South Carolina SCDMV Permit Practice Test 30
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
-
1. What can a loose or doubled up floor mat on the driver side cause?
Show answer
Answer A: It can slide forward and trap the accelerator pedal down
An unsecured mat, or a second mat laid over the first, can slip forward and hold the accelerator open. Use the mat clips and never stack mats.
-
2. On a two-lane road with a broken yellow center line, may you cross it to turn into a driveway on the left?
Show answer
Answer C: Yes, when it is safe and the oncoming lane is clear
A broken center line may be crossed for a pass or for a left turn into a road or a driveway, once the oncoming lane is clear.
-
3. A driver ahead brakes for no reason you can see, again and again. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Increase your following distance and be ready for yet another stop
Unexplained braking tells you the driver is unsure or distracted, so the safe answer is more room, not less.
-
4. The passenger-side mirror on most vehicles is convex. What does this mean for the driver?
Show answer
Answer D: Vehicles in that mirror are closer than they appear
A convex mirror gives a wider view but shrinks what it shows, so a vehicle looks smaller and therefore farther away than it really is. Allow for this before changing lanes.
-
5. What is lane splitting?
Show answer
Answer B: A motorcycle riding between two lanes of traffic moving the same way
Lane splitting means riding along the line between two lanes of traffic going in the same direction rather than staying within a lane.
-
6. The inside of your windshield keeps fogging up on a cold, damp day. What clears it best?
Show answer
Answer B: The defroster with the air conditioning on, which dries the air
Fog on the inside is moisture from the cabin air. The air conditioner dries that air, and the defroster warms the glass, so together they clear it and keep it clear.
-
7. What minimum suspension applies in South Carolina to a driver who takes the test and registers 0.15 percent or more?
Show answer
Answer D: At least one month, with an ignition interlock option to end it
The implied consent notice states that a reading of fifteen one-hundredths of one percent or more brings a suspension of at least one month, which may be ended by enrolling in the Ignition Interlock Device Program.
-
8. You reach the end of the acceleration lane and there is still no gap in the traffic. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Slow down and merge behind the traffic rather than forcing your way in
Merging behind the traffic costs you only a little speed, while forcing into a space that is not there puts you alongside a vehicle with nowhere to go.
-
9. You have driven at 70 mph for an hour and then exit onto a town street. What is the common risk?
Show answer
Answer B: Your sense of speed adapts, so 35 mph feels slow and you drive too fast
After a long stretch at high speed the brain adapts, so town speeds feel unnaturally slow; check the speedometer instead of trusting the feeling.
-
10. The signal turns green as you approach an intersection. What is the safest practice?
Show answer
Answer B: Look left, then right, then left again, and make sure the intersection is clear before entering
A green light gives permission but does not guarantee the intersection is empty, and a quick scan catches a vehicle running the red or a pedestrian still crossing.
-
11. What must a driver be ready to do along the stretch of road where this sign is posted?
Show answer
Answer D: Slow down and stop for a child who steps into the roadway
Children misjudge speed and distance and act without warning, so the driver reduces speed, covers the brake and scans the sidewalks and parked vehicles.
-
12. What speed restriction does South Carolina place on transporting a manufactured, modular, or mobile home when the posted maximum speed limit exceeds 45 miles per hour?
Show answer
Answer D: It must travel at least 10 miles per hour below the posted limit, and never faster than 55 miles per hour
Section 56-5-1520(B)(4) requires such homes to travel at least 10 mph below the posted limit in that situation, capped at 55 mph in any case.
-
13. Traffic has built up behind you while you wait for a gap to turn left. How should that affect your decision?
Show answer
Answer C: It should not change it; wait for a gap that is genuinely safe
Pressure from behind does not make a small gap bigger, and rushing a left turn across traffic is a common cause of serious crashes.
-
14. Which sequence describes a well-made turn?
Show answer
Answer A: Signal, move into the correct lane, slow down, check, then turn
Tell others first, take your position, lose the speed before the corner, take a final look, and only then steer through the turn.
-
15. An orange sign showing the symbol of a person holding a flag or a sign paddle means that
Show answer
Answer D: a person is controlling traffic ahead and the driver must obey that person
The flagger sign warns that a trained flagger is directing traffic further on, and the flagger's instructions govern movement through the work zone.
-
16. Does South Carolina's hands-free law restrict the use of a vehicle's built-in, manufacturer-installed infotainment system?
Show answer
Answer C: No, equipment or services installed by the vehicle's original manufacturer are excluded from the restrictions
Section 56-5-3890(C)(7) exempts equipment or services installed by the original manufacturer of the vehicle.
-
17. Fog thickens until you can barely make out the vehicle ahead. What is the safest action?
Show answer
Answer A: Slow right down and, if needed, leave the road at a safe place
In heavy fog the only safe speed may be very low, and if it drops below what the road allows, the answer is to pull well clear of the traffic lanes.
-
18. A sign at the intersection prohibits U-turns, but the opening looks wide and clear. What may you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Obey the sign and turn around somewhere else
A prohibition applies whatever the traffic looks like at that moment, usually because of sight distance or conflicts you cannot see from the lane.
-
19. Some drivers believe they can multitask while driving. What does research show?
Show answer
Answer C: The brain switches rapidly between tasks and driving performance suffers
The brain does not truly do two attention-demanding tasks at once; it alternates between them, and the driving task gets less attention each time.
-
20. After a crash your door will not open and you need to get out of the car. What should you try?
Show answer
Answer B: Try another door of the vehicle, or a window that will still open properly
A jammed door is common after an impact, and the simplest escape is a different door or a window rather than forcing the damaged one.
-
21. You are in a marked passing zone but a steady stream of oncoming traffic is coming toward you. What does the broken center line allow?
Show answer
Answer C: A pass only when the road is clear, so you have to stay behind
A passing zone marks where the sight distance is adequate, but it never gives permission to enter a lane that another vehicle is occupying.
-
22. Your vehicle stalls on railroad tracks and you see a train approaching. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Get everyone out and run toward the train at an angle away from the tracks
Leave the vehicle at once. Running toward the oncoming train and away from the tracks keeps you clear of the wreckage, which is thrown forward in the direction the train is moving.
-
23. A driver ignores this sign and passes on the opposite side. What is the main risk?
Show answer
Answer B: Ending up on the wrong side of a divider, facing traffic coming the other way
The sign settles which side of a fixed divider is the legal one, so taking the other side sends the vehicle into the opposing stream or straight at the obstruction.
-
24. You are circulating in a roundabout and a vehicle is waiting to enter ahead of you. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Keep going, because circulating traffic does not stop for entering vehicles
Stopping in the circle to be polite surprises the drivers behind you and defeats the design; entering traffic is the side that waits.
-
25. A bus stopped at the corner hides the crosswalk you are about to turn across. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Turn slowly, ready to stop for anyone stepping out in front of it
People often step into the road from in front of a stopped bus, so approach the hidden crosswalk slowly and be ready to stop.
-
26. Which of these would appear as a symbol on a blue general service sign?
Show answer
Answer A: A hospital
General service signs cover facilities such as hospitals, fuel, food, lodging, camping, telephones and rest areas, all shown in white on blue.
-
27. A pedestrian has stepped into a crosswalk at an intersection ahead of you. What is your obligation?
Show answer
Answer C: Yield and let the pedestrian finish crossing before you proceed
Drivers must yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk, and an intersection has a legal crosswalk whether or not lines are painted on the pavement.
-
28. Why is a sign reading BRIDGE ICES BEFORE ROAD worth heeding even when the road itself is merely wet?
Show answer
Answer C: Cold air passes under a bridge as well as over it
A bridge deck loses heat from below as well as above, so it can be frozen while the road on either side of it is only wet.
-
29. How may a two-way left-turn lane never be used?
Show answer
Answer B: As a through travel lane or a passing lane
The lane exists only for turning movements, so traveling or passing along it puts you head-on with vehicles turning from the opposite direction.
-
30. You realize you have driven several miles without remembering any of it. What kind of distraction is this?
Show answer
Answer C: Cognitive distraction, because your mind was not on driving
Daydreaming or being lost in thought is a cognitive distraction. Your eyes may be on the road, but your brain is not processing what they see.