Colorado DMV Permit Practice Test 42
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. A rear tire blows out on the highway. How does the vehicle usually behave?
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Answer C: The back end weaves or fishtails from side to side
A rear failure shows up as the tail wandering rather than a pull on the steering, so hold the wheel straight and let the speed drop gradually.
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2. You park a manual transmission car facing uphill at a curb. What is the correct combination?
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Answer A: First gear, wheels turned away from the curb, parking brake set
Facing uphill the car would roll back, so first gear resists that, the wheels turned out let a tire catch the curb, and the parking brake holds it.
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3. How does eating a large meal before drinking affect impairment?
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Answer D: It slows absorption but the alcohol still reaches the blood and impairs you
Food delays how quickly alcohol enters the bloodstream, which can make the peak arrive later, but all of the alcohol is eventually absorbed.
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4. A delivery truck is parked in your lane and you must use the oncoming lane to get around it. Who has the right of way?
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Answer D: The oncoming traffic, because their lane is clear
The driver whose own lane is obstructed waits, because using the other lane is a favor from oncoming traffic, not a right.
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5. On an unlit road, about how far ahead do high beams normally let you see?
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Answer D: About 350 to 500 feet ahead of the vehicle
High beams light roughly 350 to 500 feet of road and low beams far less, which is why night speeds have to be chosen around the beam, not the limit.
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6. How can a first-time violator of Colorado's hands-free law have the charge dismissed?
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Answer D: By providing proof of purchasing a hands-free accessory
Colorado allows a first-time violator to have the charge dismissed on proof that they have purchased a hands-free accessory.
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7. 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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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. When Colorado counts points to decide whether a suspension is required, which dates are used?
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Answer B: The dates the violations occurred
Colorado uses the dates of violation, not the dates of conviction, to decide whether too many points fall inside a given period.
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10. You are turning right where a paved trail crosses the road just past the corner. What should you look for?
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Answer B: Cyclists and walkers arriving from either direction on the trail
A shared use path carries two-way traffic on foot and on bicycles, so scan both directions along the trail before crossing it.
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11. What habit prevents the hood from flying up while you are driving?
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Answer D: Press the hood down at the front and check that the latch has caught
Most hoods fly up because they were left on the safety catch, so check that the main latch is fully closed after any work under the hood.
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12. Your navigation device tells you to turn where a road sign says the turn is closed. What should you do?
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Answer B: Follow the signs and what you can see
A device works from stored data that can be out of date, while signs and the road in front of you show the situation now, so the road wins every time.
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13. Where is this sign normally installed?
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Answer A: At an island or other obstruction in the roadway, to show which side traffic must take
It is placed at a divider, island or fixed obstruction so that drivers approaching it know without hesitating which side to pass on.
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14. A regulatory sign reads TURN ON HEADLIGHTS NEXT 15 MILES. What does it require?
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Answer C: Low beam headlights on for that stretch, day or night
Such a section is signed where a road is hard to see along, and the requirement is to run headlights, not just daytime running lamps, through the whole stretch even in bright daylight.
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15. A sign showing a walking figure carries a plaque below it with an arrow slanting down to the right. What does the plaque add?
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Answer B: The crossing is at that very spot
A downward-slanting arrow plaque marks the crossing itself, whereas an AHEAD or distance plaque would place it further along the road.
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16. The vehicle in front of you has stopped and is waiting to turn left, and there is a paved shoulder to the right. May you use it to get by?
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Answer D: No, in most states a pass may not be made by leaving the paved travel lanes
Passing on the right is normally lawful only inside the marked travel lanes, and most states prohibit driving onto the shoulder to get around a turning vehicle; the few states that allow it attach strict conditions.
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17. You are backing out of a space in a parking lot. Who has the right of way?
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Answer D: Traffic already moving in the lane, and pedestrians walking behind you
A driver backing out must yield to vehicles and pedestrians already using the lane, because backing is the movement with the poorest view.
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18. Your headlights suddenly go out while you are driving at night. What should you do?
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Answer A: Try the dimmer switch and the headlight switch, turn on the hazard lights and pull off the road
Switching between high and low beams or cycling the light switch sometimes restores the lights. If not, use the hazard and parking lights to get off the road safely.
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19. Why does this warning matter more on a motorcycle than in a car?
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Answer B: Because a sudden jolt can unsettle a two-wheeled machine and the rider can lose control
A jolt can push a motorcycle off line or lift a wheel, so a rider slows early, comes slightly off the seat and keeps a relaxed but firm hold on the handlebars.
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20. You are in the middle of an intersection when you hear a siren and see an emergency vehicle approaching. What should you do?
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Answer A: Keep going, clear the intersection, then pull to the right and stop
Stopping inside an intersection blocks the emergency vehicle. Clear the intersection first, then pull over to the right and stop.
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21. You are in a marked passing zone but a steady stream of oncoming traffic is coming toward you. What does the broken center line allow?
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Answer C: A pass only when the road is clear, so you have to stay behind
A passing zone marks where the sight distance is adequate, but it never gives permission to enter a lane that another vehicle is occupying.
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22. What does the implied consent law mean for drivers?
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Answer D: By driving, you have agreed to a chemical test if lawfully arrested for impaired driving
Holding a license and driving on public roads is treated as consent to breath, blood or urine testing when an officer has grounds to arrest you. Refusing normally brings its own license penalties.
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23. How can you tell that a child safety seat is installed tightly enough?
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Answer C: It moves less than an inch side to side or front to back at the belt path
A correctly installed seat is nearly immovable where the belt or lower anchors pass through it. Excess movement lets the child's body travel farther in a crash.
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24. Heavy trucks have worn deep ruts into a highway lane and rain has filled them. What is the danger?
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Answer D: Water collects in them, so the tires can lose contact with the road
Ruts hold standing water long after the rest of the lane has drained, which makes them the most likely place to start hydroplaning.
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25. What is a microsleep?
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Answer D: A few seconds of sleep, sometimes with the eyes open
A microsleep is an involuntary lapse of a few seconds during which the driver is asleep and the vehicle travels blind, often without the driver knowing.