AL Permit Practice Test 17

All 20 questions in test 17

Every question below comes from the Alabama question bank on this page. Open a question to see the correct answer and the explanation. Nothing here is hidden behind a signup.

1. 1. What does a solid white edge line on an Alabama highway mark, and when may it be crossed?

   1. The center of the road; crossed only when passing on the left
   2. A bicycle lane edge; crossed freely by motor vehicles
   3. The outside edge of the traffic lane; crossed only moving to or from the shoulder
   4. A parking boundary; crossed only by vehicles stopping to park
   Show answer

   The outside edge of the traffic lane; crossed only moving to or from the shoulder. A solid white line at the side shows the outer edge of the travel lane. Crossing it is tied to moving toward the shoulder or returning from it, rather than ordinary lane changing. Yellow treatment and center placement point to a different boundary. Parking and bicycle lane uses have separate markings and rules. Use the white edge as a guide at night or in rain, and keep tires inside it during normal travel along the lane.

   Study this in the handbook: Pavement markings

2. 2. At an Alabama crossing with two tracks, a train has just cleared and its last car is moving away. The other track is partly hidden by that train. What should you do before crossing?

   1. Cross at once close behind the train before a gate lowers again
   2. Cross slowly while watching only the direction the first train came from
   3. Pause, then look and listen for a second train on the other track
   4. Sound the horn and cross without pausing, since the first train has cleared
   Show answer

   Pause, then look and listen for a second train on the other track. A first train can hide a second movement and can also hold attention on only one track. The manual warns drivers to watch for a second train and to wait after the last car passes until no train is coming on another track, especially from the other direction. Pausing to check both tracks and both directions gives that hidden movement time to appear before the vehicle enters the crossing area.

   Study this in the handbook: Phones, fatigue, following distance and crashes

3. 3. You are in an Alabama crash, no injured person needs you to move them, and police have not yet arrived. Approaching traffic may not see the wreck. What should you do?

   1. Leave at once to find a phone with a stronger signal
   2. Warn oncoming traffic by whatever means are available
   3. Stand in the travel lane waving cars around the wreckage
   4. Move every vehicle at once even if it blocks the only lane
   Show answer

   Warn oncoming traffic by whatever means are available. A crash scene can trigger a second collision when approaching drivers discover the wreck too late. Alabama directs those involved, before police arrive, to use whatever means are available to warn other traffic, such as flags or flares. Leaving the scene, standing in a live lane, or blocking the only open lane adds risk. Set out warnings where they can be seen in time, from a safe position.

   Study this in the handbook: Phones, fatigue, following distance and crashes

4. 4. In Alabama, a cyclist riding near the right edge signals and moves toward the center of the lane to get ready for a left turn. What does the riding position rule say about this move?

   1. Forbidden; the rider must hold the right edge until the turn is done
   2. Allowed only after stopping at the edge and walking the bicycle over
   3. Allowed as a stated exception when preparing for a left turn
   4. Forbidden on any road with no marked bicycle lane
   Show answer

   Allowed as a stated exception when preparing for a left turn. The general rule keeps a person on a bicycle as close as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway. The same rule lists exceptions, and preparing for a left turn is one of them, along with passing another vehicle and avoiding road or traffic conditions. Moving left to prepare is therefore allowed, not a violation. The rider still rides with the flow of traffic and signals for turns, lane changes, and stops, so drivers behind can predict the move.

   Study this in the handbook: Good driving habits, turns and three point turns

5. 5. You drive at night in Alabama with a companion in the front seat. How can that companion help you drive more safely?

   1. Watch for signs and hazards as a second pair of eyes
   2. Read the map aloud continuously so you never look at any sign
   3. Hold the headlight switch so the high beams stay on all trip
   4. Call out the speed at every mile marker you pass
   Show answer

   Watch for signs and hazards as a second pair of eyes. Night driving limits vision and makes signs and hazards easier to miss. If you have a companion, that person can serve as a second pair of eyes, watching for signs and unexpected hazards while the driver keeps attention on the road. Reading a map aloud nonstop, holding high beams on, and calling out speeds all distract rather than add the extra lookout the manual describes for a companion.

6. 6. Besides making sure all lights are operating properly at night in Alabama, what lighting care is required?

   1. Keep headlight lenses and all other lighting equipment clean
   2. Wax the lenses so they reflect light back toward you
   3. Aim one headlight higher to see farther down the right shoulder
   4. Cover a weak lens with tape until the next scheduled service visit
   Show answer

   Keep headlight lenses and all other lighting equipment clean. Night driving depends on lights that work and can be seen through. Keep your lighting equipment clean and in good operating condition, and in addition to insuring that all lights are operating properly, keep the lenses clean. Waxing a lens to reflect light backward, aiming a light higher on one side, and taping over a weak lens all reduce the clean, working lighting the rule requires.

   Study this in the handbook: Night and winter driving

7. 7. You are driving a narrow Alabama hill road where brush blocks your view around a sharp curve and another car could be close without either driver seeing the other. What should you do as you round the curve?

   1. Take the center of the road to see farther around the brush
   2. Stay silent and coast through quickly to limit time in the blind area
   3. Flash high beams repeatedly and ride the left edge for a wider view
   4. Sound the horn as you round the hazardous curve to warn others
   Show answer

   Sound the horn as you round the hazardous curve to warn others. Narrow hill roads can hide an approaching car in brush or in a blind pocket until the vehicles are only a few feet apart. The manual calls for extra caution in that setting and advises using the horn while rounding hazardous curves so other drivers know they are not alone on the road. A brief warning horn fits that purpose. Taking the center, staying silent, or hurrying through removes warning and leaves less room if another vehicle appears.

   Study this in the handbook: Skids, hydroplaning, fog and hills

8. 8. After entering an Alabama roundabout through a safe opening, how should you handle speed while circling?

   1. Raise speed quickly to clear the circle sooner
   2. Keep your speed low while inside the roundabout
   3. Match the fastest vehicle already circling
   4. Stop briefly before choosing an exit
   Show answer

   Keep your speed low while inside the roundabout. Circling works because entries, exits, walkers, and riders all appear within a short arc. A low pace leaves time to read exit signs, notice a bicycle near the curb, and yield again while leaving. Hurrying to escape shortens those checks, while copying a faster driver imports someone else pace without knowing their exit. A brief stop inside can block following traffic and upset the flow. Enter only through a usable opening, settle into a gentle pace, then hold that pace until the chosen street opens.

   Study this in the handbook: Roundabouts

9. 9. In Alabama, which direction from a police officer requires a driver to come to a complete stop?

   1. Any direction from the officer to stop, at any time
   2. Only a direction given at a marked crosswalk
   3. Only a direction given while a siren sounds nearby
   4. Only a direction given by an officer who is directing traffic at a school crossing
   Show answer

   Any direction from the officer to stop, at any time. Police direction at a scene overrides the usual pattern of signs and signals because an officer can see hazards that fixed devices cannot show. A crash, a detour, or a blocked lane may require traffic to stop where no stop sign stands. Waiting for a siren, a marked crosswalk, or a school crossing adds conditions that the rule does not contain. Bring the vehicle to a full stop, keep attention on the officer, and remain stopped until waved on or told to proceed.

   Study this in the handbook: Stopping rules, school buses and emergency vehicles

10. 10. In Alabama, before passing another vehicle on a two-lane road, how can a driver signal intention to the driver ahead?

    1. Tap the horn, or flick the headlights at night
    2. Flash the hazard lights twice and wave one arm outside
    3. Sound the horn continuously until the vehicle moves right
    4. Blink the headlights rapidly five times in daylight
    Show answer

    Tap the horn, or flick the headlights at night. Drivers ahead cannot read your mind, so a brief horn tap or a headlight flick at night announces that a pass is beginning. That small warning lets the slower driver hold a steady course instead of drifting or speeding up in surprise. It works alongside the turn signal, not in place of it. Continuous honking can startle people and create the very swerve you want to avoid. Give the signal, confirm the road ahead is clear for the full pass, and complete the move smoothly within the speed limit.

    Study this in the handbook: Passing, backing, lane changes and loads

11. 11. A driver warms up in winter with the engine idling and all windows closed tightly and plans to keep them shut while driving. Which change follows the manual guidance for this habit?

    1. Keep every window shut and idle longer to stay warm
    2. Close the windows tighter and rely on smell to warn of exhaust
    3. Run the engine in the closed cabin until drowsiness shows a need for air
    4. Avoid idling or driving with all the windows closed tightly
    Show answer

    Avoid idling or driving with all the windows closed tightly. Carbon monoxide is more likely to build up in winter, when drivers warm engines and travel with windows closed. The fumes have no odor, so a driver may not notice the danger from smell. The manual lists simple precautions for avoiding poisoning, including not idling the motor or driving with all the windows closed tightly. Keeping a sealed cabin around a running engine works against that guidance and can let exhaust collect around the occupants.

    Study this in the handbook: Skids, hydroplaning, fog and hills

12. 12. Your car develops trouble and must be left standing for a time beside a rural Alabama highway where the shoulder is wide enough to clear the roadway. Where should you leave it?

    1. Entirely off the traveled part of the highway, on the shoulder
    2. On the pavement by the edge line, with the left wheels on the road
    3. Partly on the pavement and partly on the shoulder, angled for visibility
    4. In the lane nearest the shoulder, with hazard lights on
    Show answer

    Entirely off the traveled part of the highway, on the shoulder. A vehicle left standing beside a rural highway remains a hazard while any part of it stays in the path of moving traffic. The manual requires such a vehicle to be moved off the paved or main traveled portion of the roadway. Clearing the travel surface gives passing drivers the full lane and separates the standing vehicle from traffic that may not expect an obstacle at the edge. Leaving wheels on the pavement keeps part of that hazard in play.

    Study this in the handbook: Curves, bicycles, motorcycles and large vehicles

13. 13. What does this sign announce?

    
    1. The bridge is closed to passenger cars
    2. Only one vehicle may cross the bridge at a time
    3. Traffic must pay a toll before using the bridge
    4. A narrow bridge lies ahead
    Show answer

    A narrow bridge lies ahead. A narrower deck leaves less spare room beside opposing or same direction vehicles, so position and speed need care before you enter. Closure would be posted as a closing, not as a width warning. A bridge too tight to meet another vehicle uses a one lane message, which is stricter than narrow. No payment duty appears in this warning. Center your vehicle early and avoid passing on the span.

    Study this in the handbook: Warning, construction and guide signs

14. 14. At night in Alabama, headlights appear directly in your lane, closing fast. What should you do?

    1. Hold speed and steer for the center gap
    2. Move into the left lane to pass the car
    3. Pull right, slow down, and sound your horn
    4. Stop in your lane and flash your lights
    Show answer

    Pull right, slow down, and sound your horn. A car coming toward you in your Alabama lane calls for pulling to the right, slowing down, and sounding the horn, with light flashing added at night in the fuller guidance. Moving left risks meeting that driver if wakefulness returns and the car swings back to its proper side. Stopping in place or aiming at a center gap keeps you in the closing path. Shifting right shrinks the target, sheds speed, and gives the other driver room and warning to correct.

    Study this in the handbook: Driving emergencies

15. 15. Halfway down an Alabama block with no crosswalk nearby, a person starts across the street directly in front of traffic. Who must yield in that spot?

    1. The person on foot must yield to all vehicles
    2. Whoever is moving faster keeps the right of way
    3. No one needs to yield outside a crosswalk
    4. Drivers must yield, as at any marked crosswalk
    Show answer

    The person on foot must yield to all vehicles. Pedestrians crossing at points other than crosswalks in Alabama must yield to all vehicles. Midblock crossing away from a crosswalk therefore places the yielding duty on the person on foot, even though drivers still need care to avoid harm. Speed does not award priority to either side, and the absence of paint does not erase duties altogether. On foot, wait for a clear gap in both directions. Behind the wheel, stay alert for someone who misjudges that gap.

    Study this in the handbook: Stopping rules, school buses and emergency vehicles

16. 16. After drinking at a friends house in Alabama, you drink strong coffee, eat a full meal, and step into a cold shower. You feel wide awake. What has actually lowered your blood alcohol?

    1. The cold shower, once you stop shivering from the water
    2. The coffee, once you feel alert and wide awake again
    3. The meal, once digestion of the food begins in earnest
    4. Only time, while the liver slowly clears the alcohol
    Show answer

    Only time, while the liver slowly clears the alcohol. Coffee, food, or a cold shower can make a drinker feel more awake in Alabama, yet none of them sobers the body. Once alcohol reaches the bloodstream, the liver must break it down and oxidize it over time, and feeling sharper does not speed that work. A meal before drinking may slow absorption, but eating afterward cannot pull alcohol back out of the blood. Awake and impaired can exist together, so wait or ride with a sober driver.

    Study this in the handbook: Alcohol and the DUI law

17. 17. On an Alabama freeway, what must slower moving vehicles do when traveling below the normal speed of traffic?

    1. Keep to the right
    2. Move to the left lane to be seen sooner
    3. Alternate lanes every few miles
    4. Stop on the shoulder until traffic thins
    Show answer

    Keep to the right. Freeway flow depends on faster traffic passing predictably while slower vehicles hold the right side. Keeping right reduces lane changes around a slow vehicle and lowers closing speed conflicts. Moving left for visibility places the slowest car where overtaking drivers least expect obstruction. Alternating lanes multiplies conflict points without helping anyone. Stopping on the shoulder for ordinary slowness creates a reentry problem and is reserved for emergencies. Maintain a lawful steady pace on the right, and let ramps and exits be planned early.

    Study this in the handbook: The Move Over Law

18. 18. In heavy rain on an Alabama highway, your steering feels light and the tires seem to float over standing water. What is the best response?

    1. Brake firmly to push the tires through the water
    2. Take your foot off the accelerator and let the car slow
    3. Speed up so the tires skim more cleanly
    4. Steer quickly left and right to find grip
    Show answer

    Take your foot off the accelerator and let the car slow. Hydroplaning lifts tires onto a film of water where braking, acceleration, and cornering lose friction. The best move in Alabama guidance is to take your foot off the accelerator and let the car slow down until tread can wipe the surface again. Firm braking on floating tires can trigger a skid the moment grip returns unevenly, while more speed deepens the float. Hold a straight line, ease off fully, and wait for weight and tread to reconnect with pavement.

    Study this in the handbook: Skids, hydroplaning, fog and hills

19. 19. What does this sign tell a driver to expect ahead?

    
    1. A STOP sign ahead
    2. A YIELD sign ahead
    3. A traffic signal ahead
    4. A railroad crossing ahead
    Show answer

    A YIELD sign ahead. An advance notice gives time to ease off the speed and prepare to give way at the control just ahead. The warning itself is not the place to stop, and it does not announce a stop sign, a signal, or tracks. Look beyond the diamond for the red and white yield sign, scan traffic on the intersecting road, and be ready to wait if another vehicle or a pedestrian has the right to go first. Rolling in prepared prevents a rushed stop.

20. 20. A minimum speed is posted on an Alabama highway. The day is clear, the pavement is dry, and traffic is flowing normally, yet a driver cruises well below that minimum. How is that driving treated?

    1. Lawful, because slow driving is never restricted
    2. Unlawful only if another driver honks in complaint
    3. Unlawful, because normal conditions require the minimum
    4. Lawful, because minimums only advise a comfortable pace
    Show answer

    Unlawful, because normal conditions require the minimum. Posted minimums carry legal weight in Alabama when weather, road, and traffic conditions are normal. Cruising below the minimum on a clear, dry day holds up the traffic stream and can force abrupt lane changes around a slow vehicle. No complaint from another driver is needed to make the conduct unlawful, and a minimum is more than a comfort hint. In poor conditions the judgment changes, so check the setting before deciding that a slow speed is protected.

    Study this in the handbook: Speed limits