Virginia DMV Permit Practice Test 14
- Questions40
- Correct to pass34
- Passing score85%
- Minimum age15 years 6 months
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1. At a four-way stop another driver pulls out ahead of you when it was clearly your turn. What is the correct response?
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Answer B: Let that driver go through, then take your turn when the way is clear again
Right of way is something you give, never something you take, so yielding to a driver who takes it wrongly avoids a crash you would otherwise share.
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2. You reach a four-way stop after another driver has already stopped there. What should you do?
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Answer D: Let the driver who stopped first proceed before you go
At a four-way stop the vehicles proceed in the order they arrived, so a driver who stopped before you goes first.
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3. You are approaching the entry of a modern roundabout. Who must you yield to?
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Answer C: Traffic already circulating in the roundabout, which approaches from your left
Traffic in a United States roundabout circulates counterclockwise, so drivers entering must look left and yield to vehicles already in the circulating roadway.
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4. Your light turns green while a pedestrian who started on the walk signal is still crossing in front of you. What must you do?
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Answer D: Let them finish crossing the road before you move off on your green light
A pedestrian who entered the crosswalk lawfully keeps the right of way until they reach the other side, whatever the signal now shows.
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5. You back into an unattended parked car in a lot and cause visible damage. What must you do?
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Answer A: Try to find the owner, or leave a note with your name and contact details, and report the crash
Hitting an unattended vehicle carries the same duties as any crash. Leaving without identifying yourself is a hit-and-run offense.
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6. How does heavy cargo on a roof rack change the way a vehicle handles?
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Answer D: It raises the center of gravity, so the vehicle tips more in turns and needs gentler steering
Weight carried high makes the vehicle lean more and roll over more easily, and extra weight lengthens stopping distance. Drive slower and steer smoothly with a loaded roof.
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7. In slow summer traffic the temperature gauge climbs into the red. What should you do first?
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Answer A: Turn off the air conditioner and turn on the heater to draw heat from the engine
The heater core acts as an extra radiator, and shutting off the air conditioner reduces engine load. If the gauge keeps climbing, pull over and shut off the engine, and never open a hot radiator cap.
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8. How does a lap and shoulder belt protect you in a crash?
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Answer B: It holds you to the seat and spreads the force over the strong bones
The belt keeps you with the vehicle as it slows and puts the load on the hips and the chest rather than on soft tissue.
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9. About how much alcohol can the body eliminate per hour?
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Answer A: About one standard drink
The liver removes alcohol at a nearly fixed rate of roughly one standard drink per hour. Drinking faster than that raises the blood alcohol level, and nothing speeds the process.
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10. How should a turn at an intersection be taken on a wet road?
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Answer C: Slow earlier than usual and steer smoothly through the corner
Wet pavement leaves less grip, so the speed must come off before the turn and the steering must be gentle enough not to break traction.
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11. Why is parking too close to a street corner prohibited?
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Answer D: Because it hides approaching traffic and pedestrians
A vehicle parked at a corner blocks the view that both drivers and pedestrians need before entering the intersection.
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12. How often must a registered Virginia vehicle undergo a state safety inspection?
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Answer D: At least once every 12 months
Virginia requires a registered vehicle to be reinspected at least once every 12 months following its first inspection or purchase.
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13. You have turned onto a street and see parked cars facing you and headlights coming toward you. What has probably happened?
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Answer C: You have turned the wrong way onto a one-way street
Vehicles parked facing you and headlights approaching in your lane are the classic signs of driving against the flow on a one-way street.
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14. A curb sign reads 2 Hour Parking, 8 AM to 6 PM, Monday to Saturday. When may you stay longer than two hours?
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Answer A: Outside those hours and on Sundays
A time limit applies only during the days and hours printed on the sign; outside them the ordinary parking rules apply.
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15. Which of these is part of preparing a vehicle for winter driving?
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Answer A: Fitting good tires and using washer fluid that will not freeze
Winter readiness means tread, battery, wipers, antifreeze and washer fluid rated for the cold, plus a reasonable amount of fuel in the tank.
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16. A yellow sign reads SOFT SHOULDER. What is it telling you?
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Answer C: The shoulder may not carry the weight of a vehicle
A soft shoulder is unpaved and can let a wheel sink, so a driver who leaves the pavement there may lose control or become stuck.
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17. A police officer is directing traffic at an intersection and waves you through a red light. What should you do?
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Answer C: Follow the officer, whose directions come before signs and signals
Directions given by a police officer or an authorized flagger override signs, signals and pavement markings.
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18. Should you drive with your hazard lights flashing while moving in fog?
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Answer A: No, they hide your turn signals and suggest you are stopped
Hazard lights on a moving vehicle tell other drivers you are stopped or disabled, and they cancel out your turn signals just when clarity matters most.
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19. A single solid white line separates two lanes running in the same direction. What is it telling drivers?
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Answer A: Changing lanes there is discouraged
A solid white lane line discourages lane changing, typically where merging or weaving would create a hazard.
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20. 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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21. How does a full load of passengers and luggage affect your braking?
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Answer B: It lengthens the stopping distance, so you should brake earlier
More weight means more energy to get rid of, so a loaded vehicle takes longer to stop and needs earlier, gentler braking.
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22. A NO LEFT TURN sign carries a plaque reading 7 AM TO 9 AM MON TO FRI. What does the assembly mean?
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Answer A: The turn is banned only during those hours on those days
A time plaque limits the restriction to the periods shown, so outside those hours and days the left turn may be made normally.
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23. What does a sign reading Slower Traffic Keep Right require?
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Answer C: Traffic moving slower than the general flow must use the right-hand lane
The sign applies to any vehicle traveling below the speed of the traffic around it, which must keep right so faster vehicles can use the lanes to the left.
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24. Your power steering fails while you are driving. What happens and what should you do?
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Answer B: Steering becomes much harder but still works, so slow down and pull off the road
Without power assistance the steering still works, but it takes much more effort, especially at low speed. Keep both hands on the wheel and get off the road.
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25. What is the safest way to handle an unrestrained pet or a child who needs attention while you are driving?
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Answer D: Secure pets before the trip and pull over safely before attending to a child
A loose animal or an urgent situation in the back seat can capture a driver's attention completely, so restrain pets beforehand and stop in a safe place when someone needs help.
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26. Someone appears seriously injured after a crash. What should you generally do?
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Answer C: Call for emergency help and avoid moving the person unless there is an immediate danger such as fire
Moving an injured person can worsen spinal or internal injuries, so summon trained help and leave the person in place unless staying there is more dangerous than moving.
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27. Why is the road often most slippery during the first few minutes of rain after a long dry spell?
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Answer C: Oil and dust on the surface mix with the water into a slick film
Oil drippings and road dust build up on dry pavement, and the first light rain lifts them into a slippery film before heavier rain washes it away.
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28. A small signal face beside a bikeway shows red, yellow and green lenses that each carry a bicycle symbol. Whom does it control?
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Answer C: Bicyclists using that crossing or bikeway
A bicycle signal face governs bicycle movements only, and people on foot at the same corner still follow the pedestrian signal.
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29. You drive away and the car feels sluggish while a warning light glows on the dash. What is a likely cause?
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Answer B: The parking brake was left partly applied
Driving with the parking brake partly on overheats the rear brakes and can ruin them, so release it fully and check that the warning light goes out.
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30. Which family of signs normally uses a rectangle that is wider than it is tall?
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Answer B: Guide signs, which name routes and destinations
Guide signs are laid out as horizontal rectangles because they have to carry route numbers, place names and distances side by side.
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31. You are turning left out of a driveway onto a busy two-way street. What must you do?
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Answer D: Wait for a gap in both directions before you start to move
The turn crosses one direction of traffic and joins the other, so you need a gap in both before leaving the driveway rather than stopping across a lane.
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32. What is the rule about leaving a child or a pet in a parked vehicle?
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Answer A: Never do it; the inside can turn deadly hot very quickly
The inside of a parked vehicle heats far faster than the air outside, and cracking a window does not prevent it, so a child or animal must never be left there.
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33. You reach a stop-controlled intersection at the same time as a driver on your left, but that driver is already moving through the crossing. Who goes first?
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Answer C: The driver who is already inside the intersection
A vehicle already in the intersection has the right of way, and the rule about yielding to the right applies only before anyone has entered.
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34. There is a stop sign but no stop line and no crosswalk. Where must you stop?
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Answer A: Before entering the intersection, where you can see cross traffic
With no line or crosswalk, stop before you enter the intersection at the point where you can see traffic on the cross street.
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35. Where in the United States may a motorcycle ride between lanes of traffic?
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Answer C: Only where a state has specifically authorized it
Riding between lanes is prohibited in most states and permitted only where a state law expressly allows it, so a rider must know the rule for the state being ridden in.
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36. Where should a rear-facing infant seat never be placed?
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Answer C: In a front seat with an active passenger air bag
A deploying front air bag strikes the back of a rear-facing seat with enormous force. Rear-facing seats belong in the back seat.
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37. Why should you not leave the engine running when you walk away from your vehicle?
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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.
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38. You approach a one-lane bridge and there is a yield sign facing your side of it. What does that mean?
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Answer B: Oncoming traffic crosses the bridge first and you wait at the approach
At a one-lane bridge the yield sign tells one direction to give way, so you wait clear of the bridge until oncoming traffic has crossed.
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39. You are driving at night through heavy falling snow. Which headlight setting works better and why?
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Answer C: Low beams, because high beams bounce off the falling flakes back at you
Falling snow reflects light the way fog does, so high beams build a white wall of glare while low beams still give a usable view.
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40. When may you stop on the shoulder of a freeway?
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Answer A: Only in an emergency, moving completely off the travel lanes and switching on your hazard lights
The freeway shoulder is reserved for emergencies and for disabled vehicles, and a vehicle stopped there must be clear of the travel lanes with hazard lights on.