South Dakota DPS Permit Practice Test 18
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years
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1. 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.
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2. You are driving forward into a perpendicular space with a large pickup parked on the right of it. How should you take it?
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Answer D: Stay wide, turn in late and keep clear of the pickup
Starting the turn later keeps the rear of your car away from the vehicle beside the space, which is exactly what a tight early turn clips.
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3. Heavy rain has left standing water on the road where this sign is posted. What does the law expect of the driver?
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Answer C: Driving below the posted figure, at a speed that suits the conditions
Drivers must adapt to conditions, so in rain, fog, snow or dense traffic the safe speed falls below the posted maximum and keeping to that maximum can itself be an offense.
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4. You turn from asphalt onto a loose gravel road. What should you do about your speed?
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Answer D: Lower it, since grip is reduced and stopping takes longer
Loose gravel gives far less grip than pavement, so speed must come down for both steering and stopping.
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5. 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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6. What minimum liability limits must a South Dakota owner's insurance policy provide?
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Answer B: 25,000 dollars per person, 50,000 dollars per accident and 25,000 dollars property damage
South Dakota requires at least 25,000 dollars for bodily injury to one person, 50,000 dollars for two or more people and 25,000 dollars for property damage.
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7. You are stopped at a stop sign waiting to turn onto a highway where traffic moves at 55 mph. How should you choose your gap?
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Answer A: Wait for a much larger gap than the one you would accept on a city street
Fast traffic covers ground while you are still accelerating, so the gap that feels adequate at 25 mph is dangerously short at highway speed.
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8. 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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9. The traffic signal is green, but the crossing lights on the tracks inside the intersection begin to flash. What must you do?
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Answer C: Stop clear of the tracks and wait, even though the signal is green
Active crossing warning devices outrank the green indication, so you stop short of the rails and wait until the warning stops.
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10. A driver holds a steady highway speed into the section this sign warns about. What is the most likely result?
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Answer B: The vehicle runs wide toward the outside and can cross into another lane or leave the pavement
Holding speed into a change of alignment asks the tires for more side grip than they can supply, so the vehicle runs wide and the driver is left with less room to correct.
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11. A pedestrian starts to cross against a Do Not Walk signal, right in front of you. What should you do?
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Answer D: Slow or stop and let the person reach safety
Even when a pedestrian is crossing unlawfully, a driver must take reasonable care to avoid hitting that person.
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12. Traffic is backed up on the far side of a railroad crossing. What should you do before driving onto the tracks?
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Answer D: Wait behind the tracks until there is room to clear them completely
Never enter a crossing until you are certain you can drive completely across without stopping, because a vehicle trapped on the tracks cannot get out of a train's way.
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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 closely may a South Dakota driver follow fire apparatus responding to an alarm?
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Answer C: No closer than 500 feet
State law prohibits following fire apparatus responding to a fire alarm any closer than 500 feet.
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15. After a crash, what information should you exchange with the other driver?
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Answer B: Name, address, driver license, vehicle registration and insurance details
Identification, registration and insurance information are what the other party and the insurers need. Sensitive financial details are never required.
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16. What does a sign showing a bicycle inside a red circle with a diagonal slash prohibit?
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Answer D: Riding a bicycle on that roadway
This is a selective exclusion sign, used where bicycles are banned from a road such as a freeway or a tunnel.
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17. You have finished a distracting task and your eyes are back on the road. What is true?
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Answer A: Your full attention takes a while to come back
Studies of drivers show attention lags behind the eyes for many seconds after a phone or a screen task, so the danger continues after the task is over.
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18. You are on an entrance ramp joining a busy freeway. What should you do with your speed in the acceleration lane?
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Answer D: Build it up to about the speed of the traffic you are joining
Merging works when your speed matches the traffic stream, because a large speed difference forces the drivers already on the freeway to brake or swerve.
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19. A yellow diamond showing a truck is posted beside a quarry entrance. What is it warning about?
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Answer A: Trucks turning onto the highway from that entrance
A truck crossing or trucks entering sign is used where heavy vehicles pull onto the road from a site, and they accelerate slowly once they are on it.
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20. A preferential lane sign reads HOV 2+ and lists the hours it applies. During those hours, which vehicles may use the lane?
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Answer A: Vehicles carrying at least two people, counting the driver
The number on an HOV sign is the minimum number of occupants, driver included, that a vehicle must carry to use the lane while the restriction is in effect.
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21. A driver disregards this sign and turns so as to travel against the direction it establishes. What is the immediate danger?
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Answer D: The driver will face traffic head on, because every lane comes the other way
Turning against the established direction puts the vehicle nose to nose with all the traffic on that street, which is why the mistake has to be corrected at once.
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22. A driver passes this sign on an entrance ramp while merging onto a freeway. Who has priority?
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Answer B: The traffic already traveling on the freeway
The sign places the duty on the entering driver, who must adjust speed and fit into a gap without forcing through traffic to brake or swerve.
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23. You are approaching an uncontrolled intersection on a residential street where parked cars hide the cross street. What is the correct approach?
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Answer B: Slow enough to stop and creep out until you can see
Without a sign or signal you still have to be able to yield, and you cannot yield to traffic you have not seen.
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24. You realize at the last moment that you have passed the street where you meant to turn. What should you do?
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Answer D: Keep going and turn around where it is safe and legal
A missed turn is a minor inconvenience; braking suddenly, backing up or turning across traffic to recover it causes crashes.
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25. A streetcar is coming along tracks in the middle of the street as you wait to turn across them. What should you do?
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Answer A: Let the streetcar pass before you cross the tracks
Rail vehicles cannot steer around you and need a long distance to stop, so drivers yield to a streetcar or light rail train.