South Carolina SCDMV Permit Practice Test 33
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. Roughly how far does a vehicle travel at 55 mph during the few seconds a driver spends reading a text message?
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Answer D: About the length of a football field
Sending or reading a message takes the eyes off the road for about five seconds, which at 55 mph covers roughly the length of a football field with nobody watching the road.
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2. A pedestrian using a white cane or walking with a guide dog starts to cross the street ahead of you. What must you do?
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Answer A: Yield and stay stopped until the person has finished crossing
A white cane or guide dog identifies a pedestrian who may not be able to see your vehicle, so you must yield and wait rather than maneuver around the person. The horn can confuse the pedestrian or the dog.
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3. Alcohol is classified as which kind of drug?
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Answer B: A depressant that slows the central nervous system
As a depressant, alcohol slows the brain and nervous system, which lengthens reaction time and dulls the coordination that driving depends on.
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4. You have a green left-turn arrow but a pedestrian is still walking in the crosswalk you must cross. What should you do?
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Answer B: Wait until the crosswalk is clear before turning
A green arrow protects you from other vehicles, but it never removes the duty to yield to a person already in the crosswalk.
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5. You park in your own driveway and the rear of the vehicle sticks out over the sidewalk. What is wrong with that?
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Answer C: It blocks the sidewalk and forces people into the street
A vehicle overhanging the sidewalk pushes pedestrians, wheelchair users and strollers into the roadway, and blocking a sidewalk is prohibited.
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6. Which vehicle is most affected by a strong side wind?
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Answer D: A van or a car towing a tall trailer
Wind pushes against the side area of a vehicle, so tall boxy shapes and trailers are moved far more than low heavy ones.
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7. You are calling 911 to report a crash. Which information matters most?
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Answer C: The exact location, how many people are hurt and any hazard such as fire
Dispatchers need to know where to send help, how much help to send, and what dangers the crews will meet on arrival.
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8. A driver is following you far too closely and you have a turn coming up. How should you slow down for it?
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Answer B: Signal early and slow gradually well before the turn
Early signals and gentle braking give a tailgater the time and distance they have failed to leave for themselves.
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9. A driver reaches this sign and the intersecting roadway is completely clear. What is required?
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Answer D: Slowing to a speed that allows stopping, then going on without stopping if the way stays clear
This control asks the driver to slow down and be ready to stop, and a full stop becomes necessary only when traffic or pedestrians would otherwise be interfered with.
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10. You have just merged onto a freeway from an entrance ramp. What should you do next?
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Answer C: Settle into the right lane and build up speed before changing lanes
Crossing lanes while you are still below the speed of the traffic forces other drivers to brake, so the speed comes first and the lane change second.
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11. You are backing out of a driveway that crosses a public sidewalk. What should you do?
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Answer C: Stop before the sidewalk and check both ways
Walkers, runners and riders use the sidewalk at speeds that can bring them into your path in a second, so the stop and the look belong before the sidewalk, not after it.
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12. A deer suddenly steps onto the road ahead of you at night. What is the safest response?
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Answer C: Brake firmly and stay in your lane rather than swerving
Swerving at speed often leads to a rollover or a head-on crash that is far worse than hitting the animal. Brake hard, hold your lane and expect more deer to follow.
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13. A signal beside a fire station stays dark until apparatus is about to leave, when it shows yellow and then red. What must a driver do?
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Answer B: Stop on the red and wait until the signal goes dark again
An emergency vehicle signal is a real traffic signal, so its red indication must be obeyed while the apparatus pulls out into the street.
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14. Your vehicle is burning at the roadside. How far away should everyone keep?
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Answer D: At least a hundred feet away from the vehicle and upwind, out of the drifting smoke
Burning vehicles give off toxic smoke and parts such as tires and struts can burst, so keep a long distance and stay upwind.
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15. What does a yield sign require of a driver?
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Answer A: Slow down, and stop when necessary, so conflicting traffic can go first
A yield sign obliges the driver to reduce to a speed suited to conditions and to stop when needed so that conflicting traffic or pedestrians are not interfered with.
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16. You stop at a rest area because you are sleepy. How long a nap is usually recommended?
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Answer D: About fifteen to twenty minutes
A short nap of fifteen to twenty minutes restores useful alertness without leaving the grogginess a longer sleep can bring, and you should wait a few minutes before driving on.
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17. You arrive at an intersection where the traffic signals are completely dark after a power failure. What should you do?
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Answer A: Treat the intersection as an all-way stop and take turns
When a signal is dark or out of order, drivers on every approach must stop and proceed in turn, exactly as at a four-way stop.
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18. You have a green light and are turning right while people are crossing the street you want to enter. Who goes first?
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Answer B: The pedestrians, and you wait until they are clear of your path
A green light permits the turn but does not remove the duty to yield to pedestrians already crossing the street you are turning into.
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19. Someone has stepped into a marked crosswalk in the middle of a block ahead of you. What should you do?
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Answer A: Slow down, stop before the markings and let the person cross the street
A marked mid-block crosswalk carries the same duty as one at a corner: give way to the person crossing, stopping if that is what letting them cross safely takes.
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20. You are backing straight down a driveway while looking over your right shoulder. Where should your left hand be?
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Answer C: At the top of the steering wheel, holding it with a firm grip
With one hand at the top of the wheel you can hold a straight course and make small corrections while your body is turned to look behind.
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21. What condition does this sign warn a driver about?
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Answer B: Another road joins the road being traveled, from one side
It announces a side road entering the main roadway, so the driver should expect vehicles waiting to pull out and other vehicles slowing to turn in.
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22. You have passed a large truck and want to move back into its lane. What should you see first?
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Answer B: Both of its headlights in your rear-view mirror
Seeing both headlights in your mirror means you are far enough ahead to be out of the truck's front no-zone before you move over.
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23. As speed rises, which part of the total stopping distance grows the fastest?
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Answer B: The braking distance, which grows far faster than speed itself
Perception and reaction distances grow in step with speed, but braking distance grows roughly with the square of speed, so it dominates at higher speeds.
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24. You have strapped luggage to the roof rack for a long trip. What should you expect?
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Answer D: A higher center of gravity, so take the curves and lane changes gently
Weight on the roof raises the center of gravity and makes the vehicle lean and respond more slowly to steering.
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25. You are using the parking brake to slow a vehicle whose brakes have failed. How should you apply it?
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Answer D: Gradually, holding the release so you can let it off if the rear slides
The parking brake works on two wheels only, so applying it hard can lock them and spin the vehicle. Keep the release held so you can back it off instantly.
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26. A yellow diamond showing a bicycle is posted on a rural road. What should a driver expect?
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Answer A: Bicyclists crossing or riding along the roadway there
The bicycle warning sign is used where a bikeway crosses the road or where riders are likely to be in the traffic lanes, so drivers should look carefully and pass wide.
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27. You are approaching a highway-rail grade crossing marked only with a crossbuck sign. What does that sign require?
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Answer A: Yield to any approaching train and cross only when the tracks are clear
The crossbuck is a regulatory yield sign, and a train can never stop or steer around a vehicle, so the driver must always give way.
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28. What do the numbers on a pedestrian countdown display show?
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Answer A: The seconds remaining to finish a crossing already under way
The countdown runs during the pedestrian change interval and shows how many seconds are left before the crossing time ends.
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29. You are on a four-lane divided highway and a vehicle in your lane is stopped waiting to turn left across the median. What is the normal way past?
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Answer D: Slow down and go by in the lane to the right when it is clear
On a multilane road the free lane beside you is the lawful place to go past a vehicle waiting to turn, and the median is not part of the roadway.
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30. What is the best way to handle the radio, the music player and the climate controls on a trip?
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Answer B: Set them before you start driving and let a passenger handle changes
Fiddling with controls takes eyes and hands off the driving task. Setting them before you move and letting a passenger make later changes removes the distraction entirely.