Louisiana OMV Permit Practice Test 33
- Questions40
- Correct to pass32
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. How far ahead should you normally be looking while driving?
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Answer D: About 12 to 15 seconds of travel ahead
Looking that far ahead, roughly a block in town and much farther on a highway, gives you time to see a problem developing and adjust before it becomes an emergency.
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2. You are parking facing downhill on a street with a curb. Which way should the front wheels point?
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Answer A: Toward the curb, so the vehicle would roll into it if it moved
Turning the wheels toward the curb when facing downhill means a vehicle that starts to roll is stopped by the curb instead of entering the traffic lane.
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3. Two solid white lines separate your lane from the lane beside it. What do they mean?
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Answer B: Crossing from one lane to the other is prohibited
A solid double white line marks a boundary that road users may not cross, such as the entrance to a preferential lane.
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4. Driving at night you notice that the raised markers along the line beside you are throwing back red light. What does that tell you?
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Answer C: You are facing traffic and must get off that roadway
Red retroreflection is shown only toward traffic that should not be there, so a red return means the vehicle is heading the wrong way.
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5. What is the correct order of a pass on a two-lane road?
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Answer A: Check ahead and behind, signal left, move out, accelerate past, signal right and return
A pass begins with the decision that the road is clear and ends with a signaled return, and each step warns other drivers before the vehicle moves.
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6. How should your speed behave while you move from one lane into the next?
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Answer C: Keep it steady or adjust it smoothly to match the traffic in the new lane
A lane change works best as a smooth movement at the speed of the lane you are joining, since sudden braking or acceleration surprises the drivers around you.
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7. 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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8. A sign at the start of an exit ramp shows a speed much lower than the highway limit. What does it apply to?
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Answer C: The curve of the ramp itself, once you have left the highway
The ramp speed is set by the sharpness of the ramp curve, so you slow to it inside the deceleration lane rather than out on the highway.
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9. A rectangular marker with alternating black and retroreflective yellow stripes set at a slant is used to
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Answer C: mark an obstruction, with the stripes sloping down toward the side on which traffic should pass
This striped panel is an object marker, and the direction in which the stripes slope shows the driver which side of the obstruction to pass on.
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10. Which of these is announced with the same family of signs as the facility shown here?
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Answer A: A rest area for travelers
A rest area belongs to the same motorist service series, which points travelers toward facilities such as fuel, food, lodging and medical care.
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11. You are on a country road with no sidewalk and two people are walking toward you on your side of the shoulder. What should you do?
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Answer C: Slow down and move over to give them room
Where there is no sidewalk, people are expected to walk on the shoulder facing traffic, and drivers must slow and give them space.
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12. What will the driver have to do at the point this sign refers to?
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Answer C: Slow down and let conflicting traffic go first, stopping if that is what it takes
Further along, the driver has to let conflicting traffic and pedestrians go first, reducing speed and stopping whenever that is necessary to avoid interfering with them.
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13. Blue pavement markings are used together with white markings at
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Answer D: parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities
Blue supplements the white markings of accessible parking spaces, which is the only assignment blue has on the pavement.
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14. How should you handle a prescription or over the counter medicine before driving?
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Answer D: Read the label and ask a pharmacist or doctor whether it affects driving
Many common medicines, including allergy and cold remedies, cause drowsiness or slowed reactions, and the label or a pharmacist can tell you whether driving is safe.
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15. You reach a stretch of road covered by moving flood water of unknown depth. What is the correct decision?
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Answer D: Turn around and take another route
About a foot of moving water is enough to carry away most cars, and the roadbed under the water may already be washed out, so the only safe choice is to turn around.
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16. The curb ahead is signed as a bus stop. May you wait there with your vehicle?
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Answer C: No, the space must stay clear for buses
A bus stop must stay open so that a bus can reach the curb and let passengers on and off safely, so no other vehicle may occupy it.
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17. On a two-lane road, a solid yellow line runs on your side of the center while a broken yellow line runs on the other side. What does this mean?
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Answer D: You may not pass, although oncoming drivers may
Passing restrictions are read from the line closest to your own lane, so a solid yellow line on your side creates a no-passing zone for you alone.
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18. Apart from giving you room to stop, what else does a longer following gap do for you?
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Answer D: It widens your view of the road and the traffic ahead
Sitting further back lets you see past and around the vehicle in front, so hazards reach your eyes seconds earlier.
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19. You are approaching a horse and rider on a country road. What about your horn?
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Answer C: Do not sound it at all, because the noise can frighten the animal
A startled horse is dangerous to its rider and to you, so pass wide and slow and leave the horn alone.
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20. Besides motorist services and tourist information, a blue sign background is also used for
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Answer B: evacuation route signing
Blue is assigned to road user services, tourist information and evacuation routes, so hurricane and other evacuation routes are signed in blue.
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21. Why must you never leave the engine running in a closed garage?
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Answer B: Because carbon monoxide builds up and can kill within minutes
Exhaust gas contains carbon monoxide, which has no smell or color and can reach fatal levels in an enclosed space very quickly.
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22. Once you have parallel parked, how close to the curb should your wheels be?
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Answer C: Within the distance your state allows, commonly 12 to 18 inches
Parking close to and parallel with the curb keeps the vehicle out of the traffic lane without damaging the tires; each state sets the exact maximum, usually 12 inches and 18 inches in some states.
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23. A sign beside the signal reads STOP HERE ON RED. What does it tell you?
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Answer B: Stop at that point on red, not closer to the intersection
The sign marks the required stopping point, which is set back from the corner so that turning vehicles and sight lines are not blocked.
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24. Which vehicle is most affected by a strong side wind?
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Answer D: A van or a car towing a tall trailer
Wind pushes against the side area of a vehicle, so tall boxy shapes and trailers are moved far more than low heavy ones.
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25. You are very angry after an argument and about to drive. What should you know?
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Answer A: Strong emotions can impair judgment and attention much like alcohol
Anger, grief and stress pull attention inward and encourage risk taking. Give yourself time to settle down before getting behind the wheel.
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26. The green left-turn arrow ends and a steady red ball comes on for your lane, at an intersection where no turn on red is allowed. What must you do?
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Answer D: Stop and wait, because no turn is allowed while the red ball is lit
Once a red indication faces your lane and no turn on red is permitted there, the turn is over; only a vehicle already inside the intersection completes its movement.
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27. You have started to pass and you see the no-passing zone beginning ahead. What should you do?
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Answer D: Ease off, drop back and return to your own lane
A pass must be completed before the no-passing zone starts. If it will not fit, abandon it and slot back in behind.
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28. 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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29. In which situation should you increase your usual following distance?
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Answer B: On wet roads, at night, in fog, when towing a trailer, or when following a motorcycle
Reduced traction, reduced visibility, a heavier load and a vehicle that can stop faster than yours all require extra space to keep the same margin of safety.
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30. 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.
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31. No plaque stating days or hours accompanies this sign at the intersection. When does the restriction apply?
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Answer D: At all times, since nothing limits it to particular periods
A regulatory restriction runs continuously unless a supplemental plaque states the days or hours during which it applies.
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32. A person with a guide dog is standing at the corner facing the street you are about to cross. What should you do?
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Answer D: Stop well back and wait quietly for them to decide
Blind pedestrians rely on engine sound to judge traffic, so stop back from the crossing and avoid the horn, which only confuses them.
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33. A flagger turns the paddle to the orange face reading SLOW. What does that tell approaching drivers?
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Answer D: Reduce speed and continue through the work area with care
The SLOW face keeps traffic moving at a reduced speed while workers or equipment are close to the travel lanes.
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34. Compared with dry pavement, how much room does a vehicle need to stop on packed snow?
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Answer D: Several times as much
Grip on packed snow is a fraction of that on dry pavement, so stopping distance grows several times over. Antilock brakes help you steer, not stop shorter.
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35. What is the correct order of steps as you finish parking an automatic on a grade?
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Answer C: Turn the wheels, set the parking brake, then select park
Setting the parking brake before shifting into park lets the brake take the load, instead of leaving the whole weight of the car on the parking pawl.
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36. Your green left-turn arrow goes out and a steady green ball stays lit. What may you do?
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Answer A: Continue turning left, but only after yielding to oncoming traffic
When the arrow ends and a green ball remains, the turn changes from protected to permissive, so it is still allowed but oncoming traffic goes first.
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37. A vehicle ahead of you displays a reflective orange triangle on its rear. What does that emblem tell you?
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Answer B: The vehicle is built to travel at 25 mph or less
The orange triangle is the slow moving vehicle emblem used on farm and construction equipment designed for 25 mph or less, warning you that you are closing on it much faster than it appears.
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38. The lane you are in is marked with a straight arrow and a right-turn arrow together. What does that mean?
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Answer D: Drivers in that lane may either go straight or turn right
A lane marked with two arrows serves both movements, so a driver in it may take either one.
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39. You stop at the curb on a busy street to let passengers out. What should you tell them?
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Answer A: To get out on the curb side, away from traffic
Passengers should always leave on the side away from moving traffic, which keeps both them and the door out of the travel lane.
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40. A Louisiana driver is convicted of a second offense of driving while intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15 percent or more. How long is the license suspension?
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Answer D: Four years
Louisiana suspends for four years on a second offense at 0.15 percent or above, with an ignition interlock device required, against 24 months for a second offense below that level.