Utah DLD Permit Practice Test 25
- Questions50
- Correct to pass40
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. 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.
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2. How should a head restraint be adjusted?
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Answer D: So the top is at least as high as the back of your head and close behind it
A restraint set at head height and close behind limits how far the head snaps backward in a rear impact, which is what reduces neck injury.
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3. On a street with parking along the curb, the shared lane marking is painted well out from the curb face. What does that placement tell a bicyclist?
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Answer C: To ride clear of the doors of parked cars
The marking is set at least eleven feet from the curb where parking is allowed so that riders are guided outside the reach of an opening door.
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4. A steady red arrow is displayed for your left-turn lane at a two-way intersection. What must you do?
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Answer C: Stop and remain stopped until an indication permits the turn
A steady red arrow prohibits the movement it points to, so the driver stops and waits for a green arrow, a flashing yellow arrow or another indication that permits the turn.
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5. Why is it dangerous to make a left turn from the second lane from the center?
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Answer C: Because a driver in the lane beside you is turning into the same space
Drivers in the proper turn lane are entitled to that space, and turning across them puts two vehicles into one path through the intersection.
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6. What do the numbers on a pedestrian countdown display show?
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Answer A: The seconds remaining to finish a crossing already under way
The countdown runs during the pedestrian change interval and shows how many seconds are left before the crossing time ends.
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7. Which trailer lights must work before you drive away?
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Answer B: The tail lights, brake lights and turn signals
The trailer hides the vehicle lights from anyone behind, so its own tail, brake and turn signals have to work before you move.
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8. Snow has covered the pavement markings on a two-lane road. How should a driver judge lane position?
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Answer B: By the tracks of other traffic and the roadside features
With the markings hidden, ruts left by earlier traffic, signs, poles and the line of the shoulder are the best clues to where the lane runs.
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9. When should you move into the lane you need for a turn?
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Answer D: Well before the intersection, as soon as you know your route
Getting into the correct lane early lets other drivers read your intentions and keeps you from making a sudden lane change at the corner.
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10. A sign showing a walking figure inside a red circle with a diagonal slash stands at the start of a bridge. What does it mean?
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Answer C: People on foot may not use that roadway
The no pedestrians sign excludes people on foot from that roadway altogether, which is common on high-speed bridges and freeways.
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11. A short driver cannot get ten inches between the chest and the steering wheel airbag. What is the answer?
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Answer D: Move the seat back and tilt the wheel downward, or fit pedal extenders
Distance from the airbag is gained by moving the seat back and aiming the wheel at the chest, using pedal extenders if the pedals are then out of reach.
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12. Why should cruise control be switched off on wet, snowy or icy roads?
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Answer B: It may keep feeding power to a wheel that has started to slip, and cancelling it costs you time
Cruise control holds a set speed regardless of grip, so it can add power just as a tire loses traction, and the extra step of cancelling it delays your response.
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13. 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.
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14. When is a child ready to use a vehicle seat belt without a booster seat?
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Answer A: When the lap belt lies across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt crosses the chest
Belt fit, not age, decides readiness. Until the child is tall enough for the lap belt to sit on the thighs and the shoulder belt on the chest, a booster is needed.
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15. When should you turn on your signal before a turn or a lane change?
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Answer C: Well before the maneuver, so other drivers have time to react
A signal is a warning to others, so it has to be given far enough ahead of the maneuver that drivers and pedestrians can adjust.
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16. For an alert driver, about how long is the reaction time once a hazard has been recognized?
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Answer A: About three quarters of a second
Reaction alone takes roughly three quarters of a second for an alert driver, and perception takes about as long again, so a second and a half of travel is added before the brakes bite.
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17. Besides texting and dialing, what other manual activity does Utah's distracted driving law call out by name?
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Answer C: Manually changing music or an app on the device
Utah's handheld device law names manually changing music or an app on the device as a restricted activity alongside texting and dialing.
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18. You have parked a manual transmission car facing downhill. Which gear should you leave it in?
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Answer D: Reverse, along with the parking brake set firmly
Facing downhill the car would roll forward, so reverse gear opposes that movement while the parking brake and turned wheels back it up.
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19. How should tire pressure be checked and set?
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Answer B: When the tires are cold, set to the pressure specified by the vehicle manufacturer
Driving heats the air and raises the reading, and the sidewall number is a maximum rather than a recommendation, so check cold and use the figure on the vehicle placard or in the owner's manual.
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20. You come to a place where a storm has dropped a power line across the road ahead. What should you do?
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Answer B: Stop well back, keep everyone away from it and report it to the police
A downed line may be live and can energize the ground around it, so keep well clear and let the utility or the police handle it.
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21. How can you keep space at the sides of your vehicle in heavy traffic?
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Answer D: Drive in the gaps between the other vehicles rather than beside them
Travelling in the open spaces rather than alongside others keeps a way out open on at least one side.
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22. Which sign tells you that the vehicles ahead are part of a funeral procession?
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Answer C: Headlights burning in daylight, with small flags or markers on the vehicles
Processions are normally identified by daytime headlights, hazard lights and flags or windshield markers, not by emergency lights or sirens.
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23. When a Utah school bus displays flashing red lights, which approaching drivers must stop?
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Answer B: Drivers approaching from either direction, on roads with fewer than five lanes
Utah requires drivers approaching from either direction to stop for a school bus with flashing red lights, on roads with fewer than five lanes, and to remain stopped until the lights stop flashing and the bus resumes moving.
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24. Your vehicle has a backup camera. What is the right way to use it?
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Answer C: Use it as an aid, but still turn and look behind you
A camera has a limited field of view and can be dirty or wet, so it supplements looking over your shoulder and using the mirrors rather than replacing them.
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25. A high truck ahead of you hides the traffic signal as you approach the intersection. What should you do?
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Answer A: Drop back so you can see the signal and the truck's brake lights
Extra following distance restores your view of the signal, so you are reacting to the light yourself rather than copying the truck driver.
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26. Why should you set the parking brake even when an automatic transmission is in Park?
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Answer B: Because it takes the strain off the transmission and holds the vehicle
The parking pawl is a small part carrying the whole vehicle; the parking brake shares that load and holds the vehicle if the pawl fails.
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27. You are about to drive a rental car that you have never driven before. What should you do?
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Answer A: Adjust the seat and the mirrors and find the controls before moving off
Hunting for the wipers or the lights in traffic is a distraction, so learn the layout while the vehicle is stopped.
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28. Does this sign settle who has the right-of-way at the intersection ahead?
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Answer D: No, it only gives notice of the intersection; the control there decides priority
A warning prepares the driver for what is coming but grants no priority, so whatever stop control, yield control, signal or right-of-way rule applies at the intersection is what decides.
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29. Besides its height, what else matters about a head restraint?
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Answer C: That it is close to the back of the head, and not far behind it
A restraint that sits far behind the head lets the head snap back before it is caught, so a small gap is important.
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30. 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.
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31. A vehicle coming toward you has drifted into your lane. What should you do?
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Answer D: Slow down, sound the horn, flash your lights and steer to the right if possible
Moving right gives the other driver space to recover and keeps you out of the lane they are most likely to return to. Braking reduces the force of any impact.
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32. 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.
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33. Where is passing prohibited even when no line is visible?
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Answer D: On a curve or near the crest of a hill, at intersections and at railroad crossings
Passing is prohibited wherever your view of oncoming traffic is blocked or where vehicles may cross your path, which includes hills, curves, intersections and rail crossings.
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34. For a Utah applicant aged 15 to 18, what is the status of a driver education course?
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Answer D: Mandatory
Utah requires applicants between 15 and 18 to complete an approved driver education course as part of getting a permit.
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35. Why should a driver crossing several lanes change only one lane at a time?
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Answer B: Each lane has its own traffic and its own blind spot to be checked
Sweeping across two or three lanes means entering lanes you never checked, so each change gets its own signal, mirror check and head check.
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36. An oncoming driver flashes their headlights while you are waiting to turn left. What should you do?
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Answer D: Judge the situation yourself, since the flash may mean something else
A flash is not a legal signal and may mean many things, so the decision to turn stays yours and must be based on what you can see.
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37. You turn left onto a road that has a center two-way left-turn lane. In which lane should you be traveling once the turn is finished?
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Answer D: The first through lane to the right of the center turn lane
The shared center lane is only for turning movements, so even where a state lets you pause in it to merge you must end up in the first ordinary travel lane beside it.
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38. You realize you have turned the wrong way onto a one-way street. What should you do?
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Answer A: Pull to the right, stop, and back into the street you came from when clear
Get out of the traffic stream first: pull right and stop, then back out into the street you came from once you can see it is safe.
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39. You wait in the aisle with your signal on for a space that is about to be vacated. What is the risk?
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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.
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40. On a long uphill grade a second lane opens on the right and a sign directs slower traffic into it. You are towing a trailer and holding up a line of vehicles. What should you do?
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Answer A: Move into the right-hand lane and let the faster traffic use the left lane
A climbing lane exists so that slow vehicles can be passed safely, and the slower vehicle is the one that belongs in it.
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41. The trailer you are towing begins to sway from side to side at highway speed. What should you do?
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Answer D: Ease off the accelerator, hold the wheel steady and let the speed drop
Sway grows with speed and with sudden inputs. Reducing speed gently while keeping the steering steady lets the trailer settle behind you.
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42. Your vehicle stalls on a railroad crossing and will not restart. What should you do first?
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Answer A: Get everyone out and away from the tracks immediately
Everyone must leave the vehicle and move well clear of the tracks at once, walking toward the train at an angle so that debris from an impact travels away from you.
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43. The word SCHOOL is painted in large letters across the roadway. What is it doing?
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Answer D: Backing up the signs marking a school zone
Word markings on the pavement reinforce a message that is already signed, and a driver looking at the road ahead cannot miss them.
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44. 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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45. You are driving through patchy fog on a highway. What should you be ready for?
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Answer B: Sudden dense banks where visibility drops within a few car lengths
Patchy fog can go from clear to nearly blind in a moment, so keep your speed low enough that a sudden bank does not leave you without room.
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46. You pull onto a soft grass verge to park. What is the main risk?
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Answer A: The wheels can sink and the car can slide toward the ditch
Soft ground gives way under the weight of a vehicle, and a car that settles or slides sideways can end up stuck or in the ditch.
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47. You are traveling beside another vehicle on a multilane highway at nearly the same speed. Why is this a poor position?
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Answer B: You may be sitting in that driver's blind spot with nowhere to go if they move over
Driving alongside removes your side escape route and often puts you where the other driver cannot see you. Speed up or drop back to open space beside you.
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48. Why is it risky to brake hard and steer sharply at the same moment?
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Answer C: The tires have a limited amount of grip that braking and turning must share
Each tire can deliver only so much grip, and asking it to slow the vehicle and change direction at once can exceed that limit and start a skid.
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49. If changing lanes away from a stopped vehicle with hazard lights flashing is not safe or practical, what does Utah law still require of the driver?
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Answer C: Reducing speed and giving as much space as practical anyway
Even when changing lanes is not practical, Utah's Move Over Law still requires a driver to slow down and leave as much space as practical while passing.
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50. Some crosswalks are marked with two transverse lines and others with a row of wide bars laid along the direction of travel. Why is the second pattern used?
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Answer B: It is far easier for an approaching driver to see
Longitudinal bar patterns are used where extra visibility is wanted, such as an uncontrolled crossing or one near a school, because they show up much better from a car.