AZ Permit Practice Test 13

All 20 questions in test 13

Every question below comes from the Arizona 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. You are driving in dense fog on an Arizona road. Which lights and guide should you use?

   1. Low beams and the road edge markings
   2. High beams and the center line
   3. Parking lights and the vehicle ahead
   4. Fog lights only, with the radio on
   Show answer

   Low beams and the road edge markings. When driving in fog, use low beams only and look for road edge markings to guide you. High beams shine into the fog and reflect back at your eyes, which reduces what you can see. The edge markings help you hold your position in the lane when everything else is hard to see. Slow down, keep extra distance, and be ready to pull off if the fog gets too dense.

   Study this in the handbook: Stopping distance, bad weather and night driving

2. 2. You are approaching a street crossing on an Arizona road and want to pass the car ahead. How close to the crossing may you pass?

   1. Within 10 feet if the street is empty
   2. Within 50 feet if you signal
   3. Not within 100 feet of the crossing
   4. Within 25 feet if your lane is clear
   Show answer

   Not within 100 feet of the crossing. The manual lists approaching within 100 feet of a street crossing, and within 100 feet of a railroad crossing, as places where passing is not allowed. Vehicles or people may enter the roadway at a crossing, and you would have little time to return to your lane. Wait until you are past that distance, and then pass only if it is safe and legal.

   Study this in the handbook: Signaling, passing and U turns

3. 3. A severe dust storm forces you off an Arizona highway. Where should you stop?

   1. In the emergency lane right beside the travel lane
   2. In the right travel lane, with your lights on
   3. Completely off the highway, as far right as possible
   4. In the center of the highway, with your flashers on
   Show answer

   Completely off the highway, as far right as possible. In a severe dust storm, drive completely off the highway and stop as far to the right as possible. The manual says not to stop in the travel lane or in the emergency lane. Drivers behind you may follow your taillights and crash into a vehicle stopped in those places. Getting well clear of the roadway protects you when visibility drops to almost nothing.

   Study this in the handbook: Stopping distance, bad weather and night driving

4. 4. A box lies in your lane on an Arizona highway. Why can swerving around it be worse than hitting it?

   1. You may lose control and leave the roadway
   2. Swerving around objects always damages the tires badly
   3. The box can jump into your car
   4. The other lane has no room for any car
   Show answer

   You may lose control and leave the roadway. A common crash related to debris is a driver swerving to avoid the hazard, losing control of the vehicle, and leaving the roadway. A sudden swerve can send your car into other traffic, off the shoulder, or into a roll. Looking well ahead, slowing, and keeping control is often safer than a sudden move around an object in the lane.

   Study this in the handbook: Stopping distance, bad weather and night driving

5. 5. How must a driver behave at all Arizona construction sites?

   1. Maintain highway speed on smooth lanes
   2. Follow cones only during daylight
   3. Pass work vehicles whenever space opens
   4. Drive slowly and stay especially alert
   Show answer

   Drive slowly and stay especially alert. Construction sites place workers, machines, and surface changes beside moving traffic, so slow speed and heightened alertness apply everywhere in the site. A smooth looking lane can hide a drop off or a worker stepping around equipment. Night increases the need rather than relaxing it. Passing work vehicles without a clear directed path endangers crews. Obeying the posted work limit joins the slow alert posture. Together they give the driver time to obey flaggers and arrow panels without sudden braking.

6. 6. What is the basic color for Arizona road work alerting and controlling devices?

   1. Blue
   2. Orange
   3. Green
   4. White
   Show answer

   Orange. Orange is the basic color for devices that alert and control traffic in construction and maintenance areas. The color separates temporary work control from permanent regulatory white, guidance green, and information blue. Seeing orange ahead should trigger earlier slowing and a search for flaggers, lane shifts, and workers near the lane. The same family color appears on work signs and vests. A driver who links orange with temporary hazard gains seconds to adjust speed before reaching cones, drums, or a flagger station.

7. 7. What helps a driver exit an Arizona freeway smoothly?

   1. Braking hard while still in the fast freeway lanes
   2. Using the deceleration lane and braking smoothly there
   3. Crossing the gore area early to reach the exit ramp sooner
   4. Keeping freeway speed until the ramp curve begins
   Show answer

   Using the deceleration lane and braking smoothly there. Most freeways provide deceleration lanes so slowing happens away from fast through traffic. Proper braking inside that lane brings speed down for the ramp curve without shocking drivers behind. Hard braking on the freeway invites rear crashes, and gore area shortcuts cut across protected space. Waiting until the ramp ends leaves too much speed for a tight curve. The exit pattern is early lane position, signal, move into the deceleration lane, then steady braking matched to the ramp speed ahead.

   Study this in the handbook: Parking rules, hills and painted curbs

8. 8. A driver must leave a vehicle parked on an Arizona highway in an emergency. What should be done with the controls?

   1. Leave the engine running in neutral with wheels straight ahead
   2. Use neutral only and rely on the curb to hold the car
   3. Set the brake, use park or a gear, and turn the engine off
   4. Keep the engine on so the hazard lights stay bright
   Show answer

   Set the brake, use park or a gear, and turn the engine off. A parked emergency vehicle must stay put after the driver leaves the travel path. Setting the parking brake, placing an automatic in park or a manual in gear, and shutting off the engine locks the vehicle against rolling and saves fuel for a later start. Neutral with any brake released invites movement on even a slight grade. Hazard lights run from the battery without the engine. After securing the car, the driver sets warning signals and stays with the vehicle when possible.

   Study this in the handbook: Parking rules, hills and painted curbs

9. 9. The signal turns green as you reach an Arizona intersection. What may you do?

   1. Go through in the signal's direction if the roadway is clear
   2. Go through at once because you have priority over every driver
   3. Go through only after honking to alert others
   4. Go through only if you are in the left lane
   Show answer

   Go through in the signal's direction if the roadway is clear. A green signal lets you go through the intersection in the direction indicated, if the roadway is clear. That wording means vehicles and pedestrians still in the intersection must be allowed to clear first, and you must yield to them. Green is permission to proceed when it is safe, and it does not give priority over anyone already in the intersection, require a horn, or depend on your lane.

   Study this in the handbook: Traffic signals and red light running

10. 10. Near Arizona METRO light rail tracks, from where may cars turn across the tracks?

    1. From any travel lane when traffic happens to be light
    2. From the paved shoulder running beside the tracks
    3. From inside the trackway when moving at low speed
    4. Only from designated turn lanes controlled by traffic signals
    Show answer

    Only from designated turn lanes controlled by traffic signals. Light rail turns are channeled into designated turn lanes that traffic signals control. That design times car turns around train movements and keeps vehicles out of the trackway. Turning from a travel lane, shoulder, or the tracks themselves defeats the signal timing and risks a side collision with a quiet train. Drivers should enter the marked turn lane early, obey its signal, and look both ways before crossing rails. The same discipline protects people using station crosswalks near the intersection.

    Study this in the handbook: Pavement markings and turning lanes

11. 11. Why should an Arizona driver not honk at a bicyclist while passing?

    1. A honk can startle the rider into a crash
    2. Honking is banned during all passing
    3. Riders cannot hear a car horn at all
    4. Honking slows your passing vehicle down at once
    Show answer

    A honk can startle the rider into a crash. A close horn blast can make a rider flinch, swerve, or look back at the exact moment a vehicle passes within a few feet. That startle response can put the bicycle into the vehicle path or off the edge. Horns still warn in true emergencies elsewhere, and riders can hear them, which is the point of the danger. Passing quietly with wide clearance respects the rider balance. A driver who needs more room should wait for a safer gap rather than announce a close pass.

    Study this in the handbook: Bicycles, motorcycles, trucks and light rail

12. 12. You have entered an Arizona roundabout through a safe gap. What should you do once you are inside?

    1. Stop and wait for a second gap before continuing
    2. Pause beside the island to check your route
    3. Keep moving to your exit without stopping
    4. Stop at each crosswalk until all traffic clears
    Show answer

    Keep moving to your exit without stopping. The manual says to enter the roundabout when there is a gap in traffic, and that once inside, you should not stop. Stopping in the circle puts you in the path of drivers who are entering and circulating behind you. Keep moving through the roundabout to the exit you want, using signals and markings, and yield only where required at crossings on the way out.

    Study this in the handbook: Signaling, passing and U turns

13. 13. How do traffic laws and right-of-way apply to bicyclists in Arizona?

    1. Riders follow no traffic laws at all
    2. Riders share motorist laws and right-of-way conditions
    3. Motorists always hold priority over riders
    4. Riders hold priority at every crossing
    Show answer

    Riders share motorist laws and right-of-way conditions. A bicycle on the road is a vehicle for traffic law purposes. The rider obeys the same signals, signs, and lane rules as a motorist, and holds right of way under the same conditions a motorist would. That symmetry makes behavior predictable: a driver yields to a bicyclist exactly where a car would be yielded to, and expects the rider to yield where a car must. Treating the rider as invisible or as always supreme both break that shared pattern and create intersection conflicts.

    Study this in the handbook: Bicycles, motorcycles, trucks and light rail

14. 14. It is raining heavily on an Arizona freeway. How much space should you leave behind the vehicle ahead?

    1. About 2 seconds, the same as on a dry road
    2. Roughly 3 seconds if your tires are new
    3. One car length for every 10 mph
    4. At least 6 seconds of following distance
    Show answer

    At least 6 seconds of following distance. In heavy rain, the manual says to slow down to increase the distance between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead to at least 6 seconds. Wet pavement lengthens stopping distance and rain reduces what you can see, so a larger cushion gives you time to react. Dry road gaps, new tires, or car length rules of thumb leave too little room when the road is slick and visibility is poor.

    Study this in the handbook: Stopping distance, bad weather and night driving

15. 15. Portable school crossing signs have been removed in Arizona. Which speed limit now applies?

    1. The 15 mph maximum from the first school sign
    2. The normal speed limit for the area
    3. Five mph below the normal area limit
    4. The last speed shown before removal
    Show answer

    The normal speed limit for the area. Portable signs in the center of the roadway mark an active school crossing with a 15 mph maximum. When those portable signs are not in place, the normal speed limit for the area applies again. The 15 mph ceiling belongs to the signed active period, not to every hour near a school. Drivers still watch for children whenever they pass a school. The return to the normal limit happens only after the signs come down.

    Study this in the handbook: Speed limits and work zones

16. 16. When crossing a road on foot in Arizona, what should a pedestrian do about drivers?

    1. Assume every approaching driver has seen them waiting there
    2. Make eye contact with approaching drivers when possible
    3. Step out quickly to claim the marked crossing space
    4. Look only toward the far curb while crossing over
    Show answer

    Make eye contact with approaching drivers when possible. Eye contact confirms a driver has actually seen the person waiting to cross. Assuming visibility fails at dusk, in glare, and when a driver is distracted. Stepping out quickly forces braking that may not be possible in time. Watching only the far curb misses vehicles turning from side streets. The pedestrian should use crosswalks or intersections, look before stepping, and allow drivers time to notice and react. That shared caution backs up the legal yield duties placed on drivers.

    Study this in the handbook: Signaling, passing and U turns

17. 17. You are on an Arizona road with two lanes in your direction, separated by a broken white line. When may you move across it?

    1. Never, because the line works as a barrier
    2. Only when you are passing a vehicle that has stopped ahead
    3. Only when no vehicle is visible behind you
    4. After you signal, if it is safe to change lanes
    Show answer

    After you signal, if it is safe to change lanes. A broken white line separates two lanes traveling in the same direction. Arizona drivers may cross it when changing lanes, once they have signaled and it is safe to do so. That means checking mirrors and blind spots for vehicles beside you, not only behind. The line is not a barrier, and you do not need a special reason such as passing a stopped vehicle to cross it.

    Study this in the handbook: Parking rules, hills and painted curbs

18. 18. A school bus ahead has alternating flashing lights and its stop-sign arm extended. What does this tell you?

    1. The bus is broken down and needs help
    2. The bus is turning into a school driveway
    3. Students are getting on or off the bus
    4. The bus is signaling traffic to pass on the left
    Show answer

    Students are getting on or off the bus. A school bus will have alternating flashing lights and a mechanical stop-sign arm extended while passengers are entering or leaving the bus. These signals mean children may be walking near or crossing in front of the bus, so drivers must stop as the law requires. A turn, a breakdown, or an invitation to pass is not what the lights and stop arm show.

    Study this in the handbook: Right of way, pedestrians and roundabouts

19. 19. A motorcyclist shifts position inside the lane in Arizona. What may the rider be doing?

    1. Claiming two lanes at once
    2. Avoiding oil, potholes, or debris in the lane
    3. Signaling a turn by position alone
    4. Preparing to split parked cars
    Show answer

    Avoiding oil, potholes, or debris in the lane. A rider moving left or right inside the lane often dodges oil, potholes, gravel, or debris that a car would roll over without noticing. That shift is not a lane claim or a turn signal by itself. Drivers should hold their own path and avoid copying the movement into the rider space. Giving the motorcycle the full lane width lets the rider pick the clean line. Sudden driver moves toward the shifting bike can remove the escape path the rider was creating.

    Study this in the handbook: Bicycles, motorcycles, trucks and light rail

20. 20. Your car stalls on the tracks at an Arizona crossing. What should you do first?

    1. Stay in the car and keep trying to restart it
    2. Wait inside with your seat belt fastened
    3. Get out of the vehicle
    4. Sound the horn until the train driver sees you
    Show answer

    Get out of the vehicle. The manual says to get out of your vehicle if it stalls on the tracks. A train cannot stop quickly and can strike a stalled vehicle with great force, so the first priority is moving people away from the tracks. Do not stay inside to try to restart the engine. Once everyone is out, get away from the tracks and call for help.

    Study this in the handbook: Speed limits and work zones