Washington DOL Permit Practice Test 14
- Questions40
- Correct to pass32
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. The blue signs mounted before a freeway interchange that carry the logos of individual businesses are
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Answer C: specific service signs, which show the brands available at that exit
Specific service signs, often called logo signs, list eligible businesses for categories such as gas, food, lodging, camping, attractions and 24-hour pharmacies at the upcoming interchange.
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2. At the scene of a crash you were part of, what are you required to do besides stopping?
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Answer B: Give your name, your address and vehicle details, and help anyone who is hurt
Every state requires drivers involved in a crash to identify themselves and to render reasonable aid to anyone injured.
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3. Which practice matches current child passenger safety guidance?
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Answer D: Keep a child rear facing until the top height or weight limit of the seat is reached
A rear facing seat spreads crash forces across the child's whole back, so it should be used as long as the seat allows, and never in front of an active passenger air bag.
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4. A steady downward green arrow is displayed over a lane. What does it indicate?
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Answer C: The lane is open to traffic in your direction
A steady downward green arrow means the lane it points to is open to traffic traveling in your direction.
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5. Visibility drops suddenly and you decide to leave the highway. What is the safest way to do it?
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Answer A: Take the next exit or a wide pull off, well clear of the traffic lanes
Get right off the traveled way, and off the shoulder too if you can, because vehicles in poor visibility often drift onto the shoulder.
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6. At roughly what speed can hydroplaning begin when a lot of water is lying on the road?
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Answer C: At speeds as low as about 35 mph
With enough water and less than perfect tread, a tire can start to ride on the water at around 35 mph, well below normal highway speeds.
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7. What should you do as you approach your exit from a roundabout?
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Answer A: Signal right and check the crosswalk for pedestrians before leaving
A right signal tells following drivers and waiting drivers that you are leaving, and pedestrians cross at the exit leg, so the crosswalk must be checked.
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8. What does Washington require for a child aged 4 who has outgrown a harnessed car seat?
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Answer A: A car or booster seat until the vehicle lap and shoulder belts fit properly, typically between ages 8 and 12 or over 4 feet 9 inches tall
Washington requires children aged 4 and older to ride in a car or booster seat until the vehicle lap and shoulder belts fit properly, which is typically between ages 8 and 12 or above 4 feet 9 inches in height.
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9. Why does the situation ahead of this sign deserve extra care from a motorcyclist?
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Answer C: Because a narrow machine is easy to overlook in a mirror or a blind spot
A motorcycle fills very little of a mirror and disappears easily into a blind spot, so the rider should adjust speed and lane position to stay visible where the streams come together.
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10. You are waiting in a left-turn lane at a green light when a fire engine with lights and siren comes toward you in the oncoming lanes. What should you do?
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Answer D: Hold your position and let the fire engine pass
Turning across the path of an approaching emergency vehicle is exactly what you must not do; stay put until it has gone by.
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11. Your car has side curtain airbags. What should you avoid doing?
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Answer B: Resting your head against the window or the door pillar
A side airbag deploys from the pillar or roof rail, so a head leaning against that area is directly in its path.
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12. Cannabis is legal for adults in some states. What does that mean for driving?
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Answer C: Driving while impaired by it is still an offense
Legal possession has nothing to do with driving law, and every state treats driving while impaired by cannabis as an offense.
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13. 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.
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14. 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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15. A sign shows a lane joining from the right with no merge required. What does that mean?
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Answer B: The joining traffic gets its own new lane, so nobody has to merge
An added lane means the roadway gains a lane at that point, so entering vehicles have somewhere to go without anyone changing lanes.
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16. You are waiting in a center two-way left-turn lane. What should you expect from oncoming traffic?
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Answer A: Oncoming drivers may enter the same lane to prepare their own left turns
Both directions share a two-way left-turn lane, so an oncoming vehicle may be waiting in it and you must never treat it as yours alone.
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17. A yellow lamp flashes above a warning sign at a sharp curve. What does it ask of a driver?
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Answer D: Slow down and pass the point with extra care
A warning beacon draws attention to the sign it is mounted with, and the message of the sign is what the driver must act on.
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18. 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.
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19. In Washington, what is negligent driving in the second degree, and how is it penalized?
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Answer C: A $250 traffic infraction for negligent operation
Washington classifies negligent driving in the second degree as a traffic infraction with a $250 fine for operating a vehicle negligently in a way that endangers a person or property, without requiring proof of impairment.
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20. A yellow diamond shows an arrow bent into a series of reversing turns. What does it warn about?
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Answer A: Three or more changes of direction close together
The winding road sign replaces a string of separate curve signs where several bends follow one another with only short straights between them.
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21. How long is a Washington instruction permit valid, and how long does a passed knowledge exam score last?
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Answer B: The permit lasts 1 year and the exam score lasts 2 years
A Washington instruction permit is valid for 1 year and can be renewed for a fee, while a passed knowledge exam score remains valid for 2 years.
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22. The signal ahead has a sign prohibiting left turns, and your route needs a left. What should you do?
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Answer D: Go straight on and find a legal place to turn and come back
A turn prohibition applies to every driver, so you continue through and reach your route by another legal turn.
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23. Is it acceptable to drive far below the flow of traffic on an open highway?
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Answer B: No, driving too slowly can obstruct traffic and create a hazard
Traffic that is much slower than the surrounding flow forces other drivers into sudden braking and unnecessary passing maneuvers, and impeding traffic is itself a violation.
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24. A United States numbered route is normally marked with
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Answer C: black numerals on a white shield
The U.S. route marker is a white shield carrying black numerals, which sets it apart at a glance from the red, white and blue Interstate shield.
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25. The crossing gates begin to lower while your vehicle is still on the railroad tracks. What should you do?
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Answer B: Keep going forward and push through the gate if it should block your way
Gates are made to break away, and driving forward off the tracks is far safer than staying between them or backing up.
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26. May a Washington driver show proof of insurance to a law enforcement officer using a smartphone app?
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Answer B: Yes, the officer may view only the insurance data; the driver assumes risk to the device
Washington allows electronic proof of insurance, limits the officer to viewing only the insurance information, and places the risk of any device damage on the driver.
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27. You are passing a tractor-trailer on a wet freeway and its wheels throw heavy spray. What is the best technique?
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Answer B: Increase your wipers and pass steadily without hesitating
Spray blinds you for as long as you stay beside the truck, so prepare the wipers first and then spend as little time in the spray as possible.
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28. An overhead lane-use control signal shows a steady red X above the lane you are traveling in. What does it require?
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Answer D: Leave that lane, because it is closed to you
A steady red X means road users are not permitted to use the lane beneath it, so you must move into a lane that is open.
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29. 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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30. You back into an unattended parked car in a lot and cause visible damage. What must you do?
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Answer A: Try to find the owner, or leave a note with your name and contact details, and report the crash
Hitting an unattended vehicle carries the same duties as any crash. Leaving without identifying yourself is a hit-and-run offense.
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31. Rain is heavy enough that you have your windshield wipers running. What else should you switch on?
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Answer A: Your headlights, so you can see and others can see you
Rain heavy enough to need wipers also cuts how far away you can be seen, so the headlights belong on. Many states write this into law as a wipers on, lights on rule.
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32. 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.
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33. During which hours may a Washington intermediate license holder not drive without a qualifying supervisor?
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Answer D: Between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.
A Washington intermediate license holder may not drive between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. unless accompanied by a parent, guardian or licensed driver at least age 25.
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34. A curb sign reads No Standing. What does it allow you to do?
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Answer B: Stop only long enough to pick up or drop off passengers
No Standing bars waiting for any purpose except the brief moment needed to let passengers in or out, which is stricter than No Parking.
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35. You come up behind a group of cyclists riding two abreast on a narrow rural road. What should you do?
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Answer A: Wait for a clear stretch and pass them as one group
Passing a group as a single unit when the way ahead is clear is safer than several rushed passes, and cutting through the group leaves nobody any escape room.
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36. How does alcohol change the time a driver needs to respond to a hazard?
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Answer A: It slows it, so stopping takes longer
Alcohol is a depressant that lengthens the time between seeing a hazard and acting on it, which adds directly to the distance needed to stop.
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37. You are waiting to turn and the traffic ahead has stopped. Where must you not come to rest?
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Answer D: On the crosswalk, which people need in order to cross the street
Stopping on a crosswalk forces pedestrians out into the traffic lanes to get around you, so you hold back before it instead.
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38. At an intersection that uses a lagging left turn, when is the left-turn arrow displayed?
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Answer B: After the through movement has run
A lagging left turn phase runs at the end of the green rather than the start, so a driver waiting to turn should not assume the arrow has been missed.
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39. Your right-turn lane shows a green arrow while the through lanes face a red ball. What does that mean?
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Answer C: Only the right turn is allowed, and it is protected while the arrow lasts
A green arrow gives a protected movement in that direction only; the red ball still stops the through traffic in the other lanes.
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40. 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.