South Carolina SCDMV Permit Practice Test 31
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. An emergency vehicle is stopped on the shoulder ahead with its lights flashing. What does the move over principle require?
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Answer D: Change lanes away from it, or slow down if you cannot
Move over laws ask you to give responders an empty lane, and where traffic or a two-lane road makes that impossible, you slow down instead.
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2. You feel fine twenty minutes after your last drink. Why is that a poor guide to driving?
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Answer B: Your blood alcohol level can still be rising
Alcohol keeps being absorbed for some time after the last drink, so a driver who feels able at the door can be more impaired a few miles down the road.
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3. Why is dusk one of the harder times of day to drive?
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Answer B: The failing light blurs shapes into the background
In fading light there is not enough contrast to pick objects out, yet it is not dark enough for headlights to do the work, so pedestrians and cyclists disappear.
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4. How does the penalty change for a second or later conviction of illegally passing a stopped South Carolina school bus?
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Answer C: The fine rises to between 2,000 and 5,000 dollars, with 30 to 60 days imprisonment
Section 56-5-2780(A) raises a second or subsequent offense to a 2,000 to 5,000 dollar fine and 30 to 60 days imprisonment.
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5. A broken white line separates your lane from the lane beside it. What does it indicate?
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Answer C: Both lanes carry traffic in the same direction and lane changes are permitted
White lines separate lanes of traffic moving in the same direction, and a broken white line means changing lanes across it is permitted when it is safe.
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6. The vehicle you have borrowed is larger and heavier than your own. How should you drive it?
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Answer B: Allow more room for stopping and for turns until you are used to it
Extra weight and length mean longer stopping distances and wider turns, so give yourself more room until you are used to it.
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7. You are on a country road with no sidewalk and two people are walking toward you on your side of the shoulder. What should you do?
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Answer C: Slow down and move over to give them room
Where there is no sidewalk, people are expected to walk on the shoulder facing traffic, and drivers must slow and give them space.
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8. When may a driver of a motor vehicle use a marked bicycle lane?
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Answer C: Only to cross it when turning or entering the road where the markings allow
A bike lane is a lane for cyclists. Motor vehicles may only cross it to enter or leave the road or to make a turn where the markings permit.
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9. The center line beside your lane is solid yellow while the opposite side has a broken yellow line. What does this mean?
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Answer D: You may not pass, but traffic in the other direction may
A solid yellow line on your side of the center marks a no-passing zone for your direction only, while the broken line grants the opposing direction a passing zone.
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10. You are behind a snow plow working on a highway. What is the correct way to drive?
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Answer C: Stay well back and do not try to pass it
A plow throws snow, runs wider than its body and works on the poor surface ahead of it, so the cleared road behind it is the safest place to be.
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11. The traffic signal is green, but the crossing lights on the tracks inside the intersection begin to flash. What must you do?
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Answer C: Stop clear of the tracks and wait, even though the signal is green
Active crossing warning devices outrank the green indication, so you stop short of the rails and wait until the warning stops.
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12. Where is a strong crosswind most likely to hit you suddenly?
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Answer D: Coming out of a tunnel or a cut onto an open bridge
Gusts arrive the moment you leave shelter, which is why bridge approaches and the ends of cuts and tunnels catch drivers out.
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13. How does braking distance change if you double your speed?
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Answer D: It grows much more than twice as long
Braking distance increases with the square of speed, so doubling speed roughly quadruples the distance needed to stop.
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14. Your lane is ending ahead in slow, heavy traffic and drivers in the next lane are already bumper to bumper. What is the recommended way to merge?
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Answer C: Take turns, one vehicle from each lane at the merge point
Alternating one for one at the merge point keeps both lanes moving and is the safest way to combine slow traffic.
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15. A traffic signal ahead is showing a flashing red light. What does it require?
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Answer C: Stop completely, then go when the way is clear, as at a stop sign
A flashing red light has the same meaning as a stop sign: stop completely, yield to traffic and pedestrians, then proceed when it is safe.
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16. Why is it useful to watch the vehicle two or three places ahead of you?
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Answer C: You get an earlier warning of slowing traffic than brake lights give
Trouble travels back through a line of traffic, so seeing it start several vehicles ahead gives you a head start on braking.
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17. Which of these is announced with the same family of signs as the facility shown here?
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Answer A: A rest area for travelers
A rest area belongs to the same motorist service series, which points travelers toward facilities such as fuel, food, lodging and medical care.
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18. Who must wear a safety belt in a moving vehicle in South Carolina?
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Answer D: The driver and every occupant of the vehicle
State law requires the driver and every occupant to wear a fastened safety belt, and the driver is responsible for occupants aged 17 or younger being belted or properly restrained.
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19. What happens to points on a South Carolina driving record one year after the violation date?
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Answer D: They are reduced by half
SCDMV reduces points by half one year after the violation date shown on the ticket, so four points become two.
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20. You come up behind a group of cyclists riding two abreast on a narrow rural road. What should you do?
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Answer A: Wait for a clear stretch and pass them as one group
Passing a group as a single unit when the way ahead is clear is safer than several rushed passes, and cutting through the group leaves nobody any escape room.
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21. You have entered a work zone where crews are working close to the open lane. What should you do?
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Answer A: Slow down and be ready for workers and machines
Workers and equipment cross the open lane without warning in a work zone, so reduced speed and attention on the road ahead are what keep them safe.
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22. You have fitted the small temporary spare tire after a flat. What should you keep in mind?
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Answer C: It is meant for low speed and short distances until the regular tire is repaired
Compact spares have limited grip, handling and durability. Follow the speed and distance limits printed on the tire and get the regular tire fixed soon.
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23. A black on white regulatory sign at an intersection reads NO TURNS. What may a driver do there?
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Answer B: Only continue straight through the intersection
The NO TURNS sign bans turns in every direction at that intersection, so the only lawful movement from that approach is straight through.
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24. A lane along the right edge is set off by a solid white line and marked with a bicycle symbol. How should a driver treat it?
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Answer B: Stay out of it except for the short distance needed to turn or cross where that is allowed
A marked bicycle lane is set aside for bicycle traffic, and motor vehicles may enter it only briefly where turning or crossing is permitted.
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25. How far ahead should you normally be looking as you drive?
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Answer C: About 12 to 15 seconds ahead, well beyond the vehicle in front
Looking that far down the road lets you see a problem developing and slow smoothly, instead of discovering it in time only for hard braking.
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26. Your parking brake no longer holds the car on a slope. What should you do?
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Answer D: Have it repaired, and until then park only on level ground
A parking brake that will not hold is a defect to be fixed; avoiding grades in the meantime keeps the vehicle from rolling away.
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27. You realize you have just gone past your exit on a freeway. What should you do?
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Answer C: Carry on to the next exit and turn around there
A missed exit costs a few minutes, while backing up or cutting across the striped gore area puts you in the path of traffic that is not expecting it.
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28. You are following another vehicle down a long, steep grade. What should you do about the gap?
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Answer D: Make it longer, because both of you need more room to stop
Everything takes longer to stop on a downgrade, including the vehicle ahead, so the gap that works on the flat is no longer enough.
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29. You are about to slow down sharply for a turn. Which check comes first?
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Answer A: A look in the mirror to see how close the traffic behind you is
Any hard slowing needs a mirror check first, because the driver behind is the one who has to react to it.
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30. The traffic around you is moving well above the limit on a wide highway. What should you do?
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Answer D: Keep to the limit and stay to the right, letting faster traffic pass
The limit is a legal maximum, and the safe way to differ from the traffic around you is to keep right and let it go by.