AZ Permit Practice Test 16

All 20 questions in test 16

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. How can a driver signal for assistance after stopping on an Arizona freeway?

   1. Stand in a lane and wave both arms
   2. Turn on emergency flashers or raise the hood
   3. Rev the engine in a pattern
   4. Leave headlights on high beam only
   Show answer

   Turn on emergency flashers or raise the hood. Emergency flashers or a raised hood tell passing drivers and patrols that the vehicle is stopped and needs help. Both signals work while the driver stays off the travel lanes. Standing in a lane to wave is extremely dangerous at freeway speed. Engine noise and high beams alone do not communicate a stopped vehicle clearly. After signaling, the driver waits for help rather than walking the freeway. At night, extra light signals can be added so the stopped vehicle stays visible from far behind.

   Study this in the handbook: Freeway and highway driving

2. 2. Where may a driver enter an Arizona freeway?

   1. Anywhere the shoulder is wide enough to merge
   2. From a frontage road gap where traffic is light
   3. From a median crossover when no police are nearby
   4. Only at an on-ramp
   Show answer

   Only at an on-ramp. The manual lists driving onto the freeway anywhere except at an on-ramp as something drivers must not do, along with making a U-turn and changing lanes without signaling. On-ramps are built with an acceleration area so entering drivers can match freeway speed and merge safely. Shoulders, frontage road gaps, and crossovers have no such design, so entering from them puts drivers in front of traffic moving at full speed.

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

3. 3. You are delivering boxes to a store beside a yellow painted curb in Arizona. What does the curb allow?

   1. Parking for an hour while you shop
   2. A stop only long enough to load or unload
   3. A stop to pick up passengers only
   4. Parking overnight when the store is closed
   Show answer

   A stop only long enough to load or unload. A yellow painted curb in Arizona allows you to stop only long enough to load or unload, and you must stay with your car. That fits a delivery driver quickly moving boxes, but it does not allow parking while shopping or leaving the vehicle for the night. White curbs are for passengers, and red curbs do not allow stopping at all.

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

4. 4. You see a person crossing an Arizona street outside a marked crosswalk. What should you do in the interest of safety?

   1. Give that person the right-of-way
   2. Maintain speed if no crosswalk exists
   3. Honk until the person retreats
   4. Pass closely behind the person
   Show answer

   Give that person the right-of-way. Paint helps organize crossings, but a human body in the street always outranks a vehicle schedule. Giving right of way to any person seen crossing protects someone who may be confused, young, elderly, or crossing from a driveway area. Honking can panic a walker into your path and close passing risks a fall from the slipstream or a sudden step back. Slowing or stopping costs seconds. Drivers must yield formally at marked and unmarked crosswalks, and safety extends that courtesy to every crossing person.

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

5. 5. What should a sober Arizona driver do about an impaired person about to drive?

   1. Ride along to watch the road together
   2. Follow closely to intervene if needed
   3. Let them drive slowly on side streets
   4. Never let an impaired driver get behind the wheel
   Show answer

   Never let an impaired driver get behind the wheel. Most wrong way crashes and many fatal collisions begin when an impaired person turns a key that friends could have taken. Refusing to let that drive start, by holding keys, calling a ride, or offering a couch, prevents the entire crash chain. Riding along, following, and slow street exceptions leave an impaired driver in control of two tons of metal. Intervention can feel awkward for a minute; a fatal crash lasts forever. The duty extends to never driving impaired or distracted oneself.

   Study this in the handbook: Crashes, wrong way drivers and traffic stops

6. 6. You are driving at night and a bicyclist is ahead of you in the same lane on an Arizona road. What courtesy does the manual ask for?

   1. Flash your high beams twice
   2. Dim your headlights
   3. Turn on your hazard lights
   4. Turn your headlights off for a moment
   Show answer

   Dim your headlights. At night, dim your headlights to be courteous to bicyclists. High beams can dazzle a rider and make it hard to see the road. Low beams let you see the rider and let the rider see the road. Flashing high beams, using hazard lights, or turning off your headlights does not give the same benefit and can create new hazards.

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

7. 7. You arrive first at an Arizona crash scene. Where and how should you stop?

   1. In the nearest travel lane with lights off
   2. Off the road with hazard flashers turned on
   3. Across both shoulders at an angle
   4. Directly behind the crashed vehicles in lane
   Show answer

   Off the road with hazard flashers turned on. A helper vehicle becomes part of the hazard unless it parks clear of traffic with hazard flashers warning arrivals. Off road placement protects the helper and the victims from a second strike. Lane stops and angle blocks multiply the scene. After parking safely, the helper turns off ignitions of involved vehicles, calls 911, and stays out of traffic lanes. Others who stopped can be asked to warn approaching traffic. Scene safety precedes aid, because an injured helper cannot assist anyone.

   Study this in the handbook: Crashes, wrong way drivers and traffic stops

8. 8. What extra duty arises at an Arizona crash where someone is injured?

   1. Wait until morning to report it
   2. Move the injured person yourself at once
   3. Immediately call the police
   4. Exchange money for medical bills
   Show answer

   Immediately call the police. Injury changes a crash from property exchange to emergency response, and police must be called immediately. Dispatchers send medical help and officers to secure a chaotic scene. Moving an injured person without training can worsen spinal harm unless fire or traffic threatens directly. Roadside payments resolve nothing about care or fault. While waiting, drivers remain at the scene, aid within ability, and keep information exchange going. Quick notification also preserves evidence about how the injury crash occurred.

   Study this in the handbook: Crashes, wrong way drivers and traffic stops

9. 9. The road is slippery with ice or loose gravel and you are following another car in Arizona. How should you change your following distance?

   1. Double it, to six seconds or more
   2. Keep the normal gap and brake earlier
   3. Cut it in half and match the car ahead
   4. Add one second to your usual gap
   Show answer

   Double it, to six seconds or more. When driving on slippery roads, you should double your following distance to 6 seconds or more. The extra space allows for the added distance needed to adjust your speed or to stop, since tires have less grip. Keeping a normal gap, shortening it, or adding only a second leaves too little room, and any hard braking could start a skid.

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

10. 10. After a blowout, when should an Arizona driver pull off and apply brakes?

    1. Immediately at full speed
    2. Only after crossing two lanes
    3. After slowing until the car almost stops
    4. After speeding to a wider shoulder
    Show answer

    After slowing until the car almost stops. A blown tire pulls and shakes the vehicle, so braking hard at speed can spin it. Easing off the gas lets drag slow the car in a straight line while both hands hold the wheel. Just before the vehicle stops, the driver signals, pulls off the roadway, and applies brakes gently. Lane crossing and shoulder hunting at speed extend the danger window. The sequence trades a few hundred feet of rolling for full control at walking pace before leaving the lane.

    Study this in the handbook: Dust storms, blowouts, fires and brake failure

11. 11. Your wheels lock while braking on ice in Arizona. What should you do with the brakes?

    1. Release them completely at once
    2. Press much harder to break the ice
    3. Pump them as hard as possible
    4. Ease slightly off, without releasing completely
    Show answer

    Ease slightly off, without releasing completely. Locked wheels slide without steering grip, so pressure should ease just enough to let tires roll again while braking force remains partly applied. A full release throws away stopping effort on a long slick stretch. Harder pressure deepens the lock, and violent pumping swings between slide and surge. The rhythm is apply, ease when lock begins, and reapply as grip returns. That cadence shortens the stop while keeping the front tires able to guide the vehicle on ice or packed snow.

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

12. 12. Why is following a large truck too closely dangerous in Arizona?

    1. Trucks stop without any brake lights
    2. Truck exhaust always blinds close followers behind
    3. Your view ahead is blocked for quick reaction
    4. Trucks must be followed by one car length
    Show answer

    Your view ahead is blocked for quick reaction. A truck body as wide as the lane blocks the follower view of brake lights, signals, and hazards forming ahead. Close following turns that blind wall into a reaction trap when traffic slows. Trucks do show brake lights and exhaust is not the core issue. Distance restores a view around the sides and time to brake gently. A longer gap behind a truck also leaves room if the rig rolls back slightly on a hill start or drops road debris from its load.

    Study this in the handbook: Freeway and highway driving

13. 13. At an Arizona pedestrian activated signal, what do solid red lights require?

    1. Stop, because a pedestrian is in the crosswalk
    2. Slow and pass behind the pedestrian
    3. Proceed if no vehicle is near
    4. Yield only to children
    Show answer

    Stop, because a pedestrian is in the crosswalk. Solid red lights in the pedestrian sequence mean stop, with a person in the crosswalk. Passing behind someone on foot still places a vehicle inside an active crossing and can frighten or strike a second person. Nearby vehicle traffic does not change the duty. Children deserve extra care, but adults crossing hold the same protection. The driver waits through the red stage and moves only under the later flashing stage rules after the person finishes the driver half of the road.

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

14. 14. Another vehicle is passing you on an Arizona two lane road. How should you adjust speed?

    1. Speed up slightly to shorten the pass
    2. Match the passing vehicle speed
    3. Slow only after it returns
    4. Never speed up while it passes
    Show answer

    Never speed up while it passes. Speeding up while another vehicle is alongside stretches the time spent in the opposing lane or the passing lane. Holding speed or easing off slightly lets the pass finish and the driver return with room to spare. Matching a rising speed defeats that return gap. Waiting to slow until after the return also fails, because the danger exists while the vehicles run side by side. A calm foot during the few seconds of a pass is one of the simplest ways to prevent a head on or sideswipe crash.

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

15. 15. You reach an Arizona intersection with a red octagonal sign and no other traffic in sight. What must you do?

    1. Slow down and go on if the cross street is empty
    2. Come to a complete stop before going on
    3. Stop only if another vehicle is coming
    4. Yield to pedestrians and keep rolling if none are near
    Show answer

    Come to a complete stop before going on. The octagon is reserved for stop signs in Arizona, and it requires every driver to come to a complete stop. That duty does not depend on whether other vehicles or pedestrians are in view. Slowing and rolling through, stopping only when traffic is present, or treating the sign like a yield sign does not satisfy it. After stopping, go on only when the way is clear and you have given the right-of-way to anyone who has it.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic signs, railroad crossings and work zones

16. 16. Making a left turn on a two-way Arizona road, where should the turn start and the car enter?

    1. Start wide right, enter any open lane
    2. Start from the right lane, enter the far right lane
    3. Turn past center, enter right of center line
    4. Turn before the center, enter against traffic briefly
    Show answer

    Turn past center, enter right of center line. The two way left turn geometry keeps turning cars from colliding head to head at the center. Approach beside the center line, turn just beyond the intersection center point, and settle into the lane just right of the center line on the new road. Wide right starts and far lane entries cross paths of right turning and opposing left turning vehicles. Brief opposing entry is never part of the pattern. Mirroring the same arc from the opposite side lets both drivers pass left side to left side smoothly.

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

17. 17. The light is fading on a late afternoon Arizona drive. What should you do to be seen?

    1. Use parking lights until it is fully dark
    2. Wait for other drivers to turn theirs on
    3. Turn on your headlights, not just parking lights
    4. Flash your high beams at oncoming cars
    Show answer

    Turn on your headlights, not just parking lights. In the late afternoon, as soon as the light begins to fade, turn on your headlights, not parking lights, to make your vehicle more visible to others. Parking lights are weak and mainly mark a parked vehicle. Dusk is a hard time to see vehicles that blend into the background, so turning on headlights early helps other drivers find you. Do not wait for it to get fully dark or for other drivers to switch theirs on first.

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

18. 18. Turning left from a one-way road to another one-way road in Arizona, where should the car approach and finish?

    1. Approach in the lane nearest the left curb, finish in the extreme left lane
    2. Approach near the right curb, finish in the right lane
    3. Approach beside the center line, finish in any lane
    4. Approach in any lane, finish beside the right curb
    Show answer

    Approach in the lane nearest the left curb, finish in the extreme left lane. On a one way to one way left turn, the vehicle approaches in the traffic lane nearest the left curb and finishes in the extreme left lane of the road entered. Right side starts belong to two way road patterns. Swinging wide during the arc can sweep across lanes that other drivers use lawfully. This is also the single left turn setting where a red light turn can be allowed after stopping and yielding, unless signs bar it. Staying left throughout keeps the path predictable.

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

19. 19. On a four-lane Arizona highway, an emergency vehicle is coming up in the lane beside yours. What is the best way to yield when you can do it safely?

    1. Move into the lane right beside the emergency vehicle
    2. Change into a lane that is not next to it
    3. Slow down and stay where you are
    4. Speed up so you clear the lane before it arrives
    Show answer

    Change into a lane that is not next to it. On a multilane highway, the manual says to yield the right-of-way by making a lane change into a lane not adjacent to that of the emergency vehicle. That leaves an open lane between you and the emergency vehicle so it can pass without risk. Do this only when it is safe. If it is not, proceed with caution and reduce speed instead.

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

20. 20. Traffic is circulating in the Arizona roundabout you are about to enter. What should you do on approach?

    1. Slow down and yield until there is a safe gap
    2. Keep your speed and merge into the first space
    3. Stop completely at the crosswalk, then enter anyway
    4. Sound the horn and enter ahead of circulating traffic
    Show answer

    Slow down and yield until there is a safe gap. As you approach a roundabout, slow down and yield until there is a safe gap before entering. Roundabouts are built for low speeds, so you have time to look at circulating traffic and choose a gap. Drivers already in the roundabout have priority. Keeping your speed, using the horn, or pushing in ahead of someone cuts off circulating traffic and can cause a collision.