C: Over your shoulder through the rear window, glancing both ways
You look through the rear window in the direction the car is moving, checking both ways for traffic and people, because mirrors and cameras leave blind areas.
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24. You are driving through a neighborhood where several children are riding bicycles. What should you do?
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Answer C: Slow down and expect sudden, unpredictable moves
Young riders lack the judgment and the mirror habits of adults and may swerve or cross without looking, so lower speed is your only reliable margin.
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25. Trees block the view along the tracks as a driver approaches this sign. What approach speed is correct?
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Answer B: Slow enough to stop before the nearest rail once a train comes into view
Where the view along the track is obstructed, the only safe speed is one that still leaves stopping distance after a train first becomes visible.
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26. You have a small extinguisher and a fire has started under the hood. What is the safe way to use it?
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Answer B: Release the latch and spray through the gap without raising the hood at all
Opening the hood feeds the fire a rush of air, so spraying through the gap at the base of the flames is both safer and more effective.
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27. A school sign combined with an AHEAD plaque, or with a plaque giving a distance in feet, forms an assembly that
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Answer B: warns of a school crossing located further along the road
The school advance crossing assembly is placed before the crosswalk to give drivers notice, while a different assembly marks the crossing itself.
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28. A driver is tailgating you. Why is it a bad idea to tap or stab the brakes to warn them?
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Answer C: Because it cuts the little space they have and can cause a crash
Brake checking removes the small margin the tailgater has left and can provoke a collision; add space in front of you instead and let them pass.
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29. Why does a heavier vehicle need more room to stop than a light one from the same speed?
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Answer B: Because there is more mass in motion for the tires to slow down
More mass means more energy at the same speed, and the brakes and tires need more distance to get rid of it.
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30. How should tire pressure be checked and set?
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Answer B: When the tires are cold, set to the pressure specified by the vehicle manufacturer
Driving heats the air and raises the reading, and the sidewall number is a maximum rather than a recommendation, so check cold and use the figure on the vehicle placard or in the owner's manual.