Texas DPS Permit Practice Test 43
- Questions30
- Correct to pass21
- Passing score70%
- Minimum age15 years
-
1. What should you do before you back out of your own driveway at home?
Show answer
Answer A: Walk around the vehicle and check behind it for children or objects
A small child, a bicycle or a toy can sit entirely inside the blind area behind a vehicle, and a walk-around is the only way to be sure it is clear.
-
2. At an intersection where every approach carries this sign, two drivers arrive at exactly the same instant. Which of them goes first?
Show answer
Answer C: The driver on the right
Order of arrival decides who goes first, and when two vehicles arrive together the driver on the right proceeds while the other gives way.
-
3. Why should heavy objects in the passenger compartment be secured?
Show answer
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.
-
4. What must a Texas driver do when a pedestrian carrying a white cane or guided by an assistance animal is crossing at a crosswalk?
Show answer
Answer B: Take every needed precaution, stopping fully if that is the only safe option
Texas requires drivers to take necessary precautions to avoid injuring or endangering a pedestrian with a white cane or assistance animal, and to stop completely if that is the only way to avoid injury or danger.
-
5. What maximum penalty applies to reckless driving under the Texas Transportation Code?
Show answer
Answer C: A fine of up to $200, up to 30 days in jail, or both
Reckless driving, meaning driving in willful or wanton disregard for safety, is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $200, up to 30 days in county jail, or both.
-
6. What does a booster seat do for a child?
Show answer
Answer B: It lifts the child so that the adult belt crosses hips and shoulder
A booster raises the child so the adult belt lies on the strong parts of the body instead of the neck and the abdomen.
-
7. A person with a guide dog is standing at the corner facing the street you are about to cross. What should you do?
Show answer
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.
-
8. The circular sign shape is reserved for which warning?
Show answer
Answer C: Advance warning of a highway-rail grade crossing
A round yellow sign with a black X and the letters RR is the grade crossing advance warning sign, and the circular outline is used for no other message.
-
9. A driver extends the left arm out the window and bends it upward at the elbow. What does this signal mean?
Show answer
Answer B: A right turn
The left arm bent upward at the elbow is the standard hand signal for a right turn.
-
10. Why should the washer reservoir hold proper washer fluid rather than plain water in winter?
Show answer
Answer D: Water freezes and it leaves you with no way at all to clean the glass
Washer fluid contains antifreeze, so it still works in the cold, whereas water freezes in the reservoir and the lines.
-
11. Why should you not leave the engine running when you walk away from your vehicle?
Show answer
Answer C: Because the vehicle can be stolen or can move on its own
An unattended running vehicle is an easy theft and, if the transmission slips or is knocked out of park, it can roll away with nobody at the wheel.
-
12. How far should the driver chest be from the steering wheel?
Show answer
Answer B: At least about ten inches
The airbag deploys with great force in the first instants of a crash, so about ten inches between your chest and the wheel is the recommended minimum.
-
13. You have strapped luggage to the roof rack for a long trip. What should you expect?
Show answer
Answer D: A higher center of gravity, so take the curves and lane changes gently
Weight on the roof raises the center of gravity and makes the vehicle lean and respond more slowly to steering.
-
14. A yellow diamond shows a car with wavy lines behind its rear tires. What is the warning?
Show answer
Answer D: The surface loses grip badly when it is wet
The slippery when wet sign marks a stretch where traction falls off sharply in rain, so speed and braking must be reduced well in advance.
-
15. You wait in the aisle with your signal on for a space that is about to be vacated. What is the risk?
Show answer
Answer D: You block the aisle and drivers behind may try to squeeze past
A stopped vehicle turns a two-way aisle into a bottleneck, and drivers who try to get around it pass close to pedestrians and reversing cars.
-
16. 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?
Show answer
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.
-
17. A vehicle in the lane beside you has stopped at a crosswalk. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Stop as well, because that driver may be yielding to a pedestrian you cannot see
The stopped vehicle hides the crosswalk from you, and passing it is a leading cause of collisions with pedestrians who are already crossing.
-
18. As a general rule, how far should you travel along a center two-way left-turn lane before you turn?
Show answer
Answer C: Only a short distance, just enough to slow down and wait for a gap
The center lane is for making or preparing a left turn, so you enter it only shortly before the turn and never travel along it as a through lane; several states set a specific limit such as 200 or 300 feet.
-
19. How does a Texas driver license applicant's choice to become an organ donor reach the state's donor registry?
Show answer
Answer A: The Department of Public Safety electronically transfers the applicant's information to the registry on a regular schedule
Health and Safety Code Section 692A.020(d) requires DPS to electronically transfer donor information to the registry at least monthly for applicants who opt in.
-
20. May a Texas city ban all wireless device use by drivers throughout its jurisdiction?
Show answer
Answer D: Yes, if it posts signs where state and federal highways enter
A political subdivision may prohibit wireless device use while driving throughout its jurisdiction, but must post signs at each point where a state, U.S. or interstate highway enters it.
-
21. A United States numbered route is normally marked with
Show answer
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.
-
22. What does a marked crosswalk tell a driver approaching a corner?
Show answer
Answer D: Where pedestrians are expected to cross and must be given way
Crosswalk markings show pedestrians where to cross and warn drivers to yield to anyone using the crossing.
-
23. An overhead lane-use control signal shows a steady red X above your lane. What does it mean?
Show answer
Answer B: You may not use that lane and must move out of it
A steady red X means the lane below it is closed to you, while a steady yellow X is the warning to prepare to vacate the lane and a downward green arrow means the lane is open.
-
24. What should you expect while driving through a parking lot?
Show answer
Answer D: Pedestrians and vehicles moving from any direction, so drive slowly
Parking lots mix walking people, reversing vehicles and poor sight lines, so low speed and constant scanning are the only reliable protection.
-
25. You are parking facing downhill on a street with a curb. Which way should the front wheels point?
Show answer
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.
-
26. Which common non-prescription medicine is most likely to make a driver drowsy?
Show answer
Answer C: A cold or allergy remedy containing an antihistamine
Antihistamines in cold and allergy remedies are a leading cause of drowsiness behind the wheel, which is why the label carries a warning.
-
27. You are making a legal U-turn at an intersection. Who has the right of way?
Show answer
Answer C: Everyone else, until your turn is complete
A U-turn crosses several paths at once, so you yield to oncoming vehicles, to crossing traffic and to pedestrians before starting it.
-
28. What is the lawful speed on a Texas beach when no other limit applies?
Show answer
Answer B: 15 mph
Texas sets 15 mph on a beach, and a county may also declare 15 mph on a county road next to a public beach.
-
29. What is the proper use of the horn?
Show answer
Answer C: To give a brief warning when another road user may not have seen you
The horn is a warning device meant to alert someone to your presence when a collision is possible, and using it in anger tends to escalate conflict rather than prevent crashes.
-
30. What did Texas House Bill 2048 from the 86th Legislature accomplish regarding driver penalties?
Show answer
Answer A: It repealed the Driver Responsibility Program and eliminated its program surcharges
House Bill 2048's caption describes repealing the Driver Responsibility Program and eliminating its surcharges, among other changes to traffic fine funds.