Virginia DMV Permit Practice Test 18
- Questions40
- Correct to pass34
- Passing score85%
- Minimum age15 years 6 months
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1. Someone stops drinking heavily at two in the morning and drives to work at eight. What is true?
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Answer A: They may still be impaired and over the limit
The body removes alcohol at a slow, fixed rate, so a heavy night can leave a driver impaired well into the next morning no matter how they feel.
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2. Why is parking next to a fire hydrant or in a marked fire lane prohibited?
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Answer D: It would delay firefighters who need immediate access to the hydrant or the building
Fire hydrants and fire lanes must remain clear at all times so emergency crews can connect hoses and reach a building without delay.
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3. Besides drivers of motor vehicles, who else does Virginia's both-ears earphone ban apply to on the highway?
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Answer C: Riders of bicycles, mopeds and electric power-assisted bicycles
Virginia's earphone restriction is not limited to motor vehicle drivers; it also applies to a person operating a bicycle, an electric personal assistive mobility device, an electric power-assisted bicycle or a moped on the highway.
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4. Fog thickens until you can barely make out the vehicle ahead. What is the safest action?
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Answer A: Slow right down and, if needed, leave the road at a safe place
In heavy fog the only safe speed may be very low, and if it drops below what the road allows, the answer is to pull well clear of the traffic lanes.
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5. 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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6. About how far ahead do low beam headlights let you see on a dark road?
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Answer B: About 250 feet
Low beams light roughly 250 feet of road, and high beams roughly 350 to 500 feet, which sets the limit on a safe night speed.
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7. Which of these is true of the roadway a driver is being sent onto here?
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Answer D: Its own signs, signals and speed limits govern for the whole way around
The alternate route is an ordinary public road, so every control posted on it governs as usual; being sent that way grants no extra priority and no relief from the limits in force there.
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8. Apart from giving you room to stop, what else does a longer following gap do for you?
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Answer D: It widens your view of the road and the traffic ahead
Sitting further back lets you see past and around the vehicle in front, so hazards reach your eyes seconds earlier.
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9. What is true about an airbag once it has inflated in a crash?
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Answer B: It must be replaced by a technician before the car is driven any further
An airbag is a single use device, and the module and often the belts must be replaced before the vehicle protects anyone again.
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10. A pedestrian near the curb is staring at a phone and not looking at traffic. What should you do?
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Answer A: Slow down and be ready to stop, because the pedestrian may step out without looking
Distracted pedestrians step into the street without checking. Assume they have not seen you and give yourself time and space to stop.
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11. Under what circumstance can the maximum speed limit on a Virginia interstate highway be set as high as 70 miles per hour?
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Answer C: Where lawfully placed signs authorize it, following a traffic engineering study of the segment
Virginia law allows a 70 mile per hour maximum on interstate highways, other multilane divided limited access highways and certain HOV lanes, but only where lawfully placed signs authorize it after a traffic engineering study.
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12. A lane is marked with a large white bicycle symbol and chevrons, but there is no separate bicycle lane. What does it mean?
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Answer A: Bicyclists may use the whole lane, so follow or pass with care
A shared lane marking shows that bicyclists and drivers use the same lane and positions riders away from parked car doors, so passing means changing lanes.
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13. At a four-way stop you and an opposing driver arrive together. You are going straight and the other driver is turning left across your path. Who goes first?
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Answer B: You do, because the left turn crosses your path
When two opposing drivers arrive together, the one going straight goes first and the left-turning driver yields.
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14. How should the outside mirrors be aimed to reduce your blind spots?
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Answer A: Outward, so each one covers the lane beside you rather than repeating the inside mirror
Mirrors aimed too far inward show you the same road three times and leave a large gap beside the vehicle, so aiming them outward shrinks the blind spot.
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15. Where is the no passing zone pennant sign installed?
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Answer A: On the left side of the roadway
The pennant is placed on the left side of the roadway at the beginning of the no-passing zone, in the field of view of a driver who is thinking about overtaking.
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16. A farm implement ahead of you on a two-lane road is wider than its own lane. What should you do?
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Answer D: Hang back until you can see past it and pass only with a clear road
Wide equipment hides the road ahead and may extend farther across the center line than it appears, so the pass needs more room and a much better view.
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17. Why is being thrown out of a vehicle in a crash so dangerous?
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Answer C: Because you strike the road or other objects at high speed, and rarely survive
Ejection is one of the deadliest outcomes of a crash, and a fastened belt is what keeps a person inside the vehicle.
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18. In Virginia, at what speed can an officer charge a driver with reckless driving regardless of the posted speed limit?
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Answer D: Over 85 miles per hour
Virginia allows a reckless driving charge for driving 20 or more miles per hour above the limit, or for driving over 85 miles per hour regardless of the posted limit.
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19. How should tire pressure be checked and set?
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Answer B: When the tires are cold, set to the pressure specified by the vehicle manufacturer
Driving heats the air and raises the reading, and the sidewall number is a maximum rather than a recommendation, so check cold and use the figure on the vehicle placard or in the owner's manual.
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20. A Virginia driver has held a provisional license for more than one year. Under what circumstance may that driver carry up to three passengers under age 21?
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Answer D: In specific situations such as a licensed driver 21 or older being present, among the conditions the law allows after the first year
Once a Virginia provisional license has been held for more than a year, the holder may carry up to three passengers under 21 in specific situations, such as when a licensed driver at least 21 years old is also present in the vehicle.
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21. How long must a Virginia applicant under 18 hold a learner's permit before receiving a driver's license?
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Answer D: At least nine months
Virginia requires an applicant under 18 to hold the learner's permit for at least nine months before a driver's license can be issued.
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22. Why is being predictable an important part of driving safely?
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Answer A: Because other road users are able to plan around what you are doing
Other drivers make their decisions from what they expect you to do, so surprises are what produce collisions.
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23. Unless a sign posts otherwise, what is the Virginia speed limit on unpaved roads?
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Answer B: 35 miles per hour
Virginia sets a default limit of 35 miles per hour on unpaved roads unless a sign posts a different speed.
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24. Which practice matches current child passenger safety guidance?
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Answer D: Keep a child rear facing until the top height or weight limit of the seat is reached
A rear facing seat spreads crash forces across the child's whole back, so it should be used as long as the seat allows, and never in front of an active passenger air bag.
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25. The crossing gates begin to lower while your vehicle is still on the railroad tracks. What should you do?
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Answer B: Keep going forward and push through the gate if it should block your way
Gates are made to break away, and driving forward off the tracks is far safer than staying between them or backing up.
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26. Is it safe to check your phone while stopped at a red light?
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Answer B: No, you may miss the signal change and hazards around you
Attention does not return instantly when the light changes, and emergency vehicles, pedestrians or a rear-end threat can appear while you are stopped. Stay focused on the road.
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27. To restore driving and registration privileges after an uninsured vehicle violation in Virginia, what non-compliance fee must the owner pay?
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Answer C: 600 dollars
Virginia charges a 600 dollar non-compliance fee to restore driving and registration privileges after an uninsured vehicle violation, on top of any SR-22 filing requirement.
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28. A driver is thinking about overtaking a slower vehicle and sees this sign a short distance ahead. What does it mean for that pass?
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Answer B: The pass must be finished before the restricted section begins
The sign marks the start of a section where passing is prohibited, so a driver may not be on the left side of the road beyond it; any pass has to be completed before that point or not started at all.
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29. Unless a sign posts otherwise, what is the Virginia speed limit for passenger vehicles and motorcycles in school, business and residential areas?
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Answer B: 25 miles per hour
Virginia sets a default limit of 25 miles per hour in school, business and residential areas unless a sign posts a different speed.
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30. Why does the speed of the right-hand lane of a freeway change so often?
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Answer B: Vehicles entering and leaving the highway all use that lane
Entrance and exit ramps feed into the right lane, so traffic there is constantly slowing to leave or speeding up to join.
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31. Which headlight setting should you use in dense fog?
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Answer B: Low beams
High beams reflect off the water droplets in fog and bounce glare back at you, while low beams aim downward and light the road without that mirror effect.
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32. The light turns yellow when your front wheels are already past the stop line inside the intersection. What should you do?
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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.
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33. The tire pressure monitoring symbol lights up on your dashboard. What is the system telling you?
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Answer A: At least one tire is significantly underinflated
The system warns when a tire falls well below the recommended pressure. Check all four with a gauge and inflate to the placard figure while they are cold.
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34. You have driven at 70 mph for an hour and then exit onto a town street. What is the common risk?
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Answer B: Your sense of speed adapts, so 35 mph feels slow and you drive too fast
After a long stretch at high speed the brain adapts, so town speeds feel unnaturally slow; check the speedometer instead of trusting the feeling.
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35. You are stopped at a stop sign on a two-way stop intersection and the cross street has no stop signs at all. What does that mean for you?
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Answer A: You yield to all cross traffic no matter how long that takes
At a two-way stop only your direction is controlled, so there is no taking turns; you wait for a gap big enough to enter safely.
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36. An overhead lane-use control signal shows a steady red X above the lane you are traveling in. What does it require?
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Answer D: Leave that lane, because it is closed to you
A steady red X means road users are not permitted to use the lane beneath it, so you must move into a lane that is open.
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37. You are approaching a marked school crossing and children have started to cross the roadway. What is required?
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Answer A: Stop and let the children finish crossing the roadway
Drivers give way to people in a marked crossing, stopping if that is what it takes, and children in particular may change direction without warning.
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38. 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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39. For an alert driver, about how long is the reaction time once a hazard has been recognized?
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Answer A: About three quarters of a second
Reaction alone takes roughly three quarters of a second for an alert driver, and perception takes about as long again, so a second and a half of travel is added before the brakes bite.
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40. How should the inside rearview mirror be adjusted?
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Answer B: So you can see the entire rear window without moving your head
The inside mirror is for the view straight behind you. Framing the whole rear window from your normal seating position gives the widest useful view.