South Carolina SCDMV Permit Practice Test 8
Test 8 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
-
1. How does South Carolina establish an enforceable minimum speed limit on a particular stretch of highway?
Show answer
Answer D: The Department of Transportation or a local authority must find, via a traffic study, that slow speeds impede traffic, then post signs
Section 56-5-1560(b) requires an engineering and traffic investigation and posted signs before a minimum speed limit takes effect.
-
2. A short driver cannot get ten inches between the chest and the steering wheel airbag. What is the answer?
Show answer
Answer D: Move the seat back and tilt the wheel downward, or fit pedal extenders
Distance from the airbag is gained by moving the seat back and aiming the wheel at the chest, using pedal extenders if the pedals are then out of reach.
-
3. Which set of requirements must a 16 year old meet for a South Carolina special restricted driver's license?
Show answer
Answer D: Hold a beginner's permit at least 180 days, pass driver education, complete 40 hours of practice including 10 at night, pass the road test and meet the school attendance rule
State law lists the 180-day permit period, an approved driver education course, 40 hours of supervised practice with 10 hours at night, the road test and the school attendance requirement.
-
4. On a South Carolina highway with at least four lanes, what does the law require when you approach a stationary emergency vehicle with flashing lights?
Show answer
Answer D: Move into a lane that is not next to the emergency vehicle when it is safe to do so
Drivers must slow significantly and change into a lane that is not adjacent to the emergency vehicle where the road has four or more lanes with at least two in the same direction; if changing lanes is unsafe, they must keep a safe speed.
-
5. A deer crosses the road in front of you and disappears into the trees. What should you expect?
Show answer
Answer B: That other deer are likely to follow it across the very same stretch of road
Deer usually move in groups, so one crossing the road is a warning that more may follow.
-
6. A United States numbered route is normally marked with
Show answer
Answer C: black numerals on a white shield
The U.S. route marker is a white shield carrying black numerals, which sets it apart at a glance from the red, white and blue Interstate shield.
-
7. Is it acceptable to drive with your vehicle straddling the line between two lanes?
Show answer
Answer D: No, you must drive as nearly as practical entirely within a single lane
A vehicle astride the line takes up two lanes and leaves the drivers around it unable to predict where it will go.
-
8. You park facing downhill on a one-way street where the curb is on your left. Which way do the front wheels go?
Show answer
Answer A: Left, toward the curb on that side
Standard practice follows the curb rather than the side of the road: facing downhill the wheels point into the curb so a rolling vehicle is stopped by it. States differ on whether this is legally required.
-
9. May a South Carolina driver switch from one accepted method of proving financial responsibility, such as a bond, to another, such as a certificate of insurance?
Show answer
Answer C: Yes, the department will consent to cancellation once other adequate proof is substituted and accepted
Section 56-9-600 lets the department consent to canceling a bond or certificate of insurance once other adequate proof of financial responsibility is substituted and accepted.
-
10. You are approaching a refuse collection truck working along your street. What should you expect?
Show answer
Answer D: Workers stepping into the road around the truck
Collection crews move constantly between the truck and the curb, often from where you cannot see them, so slow right down and pass only when the whole area is clear.
-
11. In a work zone a flagger is directing traffic in a way that conflicts with the posted signs. Whom do you follow?
Show answer
Answer B: The flagger's directions
A flagger controls traffic through a work area that changes from day to day, and those instructions take precedence over the fixed signs and markings in that zone.
-
12. What does South Carolina's minimum speed law say about driving unusually slowly?
Show answer
Answer C: It prohibits driving so slowly as to impede the normal movement of traffic, except when reduced speed is needed for safety or required by law
Section 56-5-1560(a) prohibits impeding the normal and reasonable movement of traffic by driving too slowly, with safety and legal exceptions.
-
13. When should you move into the lane you need for a turn?
Show answer
Answer D: Well before the intersection, as soon as you know your route
Getting into the correct lane early lets other drivers read your intentions and keeps you from making a sudden lane change at the corner.
-
14. What do yellow lines painted on a roadway separate?
Show answer
Answer D: Traffic moving in opposite directions
Yellow markings separate opposing streams of traffic, and they also mark the left edge of a divided highway or a one-way roadway.
-
15. Why are motorcycles so often missed by other drivers?
Show answer
Answer C: Their narrow shape is easily hidden in traffic
A motorcycle presents a narrow outline that disappears behind pillars, mirrors and other vehicles, and it is harder to judge its speed and distance.
-
16. You are about to change lanes to the left when you notice a vehicle already overtaking you in that lane. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Hold your lane and your speed, and change only after that vehicle has gone by
A signal asks for space but does not create it, and the overtaking driver has nowhere to go if you move across.
-
17. The light turns yellow when your front wheels are already past the stop line inside the intersection. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Keep going and clear the intersection without speeding up
Once you are legally in the intersection the safest and correct action is to continue through and clear it, without accelerating.
-
18. Why should you not leave the engine running when you walk away from your vehicle?
Show answer
Answer C: Because the vehicle can be stolen or can move on its own
An unattended running vehicle is an easy theft and, if the transmission slips or is knocked out of park, it can roll away with nobody at the wheel.
-
19. What penalty does South Carolina impose for a second distracted driving conviction within three years?
Show answer
Answer C: A 200 dollar fine that cannot be suspended plus two points on the record
A first offense is a 100 dollar fine, and a second or later offense within three years brings a 200 dollar fine that may not be suspended plus two points on the driving record.
-
20. On a two-lane South Carolina road that does not meet the four-lane threshold for the move-over lane change, what duty still applies when passing a stopped authorized emergency vehicle with lights flashing?
Show answer
Answer B: The driver must keep the vehicle under the control needed to protect the scene, even without changing lanes
Section 56-5-1538(F) requires a driver to keep the vehicle under control when approaching or passing an emergency scene, independent of the four-lane lane-change rule.
-
21. 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.
-
22. What is the standard validity period and renewal fee for a South Carolina driver's license?
Show answer
Answer A: Eight years, for a fee of 25 dollars
Section 56-1-140(A) sets an eight-year license with a 25 dollar fee.
-
23. The posted limit is 55 mph, but heavy traffic and rain make that speed unsafe. What does the law expect of you?
Show answer
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.
-
24. A driver's destination lies along the street to the right, and this sign stands at that corner. How should the driver reach it?
Show answer
Answer D: By going on and using a later intersection where turning is allowed
When a movement is barred at one corner the driver has to reroute, normally by continuing and coming back to the destination from a permitted approach.
-
25. You come back to find that your parked car has rolled out into the street. What most likely went wrong?
Show answer
Answer C: The parking brake was not set and the wheels were not turned
The parking brake, a gear or park, and turned front wheels are three separate safeguards, and a runaway means at least the first two were missing.
-
26. At a freeway exit, the paved triangle between the ramp and the through lanes is filled with diagonal white lines. What do they mean?
Show answer
Answer A: Stay out of that area, because it is not meant to be driven on
Chevron and diagonal markings fill paved areas that traffic is not intended to use, so drivers should keep out of them.
-
27. What is sensible when you drive in an unfamiliar town for the first time?
Show answer
Answer C: Drive a little slower and give yourself more time to read the signs
In unfamiliar surroundings you need longer to take in signs, junctions and markings, and lower speed buys that time.
-
28. You are stopped in South Carolina and cannot show proof of insurance. What does SCDMV say happens next?
Show answer
Answer B: You have 30 days to provide proof, which may avoid a license suspension
SCDMV states that a driver ticketed for failing to show proof has 30 days to provide it, and doing so may avoid a driver license suspension that otherwise costs 100 dollars to reinstate.
-
29. 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?
Show answer
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.
-
30. Before making a right turn at an intersection, what should you check besides oncoming traffic?
Show answer
Answer B: Your right blind spot and the crosswalk, for cyclists and pedestrians
Right turns often catch a cyclist or a pedestrian coming up on the right, so check the blind spot and the crosswalk before you turn.