Virginia DMV 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 34 correct answers to pass, the same ratio as the real Virginia test.
- Questions40
- Correct to pass34
- Passing score85%
- Minimum age15 years 6 months
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1. A school sign combined with an AHEAD plaque, or with a plaque giving a distance in feet, forms an assembly that
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Answer B: warns of a school crossing located further along the road
The school advance crossing assembly is placed before the crosswalk to give drivers notice, while a different assembly marks the crossing itself.
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2. What is the purpose of carrying a first aid kit in your vehicle?
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Answer D: It lets you treat cuts and bleeding while the help is on its way
A kit is for simple first aid such as controlling bleeding until trained help arrives, not a substitute for calling for that help.
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3. You realize you have turned the wrong way onto a one-way street. What should you do?
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Answer A: Pull to the right, stop, and back into the street you came from when clear
Get out of the traffic stream first: pull right and stop, then back out into the street you came from once you can see it is safe.
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4. Besides the flat 85 mile per hour threshold, what relative speed rule can also make a Virginia driver guilty of reckless driving by speed?
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Answer B: Driving 20 miles per hour or more above the applicable posted speed limit, at any posted speed
Virginia treats driving 20 miles per hour or more above the applicable posted speed limit as reckless driving, in addition to the separate flat 85 mile per hour threshold.
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5. An officer directing traffic faces you and holds one hand up with the open palm toward your vehicle. What does the gesture mean?
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Answer D: Stop before reaching the officer
A raised open palm shown toward a driver is the standard signal to stop.
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6. Besides its height, what else matters about a head restraint?
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Answer C: That it is close to the back of the head, and not far behind it
A restraint that sits far behind the head lets the head snap back before it is caught, so a small gap is important.
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7. A large panel mounted on a trailer at the roadside displays a flashing arrow pointing left. What does it tell you?
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Answer B: Move into the lane to your left
An arrow panel directs traffic out of a closed lane, so the arrow shows the direction you must move rather than the shape of the road ahead.
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8. A yellow diamond on an exit ramp shows a truck tipping over onto two wheels. Which drivers does it concern most?
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Answer D: Those in tall vehicles carrying a high load
The truck rollover sign warns that the curve can overturn a vehicle with a high center of gravity, so such drivers must slow well below the normal ramp speed.
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9. Why are drivers required to turn the front wheels when parking on a grade?
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Answer A: So that a vehicle that starts to roll leaves the traffic lanes instead of entering them
The wheel position is a last line of defense if the parking brake or transmission fails, directing the vehicle into the curb or off the roadway.
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10. You are turning left from a two-way street onto a one-way street. Which lane should you enter?
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Answer C: The first lane open to traffic on the left side of the one-way street
Turn left from the lane closest to the center line and finish in the first available lane on the left of the one-way street, then change lanes if you need to.
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11. A preferential lane sign reads HOV 2+ and lists the hours it applies. During those hours, which vehicles may use the lane?
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Answer A: Vehicles carrying at least two people, counting the driver
The number on an HOV sign is the minimum number of occupants, driver included, that a vehicle must carry to use the lane while the restriction is in effect.
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12. A set of reversible express lanes is closed off with gates and signs while it runs the other way. What must you never do?
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Answer C: Enter past a closed gate or a sign showing the lanes are closed
When reversible lanes are closed they may already be carrying traffic in the opposite direction, so entering past a gate can put you head-on into that traffic.
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13. At an intersection the signal flashes red toward you and flashes yellow toward the cross street. Who must yield?
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Answer D: You must, because the flashing red faces your road
A flashing red means stop and yield like a stop sign, while a flashing yellow lets the other road proceed with caution.
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14. In a work zone one lane sits an inch or two lower than the lane beside it. How should you change lanes?
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Answer C: Slow down and cross the edge at a shallow angle, holding the wheel firmly
A vertical edge between lanes can catch a tire and jerk the steering. Crossing slowly at a shallow angle lets the wheel climb without grabbing.
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15. What court penalty does Virginia impose on a driver under 21 convicted of driving after illegally consuming alcohol with a BAC of at least .02 and less than .08?
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Answer D: A one year suspension plus a minimum mandatory 500 dollar fine or at least 50 hours of community service
Virginia suspends the driving privilege for one year from the date of conviction and imposes either a minimum mandatory fine of 500 dollars or at least 50 hours of community service.
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16. Your vehicle has stalled on railroad tracks and no train is in sight. After getting everyone away, whom should you call first?
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Answer B: The railroad emergency number posted on the blue sign at the crossing, giving the crossing number
Every public crossing has a blue emergency notification sign with a phone number and a crossing identification number. That call lets the railroad stop or slow trains before they reach you.
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17. Which of the four blind spots around a tractor-trailer is the largest?
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Answer A: The one on the right side of the truck
A truck has no-zones on all four sides, and the right-side blind spot is the largest because it runs back along the trailer and reaches across more than one lane.
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18. At what point accumulation may the Virginia DMV mail a driver an advisory letter listing recent convictions and points?
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Answer D: 8 points within 12 months, or 12 points within 24 months
Virginia may mail an advisory letter when a driving record shows at least 8 demerit points within 12 months or 12 points within 24 months, a lower threshold than the one that triggers a mandatory suspension and clinic.
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19. Your passengers are being noisy and you are losing concentration. What should you do?
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Answer B: Ask them to settle down, or pull over safely until they do
The driver is responsible for the conditions inside the vehicle, and stopping is always better than driving distracted.
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20. A small plaque mounted under this sign shows a numeral such as 2 or 3. What does that numeral report?
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Answer A: How many sets of tracks the crossing carries
The plaque states the number of tracks at that location, which is a warning that a second train may be running on another track behind the first.
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21. You come back to find that your parked car has rolled out into the street. What most likely went wrong?
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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.
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22. What is lane splitting?
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Answer B: A motorcycle riding between two lanes of traffic moving the same way
Lane splitting means riding along the line between two lanes of traffic going in the same direction rather than staying within a lane.
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23. 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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24. You find that the road surface has turned to sheet ice. What speed is appropriate?
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Answer A: A crawl, slow enough that you could stop without braking hard
Ice can cut grip to a fraction of normal, so stopping takes many times the usual distance and only a crawl leaves any margin.
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25. How does Virginia classify the offense of driving while one's license, permit or privilege to drive is suspended or revoked?
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Answer B: A Class 1 misdemeanor
Virginia classifies driving while one's license, permit or privilege to drive is suspended or revoked as a Class 1 misdemeanor, and a conviction adds an additional period of suspension.
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26. A bicyclist in the bike lane ahead of you signals and starts to move left toward the turn lane. What should you do?
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Answer A: Slow down and let the rider move across
A bicyclist who needs to leave the bike lane to turn left is changing lanes like any driver, and following traffic should make room.
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27. At what point accumulation does Virginia suspend an adult driver's privilege for 90 days and require a driver improvement clinic?
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Answer A: 18 demerit points within 12 months or 24 within 24 months
Virginia suspends the driving privilege for 90 days and requires a driver improvement clinic at 18 demerit points within 12 months or 24 points within 24 months.
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28. Under Virginia law, who may provide police or sheriff escort service for a funeral procession, and what may be charged for it?
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Answer A: A locality may, by ordinance, provide escort service and impose reasonable fees to defray its cost
Virginia law allows a locality to establish funeral procession escort service by ordinance and to impose reasonable fees to defray the cost of that service.
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29. In Virginia, what practical difference does a REAL ID compliant credential have compared to a standard driver's license or ID card?
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Answer C: A REAL ID, marked with a star, is required to board a domestic commercial flight or enter certain federal facilities
Virginia's REAL ID bears a star in the upper corner and is required under federal law to board a domestic commercial flight or enter certain federal facilities and military bases; a standard credential cannot be used for those purposes.
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30. 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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31. Which of these places should never be used to turn your vehicle around?
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Answer C: The driveway of a fire station or the roadway in front of it
Turning around in or in front of a fire station driveway can block emergency vehicles leaving, and most states prohibit it.
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32. A person who just moved to Virginia is still displaying a valid license plate from their former state on their vehicle. How long may that vehicle be operated in Virginia before it must be registered here?
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Answer D: The first 30 days of residency
Virginia allows a new resident's vehicle that is validly registered in another state or country, and still displays that state's plate, to operate in Virginia for the first 30 days of residency without Virginia registration.
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33. Under Virginia's child restraint law, until what age must a child restraint device generally remain rear-facing?
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Answer A: At least until the child reaches two years of age
Virginia law requires a child restraint device to remain rear-facing until at least the child reaches two years of age, among the conditions the statute sets.
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34. Once a Virginia driver's license carries an organ donor notation, how long does that notation remain on the license?
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Answer A: It remains until the person revokes consent by requesting its removal
Virginia keeps a donor notation on a license or ID card until the individual revokes consent, such as by requesting the notation be removed.
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35. Smoke and flames appear from the engine compartment after you stop. What should you do?
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Answer A: Get everyone well away from the vehicle first, and then call the fire service
A vehicle fire can spread within seconds, so people come out first and firefighting is left to the fire service.
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36. What should you check on the hitch before towing a trailer?
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Answer B: That the coupler is locked and the safety chains are crossed underneath
The coupler must be latched and pinned, and the chains crossed under the tongue so they cradle it if the coupling lets go.
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37. What is the fine for a first offense of holding a handheld personal communications device while driving in Virginia, outside of a highway work zone?
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Answer B: 125 dollars
A first offense of Virginia's handheld personal communications device law is a traffic infraction punishable by a fine of 125 dollars.
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38. 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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39. A pedestrian waiting at a curb faces a steady upraised hand. What does that indication mean?
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Answer A: Do not start to cross in that direction
A steady upraised hand forbids entering the crosswalk, while a flashing hand only forbids starting a new crossing.
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40. Once a Virginia court orders an ignition interlock system for a second or subsequent DUI conviction, for how long must it remain installed without an alcohol related violation?
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Answer B: Not less than 12 consecutive months
Virginia requires an ignition interlock system to remain installed for not less than 12 consecutive months without an alcohol related violation of the interlock requirements, for a second or subsequent DUI conviction.