Colorado DMV Permit Practice Test 12

  • Questions25
  • Correct to pass20
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age15 years

25 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 20 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. 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.

  2. 2. Unless otherwise posted, what is the Colorado speed limit on open mountain highways?

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    Answer C: 40 mph

    Colorado sets 40 mph on open mountain highways, twice the limit it sets for narrow, winding mountain highways and blind curves.

  3. 3. You are stopped inside an intersection waiting for a gap to turn left. How should your front wheels be positioned?

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    Answer C: Pointing straight ahead until you actually begin the turn

    If your wheels are already turned left and another vehicle strikes you from behind, you would be pushed into oncoming traffic.

  4. 4. What is the only reliable remedy for a driver who is sleepy?

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    Answer A: Sleep

    Caffeine, fresh air and noise may make you feel alert for a few minutes, but they do not remove the need for sleep. Stop somewhere safe and rest.

  5. 5. How does being tired change your total stopping distance?

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    Answer A: It lengthens it, because you take longer to notice and react

    Fatigue stretches perception and reaction time, and every extra fraction of a second is added distance before the brakes even begin to work.

  6. 6. Your parking brake no longer holds the car on a slope. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Have it repaired, and until then park only on level ground

    A parking brake that will not hold is a defect to be fixed; avoiding grades in the meantime keeps the vehicle from rolling away.

  7. 7. A driver is following you far too closely and you have a turn coming up. How should you slow down for it?

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    Answer B: Signal early and slow gradually well before the turn

    Early signals and gentle braking give a tailgater the time and distance they have failed to leave for themselves.

  8. 8. A wasp flies in through the open window while you are driving. What is the safest reaction?

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    Answer B: Stay calm, slow down and stop somewhere safe

    Far more crashes come from the driver's reaction to an insect than from the insect, so keep your eyes forward, slow down and deal with it stopped.

  9. 9. A driver hunting for an on-ramp meets this sign at the mouth of the pavement ahead. What is the correct action?

    A red square with a wide white horizontal bar across the middle
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    Answer C: Keep out of that roadway and look for the proper approach elsewhere

    The restriction is absolute and does not depend on how much traffic is present, so the driver has to reach the highway by an approach built for entering vehicles.

  10. 10. Which of these is exempt from Colorado's hands-free law?

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    Answer C: People sitting in parked vehicles

    Colorado exempts people reporting emergencies, utility workers, code enforcement officers, animal protection officers, first responders and individuals in parked vehicles.

  11. 11. How long should a young child ride in a rear-facing child seat?

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    Answer D: Until the child outgrows the height or the weight limit of the seat

    Rear facing is the safest position and should be kept until the child reaches the top height or weight allowed by the seat.

  12. 12. At a stop sign with a painted stop line and a crosswalk, where must you stop?

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    Answer D: At the stop line, before it and before the crosswalk

    You stop at the stop line first, and only if there is no stop line do you stop before the crosswalk, and only if there is neither do you stop before entering the intersection.

  13. 13. What is the most common cause of rear-end collisions?

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    Answer C: Following too closely to stop in time

    A driver who leaves too little space has no room to perceive, react and brake when the vehicle ahead slows, which is why space management prevents rear-end crashes.

  14. 14. 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.

  15. 15. At a railroad crossing with no gates and no flashing lights, the crossbuck is normally combined with which sign?

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    Answer C: A yield sign, or a stop sign where an engineering study calls for one

    At a passive crossing the crossbuck forms an assembly with a yield sign, or with a stop sign when an engineering study or engineering judgment supports it, so the driver knows who must give way to the train.

  16. 16. 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.

  17. 17. Why do many crashes happen on routes the driver knows very well?

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    Answer D: Familiar roads let attention slip into routine

    When a route is automatic the mind wanders and hazards get missed, which is why a well known road deserves the same attention as a strange one.

  18. 18. Which effect appears as a drinker's blood alcohol level climbs well past the first drinks?

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    Answer D: Loss of muscle control and steady steering

    Higher levels of alcohol reach the parts of the brain that control movement, which shows up as clumsy steering, late braking and poor lane control.

  19. 19. A freeway sign reads BUSES ONLY ON SHOULDER 6 AM TO 9 AM. Who may drive on the shoulder then?

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    Answer A: Only the vehicles named on the sign, during the hours shown

    Shoulder running is granted by the sign to the class of vehicle and the hours the sign names, and it does not turn the shoulder into a general travel lane.

  20. 20. During the first six months after a Colorado minor license is issued, which passengers may the driver carry with no licensed adult aboard?

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    Answer C: None under 21, except siblings and medical emergencies

    For the first six months a Colorado minor licensee may not carry any passenger under 21 unless a parent or another licensed adult driver is in the vehicle; siblings and medical emergencies are exceptions.

  21. 21. A sign warns that your exit leaves from the left side of the freeway. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Move into the left lane in good time before you reach the exit

    Left-hand exits are unusual, which is exactly why they are signed well in advance and why the lane changes should be finished early.

  22. 22. Your engine stalls while you are driving in traffic. What is the correct response?

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    Answer A: Shift to neutral, try to restart it, and steer and brake toward the side of the road

    With the engine off, power steering and power brake assistance fade, so steering and braking take more effort but still work. Neutral lets you attempt a restart while you coast to safety.

  23. 23. A snow squall cuts visibility to almost nothing while you are on a highway. What must you not do?

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    Answer D: Stop in a travel lane and wait for the squall to blow through

    A vehicle stopped in a lane in a whiteout is invisible until someone hits it. Slow gradually and keep moving until you can leave the roadway completely.

  24. 24. You are following a tractor-trailer so closely that its rear doors fill your windshield. What is the main problem?

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    Answer D: You cannot see the road ahead and the truck driver cannot see you

    A truck has a deep blind spot directly behind it, and tailgating also hides everything in front of the truck from you. Drop back so you can see and be seen.

  25. 25. In heavy fog at night on a rural two-lane road, which marking best helps a driver hold position?

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    Answer C: The solid white line along the right edge

    Steering by the right edge line keeps a driver clear of oncoming traffic, while watching the center line tends to pull the vehicle toward it.