Florida FLHSMV Permit Practice Test 28

  • Questions50
  • Correct to pass40
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age15 years

50 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 40 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. Why is standing water across a road dangerous even when it looks shallow?

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    Answer B: It can hide a washed out roadbed, a deep hole or a missing cover

    You cannot see the surface under the water, and floods commonly wash the roadbed away or lift covers off drains.

  2. 2. Why is repeatedly changing lanes to work through heavy traffic a poor idea?

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    Answer A: It raises the crash risk and saves almost no time

    Each lane change adds a conflict with another vehicle, and in congestion the lanes move at similar average speeds, so the gain is negligible.

  3. 3. At highway speed, a large object suddenly appears in your lane and there is open space beside you. Which response is often the most effective?

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    Answer B: Steer around it, since at speed you can often turn quicker than you can stop

    Above roughly 25 mph, stopping distance is long while a lane change takes only a moment. When space is available, a controlled steer around the hazard avoids the impact.

  4. 4. A white diamond symbol is painted in a highway lane. What does it identify?

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    Answer C: A lane reserved for high-occupancy vehicles

    The diamond symbol marks a preferential lane, most often one reserved for vehicles carrying a minimum number of occupants.

  5. 5. What is the minimum light transmittance Florida allows for the side windows next to the driver?

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    Answer C: 28 percent

    Sunscreening material on the windows immediately to the right and left of the driver must leave at least 28 percent light transmittance.

  6. 6. You are overtaking in a short passing lane on a two-lane road and it is about to end. What must you do?

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    Answer A: Finish the pass and move back to the right before it ends

    The added lane ends and the traffic returns to a single lane in each direction, so the pass has to be complete before the pavement runs out.

  7. 7. Why does a heavier vehicle need more room to stop than a light one from the same speed?

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    Answer B: Because there is more mass in motion for the tires to slow down

    More mass means more energy at the same speed, and the brakes and tires need more distance to get rid of it.

  8. 8. Under Florida law, who must wear a safety belt in a passenger vehicle?

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    Answer A: All drivers, all front seat passengers and all passengers under 18

    Florida requires safety belts for every driver, every front seat passenger and every passenger under the age of 18, wherever that passenger is seated.

  9. 9. After holding a Florida learner's license for 3 months, until what time may the holder drive?

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    Answer A: Until 10 p.m.

    A learner's license holder may drive only in daylight hours at first, but after 3 months from issuance may drive until 10 p.m., always with a licensed driver 21 or older.

  10. 10. You have just had bad news and you feel very upset. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Wait until you have calmed down, or else let somebody else drive

    Strong emotion takes attention away from the road as surely as alcohol or fatigue, so it is a reason not to drive yet.

  11. 11. The sun is low behind you and shining into the eyes of oncoming drivers. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Turn on your headlights and expect oncoming drivers not to see you

    Drivers facing the low sun may not see you at all, so make yourself as visible as possible and give way rather than insisting on your right of way.

  12. 12. You have stopped at a stop line but parked cars hide the cross street. What comes next?

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    Answer C: Edge forward to where you can see, stopping again if needed

    The legal stop at the line is only the first stop; you then move up slowly to a point where you can see, and stop again if traffic requires it.

  13. 13. 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.

  14. 14. You are on a city street with two lanes in your direction, cars parked along the curb and driveways every few yards. Which lane is usually safer?

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    Answer B: The lane farther from the curb, away from opening doors and vehicles pulling out

    Most of the hazards on such a street come from the curb side, so the inside lane gives you more space and more time to react.

  15. 15. What does a yield sign require of a driver?

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    Answer A: Slow down, and stop when necessary, so conflicting traffic can go first

    A yield sign obliges the driver to reduce to a speed suited to conditions and to stop when needed so that conflicting traffic or pedestrians are not interfered with.

  16. 16. In Florida, what is the maximum suspension for accumulating 24 points within a 36-month period?

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    Answer A: Up to 1 year

    Twenty-four points within 36 months exposes the driver to a suspension of up to one year.

  17. 17. You are behind three slow vehicles on a two-lane road and the way ahead looks clear. What is the sound decision?

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    Answer D: Pass one vehicle at a time, if the road allows it

    Passing several vehicles in one move keeps you in the oncoming lane far too long and leaves nowhere to go if a vehicle appears.

  18. 18. A driver passes this sign on an open road. Over what stretch does the figure it sets stay in force?

    A white vertical rectangle with a black border and black legend
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    Answer A: From the sign onward, in every lane, until another sign sets a different figure

    The figure governs the road from the sign onward and binds every lane, and it stays in force until a later sign sets a different one.

  19. 19. How much should you normally reduce your speed on a road covered with packed snow compared with dry conditions?

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    Answer C: By about half

    Packed snow roughly doubles the distance needed to stop, so a common guideline is to cut speed by about half. On ice, slow to a crawl.

  20. 20. You find that your shoulder belt has some slack in it. Why does that matter?

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    Answer D: You travel further before the belt restrains you, so injuries are worse

    Slack lets your body build up speed before the belt takes hold, which increases the forces on you and the risk of hitting the interior.

  21. 21. A driver who is passing you cannot complete the pass because a vehicle is coming. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Ease off the accelerator and make room for them to drop back in

    The only place for the passing vehicle to go is the gap behind you, and easing off opens that gap immediately.

  22. 22. What counts as a complete stop at a stop sign?

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    Answer C: The wheels stop turning before the stop line

    A legal stop means the vehicle is no longer moving, made at the stop line or before entering the crosswalk or intersection.

  23. 23. Is dictating a message by voice a safe alternative to typing one?

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    Answer C: No, it still takes attention from driving

    Composing and checking a spoken message loads the mind and usually pulls the eyes to the screen anyway, so research finds it no safer than other phone use.

  24. 24. A freeway sign shows a minimum speed limit. What does it require?

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    Answer B: That you keep up with it unless conditions make that unsafe

    A minimum speed limit keeps very slow vehicles off the highway, but weather, traffic or a mechanical problem may make a lower speed necessary and lawful.

  25. 25. On a two-lane road with a broken yellow center line, may you cross it to turn into a driveway on the left?

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    Answer C: Yes, when it is safe and the oncoming lane is clear

    A broken center line may be crossed for a pass or for a left turn into a road or a driveway, once the oncoming lane is clear.

  26. 26. 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.

  27. 27. You are on a four-lane divided highway and a vehicle in your lane is stopped waiting to turn left across the median. What is the normal way past?

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    Answer D: Slow down and go by in the lane to the right when it is clear

    On a multilane road the free lane beside you is the lawful place to go past a vehicle waiting to turn, and the median is not part of the roadway.

  28. 28. What are painted curb markings mainly used for?

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    Answer D: Conveying parking and stopping regulations

    Colored curbs tell drivers where waiting or parking is restricted, and because the exact color meanings are set locally a driver should also read the posted signs.

  29. 29. A driver ahead brakes for no reason you can see, again and again. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Increase your following distance and be ready for yet another stop

    Unexplained braking tells you the driver is unsure or distracted, so the safe answer is more room, not less.

  30. 30. A sign with a black legend on a fluorescent pink background is used for

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    Answer A: traffic incident management

    Fluorescent pink is set aside for signing that manages traffic around a crash, a spill or another unplanned incident, so it stands apart from routine work zone orange.

  31. 31. Another vehicle is passing you on a two-lane road. What should you do with your speed?

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    Answer A: Hold your speed or ease off slightly to shorten the pass

    Speeding up strands the passing driver in the oncoming lane, while a steady speed or a slight lift lets the pass finish quickly and safely.

  32. 32. Something rolls off the seat onto the floor while you are driving. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Leave it where it is and pick it up after you stop somewhere safe

    Reaching for an object pulls your eyes and your body away from the controls at exactly the wrong moment, and nothing on the floor is worth that risk.

  33. 33. 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.

  34. 34. 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.

  35. 35. A city transit bus at a stop ahead of you switches on its left signal. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Slow and let the bus pull back into traffic

    A bus needs a long gap to rejoin traffic, and yielding to a signaling transit bus keeps the whole line of traffic moving safely.

  36. 36. You are about to pass another vehicle at night with your high beams on. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Switch to low beams as you come up behind it and while you are alongside

    High beams shining into the mirrors of the vehicle ahead blind the very driver whose reaction you depend on during the pass.

  37. 37. You leave a brightly lit service area onto a dark rural road. Why should you slow down for a while?

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    Answer C: Your eyes need time to adjust, so at first you see less

    Eyes take a few minutes to adapt from bright light to darkness, and during that time you can see much less than your headlights actually show.

  38. 38. A driver ahead of you extends the left arm straight out horizontally through the window. What is being signaled?

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    Answer C: A left turn

    The left arm held straight out is the standard hand signal for a left turn.

  39. 39. Besides school signing, which warning signs may also use a fluorescent yellow-green background?

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    Answer C: Pedestrian and bicycle warning signs

    Pedestrian crossing, bicycle and playground warning signs may use either the standard yellow or the fluorescent yellow-green background, which draws extra attention where people outside vehicles are present.

  40. 40. What does a steady yellow traffic light tell the driver facing it?

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    Answer A: The green movement is ending and a red indication is about to appear

    A steady yellow warns that the related green movement is being terminated and that red will follow, so you should stop if you can do so safely.

  41. 41. What does it mean to cover the brake, and when should you do it?

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    Answer B: Hold your foot over the brake pedal without pressing it when a hazard seems likely

    Covering the brake cuts reaction time when you expect trouble, such as near children, parked cars or a vehicle that may pull out. Riding the brake wears it out and confuses drivers behind you.

  42. 42. Outside a school zone, what penalty does Florida's statutory schedule set for exceeding the speed limit by 1 to 5 MPH?

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    Answer A: A warning

    Florida's speed fine table lists a warning for 1 to 5 MPH over the limit, rising to $25 for 6 to 9 MPH over.

  43. 43. 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.

  44. 44. You have just merged onto a freeway from an entrance ramp. What should you do next?

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    Answer C: Settle into the right lane and build up speed before changing lanes

    Crossing lanes while you are still below the speed of the traffic forces other drivers to brake, so the speed comes first and the lane change second.

  45. 45. Small green signs with white numerals posted at regular intervals along a highway are used to

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    Answer B: show distance along the route and give a reference point for reporting a location

    Reference location signs, commonly called mileposts, carry white numerals on green and let a driver describe exactly where a breakdown or crash has occurred.

  46. 46. Which family of signs normally uses a rectangle that is wider than it is tall?

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    Answer B: Guide signs, which name routes and destinations

    Guide signs are laid out as horizontal rectangles because they have to carry route numbers, place names and distances side by side.

  47. 47. How can you tell a tire has reached its wear limit without measuring it?

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    Answer C: The wear bars across the grooves become level with the tread

    Molded bars sit at the bottom of the grooves. Once the surrounding tread has worn down to them, the tire has reached the end of its safe life.

  48. 48. Where should a rear-facing infant seat never be placed?

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    Answer C: In a front seat with an active passenger air bag

    A deploying front air bag strikes the back of a rear-facing seat with enormous force. Rear-facing seats belong in the back seat.

  49. 49. 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.

  50. 50. Freeway traffic ahead of you has come to a stop. Besides braking early, how can you warn the drivers behind you?

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    Answer B: By switching on the hazard lights for a few seconds

    A short burst of hazard lights is a recognized way to tell following traffic that the queue ahead has stopped, and it carries much further back than brake lights. Some states restrict hazard lights on a moving vehicle, so use them only for the moment you are slowing.