California DMV Practice Test – Sample Questions – 1

A safety zone is set aside for pedestrians. You will often see safety zones where street cars, trolleys, and vehicles share the roadway. Do not drive through a safety zone.

In a residential area, you may make a U-turn:

• If no vehicles are approaching you within 200 feet.
• Whenever a traffic sign, light, or signal protects you from approaching vehicles .

Do not depend on your rearview or side mirrors, as you cannot see directly behind your vehicle.

Never park or leave your vehicle in front of a driveway.

Double parking is always illegal.

Always signal your left or right turn during the last 100 feet before reaching the turning point.

Even if you have the green light, do not start across the intersection if vehicles are blocking your way.

Seat belts reduce the risk of serious or fatal injuries in a collision. Seat belts must be used on all highways, public roads, and private property, even if you make frequent stops. Exemptions exist for rural delivery carriers for the United States Postal Service and persons delivering newspapers. Pregnant women should wear the lap belt as low as possible under the abdomen, and the shoulder strap should be placed between the breasts and to the side of the abdomen's bulge.

If you park on an uphill grade with a curb, turn your wheels to the left.

Two-way traffic. This sign tells you that you are leaving a divided highway and will be driving on a two-way road. It can also be placed along the road to remind you that oncoming traffic is in the left lane.

The extra space allows you to see around the vehicle and gives you a better view of the road ahead.

Two sets of solid double yellow lines spaced 2 feet or more apart are considered a barrier. Do not drive on or over this barrier, make a left turn, or a U-turn across it, except at designated openings.

Slippery when wet. In wet weather, drive slowly. Do not speed up or brake hard. Make sharp turns at a very slow speed.

On the freeway, be ready for changes in traffic conditions. Watch for signals from other drivers. Expect merging vehicles at on-ramps and interchanges. Be prepared for rapid changes in road conditions and traffic flow. To avoid last-minute moves, scan the road 10 - 15 seconds ahead of your vehicle so you can see hazards early. Constantly staring at the road just in front of your vehicle is dangerous. As you scan ahead, be alert for vehicles around you.

If you kill or injure an animal, call the nearest humane society or law enforcement. Do not try to move an injured animal.

You must obey any traffic direction, order, or signal by a traffic or police officer or a firefighter, even if it conflicts with existing signs, signals, or laws. You must also obey instructions from school crossing guards. Also, obey special signs or instructions from workers (flaggers). Driving carefully through work zones improves safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and road workers.

Never stop on the railroad tracks. Wait and do not begin proceeding if you do not have enough room to cross the tracks completely. If you are on the tracks, you risk injury or death.

To avoid last-minute moves, keep your eyes moving and scan the road at least 10 seconds ahead of your vehicle.

It is illegal to wear a headset covering, earplugs in, or earphones covering, resting on, or inserted in, both ears while driving.With some exceptions, use of a cellphone with a hands-free device is not illegal.

When you sell a vehicle, you must notify the DMV within five days by completing a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability. Note that if you are a buyer and purchase a vehicle from a private party, you must transfer the ownership within ten days.

Stop if a signal does not have any of its bulbs working and no one is directing traffic. A light out of order is considered a stop sign. Look left and right. Yield to traffic coming from the right or left. Be careful and go only when it is safe.

Back slowly to avoid collisions. Do not depend only on your mirrors or only looking out a side window. Use one-hand steering for backing maneuvers that do not require full left or right turns.

If a vehicle merges in front of you too closely, take your foot off the accelerator. This gives space between you and the vehicle ahead without having to slam on your brakes or swerve into another lane.

Pass very carefully. Avoid driving near collisions if you can. Responders can help injured people faster if other vehicles are not blocking the road.

Driver and all passengers eight years or older, or children 4 feet 9 inches tall or taller, must wear seat belts. Any child who is under the age of eight years and who is less than 4 feet 9 inches tall must be secured in a federally-approved child passenger restraint system and ride in the back seat of a vehicle.

Do not stop before merging into freeway traffic unless necessary. It will not leave you enough room to get up to the speed of traffic. Also, drivers behind you will not expect you to stop. This question asked what you should not do.

You must not try to pass a bicyclist just before turning. Merge where it is allowed, then turn. Remember, Intersection collisions account for more than 45 percent of all reported crashes and 21 percent of fatalities, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

Aggressive driving and road rage happens when busy roads, rushing, and impatience cause one driver to react angrily to another driver. To avoid aggressive driving and road rage situations:

• Allow plenty of time to reach your destination.
• Do not cut off other drivers.
• Do not drive slowly in the left (fast) lane.
• Do not tailgate.
• Do not make gestures to other drivers.
• Use your horn for emergencies only.

This sign marks the beginning of a no-passing zone. Passing signs tell you where it is safe to pass another vehicle and where you cannot. Passing areas depend on how far you can see ahead. Where it is permitted to pass, you may do so only if it is safe.

Do not smoke at any time when a minor is in the vehicle. You can be fined up to $100, regardless of whether the car is in motion or the window is open.

Drivers must move over a lane if safe to do so or slow down when approaching a stopped emergency vehicle or tow truck displaying flashing warning lights. If changing lanes is unsafe or impracticable, drivers must slow to a reasonable and prudent speed and provide as much space as practical for the emergency vehicle.

You must stop for a school bus that is stopped with its red lights flashing, whether it is on your side of the road, the opposite side of the road, or at an intersection you are approaching. You are not required to stop if the bus travels towards you and a median or other physical barrier separates the roadway. After the red lights have stopped flashing, watch for children along the side of the road and do not proceed until they have completely left the roadway and it is safe to proceed.

At T-intersections without signs or signals, yield to traffic and pedestrians on the through road.

It is illegal to leave a child six years or younger unattended in a motor vehicle. Exception: The child may be left under the supervision of a person 12 years of age or older. The court may fine a violator and require them to attend a community education program. Also, DMV and court penalties for leaving an unattended child in a vehicle are more severe if the child is injured, requires emergency medical services, or dies. Additionally, and equally important, it is dangerous and illegal to leave children or animals in a hot vehicle.

When passing, leave at least three feet of space between your car and a bicyclist. When you pass a bicyclist, be patient. Please slow down and pass only when it is safe. Do not squeeze the bicyclist off the road.

A person convicted of causing serious bodily injury during a law enforcement pursuit is subject to imprisonment in a state prison for up to seven years or a county jail for one year or less.

Always obey special signs or instructions from a flag person in a construction zone.

Two-way Traffic. You are entering a two-way roadway.

When it starts to rain, the pavement can be very slippery. It is typically less slippery when it has been raining for a while.

California Penal Code prohibits leaving or confining an animal in any unattended motor vehicle under conditions that endanger the health or well-being of an animal due to heat. Remember if it is too hot for you, it is too hot for children and pets.