South Carolina SCDMV Permit Practice Test 5
Test 5 of 10. Pick an answer for each question to see if it is right and why; your score appears at the end. You need 24 correct answers to pass, the same ratio as the real South Carolina test.
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. 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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2. A sign at the start of an exit ramp shows a speed much lower than the highway limit. What does it apply to?
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Answer C: The curve of the ramp itself, once you have left the highway
The ramp speed is set by the sharpness of the ramp curve, so you slow to it inside the deceleration lane rather than out on the highway.
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3. What minimum liability limits must a South Carolina automobile policy carry?
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Answer C: 25,000 dollars per person, 50,000 dollars per accident and 25,000 dollars property damage
South Carolina insurance law requires at least 25,000 dollars for bodily injury to one person, 50,000 dollars for two or more people and 25,000 dollars for property damage.
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4. Under the South Carolina Hands-Free and Distracted Driving Act, what may a driver NOT do?
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Answer A: Hold or support a mobile electronic device with any part of the body
The statute forbids holding or supporting a mobile electronic device with any part of the body while driving, while earpieces, wrist-worn devices and factory-installed equipment remain allowed.
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5. It is dark, it is raining and you are towing a trailer. How should you set your following gap?
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Answer B: Add extra seconds for each condition, well beyond three
Each factor that lengthens your stopping distance or shortens your view calls for another second or more, and they add up when several occur together.
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6. Traffic safety experts describe three kinds of driver distraction. Which set is correct?
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Answer A: Visual, manual and cognitive
Distraction takes the eyes off the road, the hands off the controls or the mind off driving, and many activities do more than one of those at once.
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7. A driver stopped on suspicion of impaired driving refuses to take a chemical test. What happens?
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Answer D: A license penalty follows for the refusal itself
Under implied consent, holding a license means agreeing to testing, so a refusal brings its own suspension separately from anything the court decides.
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8. May a South Carolina driver use a mobile electronic device for turn-by-turn navigation while driving?
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Answer D: Yes, if the driver does not type on it and does not hold or support it with any part of the body
Section 56-5-3890(C)(6)(a) allows navigation, audio content, or traffic information use that does not require typing and does not involve holding the device.
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9. What must a South Carolina driver do under the move-over law if changing lanes away from a stopped emergency vehicle is unsafe or impossible?
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Answer C: Maintain a safe speed for the road conditions
Section 56-5-1538(G)(2) requires maintaining a safe speed for conditions when a lane change is not possible or safe.
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10. You and an oncoming driver are both turning left at the same intersection. What is the usual rule?
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Answer D: Both turn in front of each other unless markings show otherwise
The normal practice is to pass driver side to driver side, turning in front of one another, unless pavement markings or signs direct a different path.
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11. What does it mean to cover the brake, and when should you do it?
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Answer B: Hold your foot over the brake pedal without pressing it when a hazard seems likely
Covering the brake cuts reaction time when you expect trouble, such as near children, parked cars or a vehicle that may pull out. Riding the brake wears it out and confuses drivers behind you.
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12. If illegally passing a stopped school bus in South Carolina causes a pedestrian's death, what happens to the driver's license upon conviction?
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Answer D: It is suspended for the length of the prison term imposed, plus one additional year
Section 56-5-2780(B) requires suspension for the term of imprisonment plus one year when the offense causes a death.
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13. You are traveling at 55 mph and see a vehicle ahead moving at about 15 mph. What is the hazard?
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Answer A: You reach it far sooner than you expect
At a 40 mph difference you cover the gap in a few seconds, which is why drivers strike slow vehicles they saw in plenty of time.
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14. What does a sign showing a bicycle inside a red circle with a diagonal slash prohibit?
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Answer D: Riding a bicycle on that roadway
This is a selective exclusion sign, used where bicycles are banned from a road such as a freeway or a tunnel.
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15. How does South Carolina law define an 'urban district' for speed limit purposes?
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Answer A: Territory next to a street built up with structures set at intervals of less than 100 feet for a quarter mile or more
Section 56-5-1520(C) defines an urban district by that density of adjoining structures along the street.
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16. Why should heavy objects in the passenger compartment be secured?
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Answer A: Because loose objects fly forward in a crash and can injure the people
Anything loose keeps traveling at the speed of the vehicle when the vehicle stops, so it strikes the occupants with great force.
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17. What happens automatically under South Carolina law when the required insurance security on a registered vehicle lapses or terminates?
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Answer C: The owner's registration and driving privileges are automatically suspended until the security is replaced
Chapter 56-10 provides that the owner's driving privileges are automatically suspended as of the date the required security lapses, remaining suspended until it is replaced.
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18. Another driver cuts you off and you feel your temper rising. What should you do?
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Answer A: Take a breath, drop back and let it go, because the whole trip matters more
Retaliation turns a moment of bad driving into a crash, and dropping back costs you only a few seconds.
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19. How many points suspend the license of a South Carolina driver who holds a beginner's permit, conditional license or special restricted license?
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Answer B: Six or more points
Accumulating six or more points on those credentials brings a six-month suspension, a much lower threshold than the one used for fully licensed drivers.
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20. Your right wheels drop off the edge of the pavement onto a soft shoulder. What should you do?
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Answer C: Ease off the accelerator, hold the wheel straight and steer back gently once you have slowed
Yanking the wheel while the tires are pressed against a pavement lip can throw the vehicle across the road, so slow down first and then make a gentle correction.
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21. A yellow pennant-shaped sign is posted on the left side of a two-lane road facing you. What is it telling you?
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Answer B: You are entering a no-passing zone and may not start a pass
The pennant is placed on the left so that it faces the driver who might pull out, and it marks the beginning of a no-passing zone.
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22. Your vehicle leaves the road and enters deep water. What gives you the best chance of escape?
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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.
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23. How can you tell a tire has reached its wear limit without measuring it?
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Answer C: The wear bars across the grooves become level with the tread
Molded bars sit at the bottom of the grooves. Once the surrounding tread has worn down to them, the tire has reached the end of its safe life.
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24. What should you do before you back out of your own driveway at home?
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Answer A: Walk around the vehicle and check behind it for children or objects
A small child, a bicycle or a toy can sit entirely inside the blind area behind a vehicle, and a walk-around is the only way to be sure it is clear.
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25. Under South Carolina's emergency scene management law, who has authority over an emergency scene until fire or law enforcement officials arrive?
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Answer D: The first-arriving emergency personnel, including emergency medical services personnel
Section 56-5-1538(C) gives authority over the scene to the first-arriving emergency personnel until fire or law enforcement takes over.
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26. 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?
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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.
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27. Which warning lights, beyond flashing red or blue, trigger South Carolina's move-over duty when displayed by a stationary authorized emergency vehicle?
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Answer B: Amber or yellow warning lights
Section 56-5-1538(G) extends the move-over duty to amber or yellow warning lights, which covers vehicles like tow trucks.
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28. You come to a place where a storm has dropped a power line across the road ahead. What should you do?
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Answer B: Stop well back, keep everyone away from it and report it to the police
A downed line may be live and can energize the ground around it, so keep well clear and let the utility or the police handle it.
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29. Which facility does this sign direct a traveler toward?
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Answer B: A hospital offering emergency care
This is the standard marker for medical care, used to lead a traveler to a hospital where emergency treatment is available.
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30. Where is a U-turn generally the most reasonable choice?
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Answer B: At an intersection where it is permitted and you can see well both ways
A U-turn needs a legal place and a long clear view in both directions, which is why a permitted intersection with open sight lines is the usual choice.