CO Permit Practice Test 22

All 20 questions in test 22

Every question below comes from the Colorado 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 turn onto a quiet Colorado residential street with no speed sign in sight. What unposted limit should you assume?

   1. 30 mph
   2. 20 mph
   3. 25 mph
   4. 40 mph
   Show answer

   30 mph. The handbook lists the unposted limits in Colorado. Thirty mph applies in any residence district, 25 mph in any business district, and 40 mph on open mountain highways. A quiet residential street is a residence district. Residence districts have homes, children, and parked cars, which is why the default is lower than on open highways. Watch for other hazards as well.

   Study this in the handbook: Emergency vehicles, school buses and work zones

2. 2. Inside a roundabout, when should turn signals be used?

   1. Only at the moment you enter the roundabout
   2. Signals are never used inside of a roundabout
   3. When changing lanes and when exiting it
   4. Only trucks and buses that are circulating in it
   Show answer

   When changing lanes and when exiting it. To alert traffic of your intentions, the handbook says to use your turn signals in a roundabout when changing lanes and exiting. Signaling tells drivers waiting to enter and pedestrians nearby what you will do, so signal when you plan to change lanes inside the circle and when you leave. Using your signal also helps pedestrians crossing at the entry or exit know whether you are turning off, so they can cross with more confidence.

   Study this in the handbook: Lines, crosswalks and special lanes

3. 3. When entering a freeway from an on-ramp, what speed should you reach?

   1. Stop at the end of the ramp, then accelerate hard
   2. Increase speed to match freeway traffic before merging
   3. Enter at half the freeway speed and build up slowly
   4. Match only the speed of the slowest truck on the right
   Show answer

   Increase speed to match freeway traffic before merging. The handbook explains that high-speed roadways generally have acceleration ramps so you can build up speed. On an on-ramp, you should try to increase your speed to match freeway traffic before you merge. Entering slower than traffic makes freeway drivers brake or swerve, while matching their speed lets you merge into a gap without disrupting the flow. The extra speed lets you slip into a gap without forcing others to brake.

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

4. 4. Besides law enforcement and fire crews, whom does Colorado's Move Over Law say it protects?

   1. Only the drivers who have their hazard lights flashing
   2. Maintenance and emergency staff, tow truck drivers, and you
   3. The passengers who are waiting inside disabled cars
   4. Road crews that are working behind barriers only
   Show answer

   Maintenance and emergency staff, tow truck drivers, and you. The handbook says Colorado's Move Over Law protects law enforcement, fire, maintenance, other emergency personnel, tow truck drivers and you, the passing driver. The law exists to protect people who work or stop along the road, so move over or slow down for them, and treat the passing driver as protected too. The law covers all the people who work along the road in these roles, not only police and fire personnel, so give every one of them the same room and caution that you would for an emergency vehicle.

   Study this in the handbook: Crash duties, the Move It Law and the Move Over Law

5. 5. A white sign with a red slash forbids the turn you planned. What does that kind of sign indicate?

   1. A hazard on the roadway that lies ahead
   2. Directions to a destination in that area
   3. Services that are available at the next exit ramp
   4. Something the driver cannot do, such as a U-turn
   Show answer

   Something the driver cannot do, such as a U-turn. The handbook says prohibited signs indicate you cannot do something, for example, no U-turn or no left turn. A red circle with a slash through a symbol is a prohibited sign. Obey it as you would any regulatory sign, or you may commit a violation. A red circle with a slash through a symbol such as a U-turn or a left turn arrow tells you the movement is not allowed, so choose another route, and continue ahead to a place where the turn is legal.

   Study this in the handbook: Regulatory signs: stop, yield and speed

6. 6. A freight train barrels toward a crossing at 55 mph while its engineer brakes. About how far does it need to stop?

   1. About 500 feet, about the same as a truck convoy
   2. About 1,000 feet, since it is on steel rails
   3. About 200 feet when it is under full braking
   4. About one mile to come to a stop
   Show answer

   About one mile to come to a stop. The handbook says the average freight train traveling at 55 mph requires about one mile to stop. It cannot stop quickly for a vehicle on the tracks. Because of the weight and speed, an engineer cannot stop quickly or swerve, so a driver must never try to beat a train across the tracks. A train may take a long distance to stop even after the engineer applies the brakes, so a driver who sees a train approaching should stop well behind the tracks, and should never try to race across them.

   Study this in the handbook: Railroad crossings and light rail

7. 7. Two impaired Colorado drivers show very different impairment levels after stops. What decides DWAI versus DUI for each?

   1. The level of the driver's mental or physical impairment
   2. The particular type of alcohol that each of the drivers drank
   3. Whether or not each driver owns the vehicle
   4. The hour of the night when each driver was stopped
   Show answer

   The level of the driver's mental or physical impairment. The handbook says the charge, DWAI or DUI, depends on the level of the driver's mental or physical impairment. A driver impaired to the slightest degree faces DWAI, and a substantially incapable one faces DUI. Because the charge depends on impairment and not the drink itself, both beer and spirits can lead to either charge, depending on the driver. Two drivers with different drinks can face the same charge, because the court looks at how impaired each driver was, and not at the type or amount of drink alone.

   Study this in the handbook: Losing your license, seat belts and child restraints

8. 8. At night your low beams and fog lights are on, and an oncoming car is 400 feet away. What must you do?

   1. Keep the high beams lit until the cars are 200 feet apart
   2. Switch off the fog lights and leave the high beams alone
   3. Flash once to warn the other driver, then hold them
   4. Dim to low beams before you come within 500 feet
   Show answer

   Dim to low beams before you come within 500 feet. The handbook says you must dim your lights before coming within 500 feet of any oncoming vehicle so the oncoming driver is not blinded by the glare. At 400 feet you are already inside that distance. Dimming early prevents glare from reducing the oncoming driver's vision, so switch to low beams before the vehicles meet, and keep using low beam or fog lights rather than high beams when driving through fog at night.

   Study this in the handbook: Freeways, lane changes and passing

9. 9. A school bus lights its amber warning lights. What is about to happen?

   1. The bus is turning around at a dead end up ahead
   2. The driver is testing the lights before starting the route
   3. Children have already finished crossing the street
   4. The bus is about to stop to load or unload children
   Show answer

   The bus is about to stop to load or unload children. The handbook says that when a school bus is about to stop and load or unload children, the driver activates amber warning lights. The yellow warning lights stay on until the bus door opens, so slow down and get ready to stop. The amber lights are a warning to slow down. They come first, and the red lights and stop arm follow when the bus actually stops.

   Study this in the handbook: Bicyclists, motorcycles, trucks and pedestrians

10. 10. As you enter a roundabout, besides pedestrians or bicyclists in a crosswalk, what must you yield to?

    1. Only the pedestrians waiting near the crosswalk
    2. Vehicles that enter behind you in line
    3. Any traffic already inside the roundabout
    4. Nothing at all, once you have reached the yield line
    Show answer

    Any traffic already inside the roundabout. The handbook says that as you enter or leave a roundabout, you must yield to pedestrians or bicyclists in any crosswalk and to any traffic already inside the roundabout. Slow down at the entry, look to your left, and enter only when there is a gap that lets you merge without forcing anyone to brake. That includes anyone crossing at the entry.

    Study this in the handbook: Lines, crosswalks and special lanes

11. 11. Which turning errors should a Colorado driver avoid?

    1. Turns made after you signal for a full three seconds first
    2. Short turns, wide turns, late turns, and straddling lanes
    3. Turns that end centered in the correct lane ahead
    4. Turns that begin close to the proper curb or edge
    Show answer

    Short turns, wide turns, late turns, and straddling lanes. The handbook lists the turning errors to avoid: short turns that cut corners, wide turns, late turns, and straddling lanes. Each one puts the vehicle where other road users do not expect it, so aim to enter the new lane smoothly and in its center. Check each of these errors against your own turns. Signaling early and starting from the correct position help you avoid all four of them.

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

12. 12. You are on a side entrance ramp heading onto a Colorado freeway. When may you merge into traffic?

    1. Once the solid white line has ended and there is an opening
    2. As soon as you reach the start of the ramp, before the line ends
    3. Only after stopping in the acceleration lane to check traffic
    4. Whenever freeway drivers flash their lights to let you in
    Show answer

    Once the solid white line has ended and there is an opening. The handbook says to signal properly, look for an opening in traffic, accelerate to the speed of traffic and merge into traffic when it is safe. It adds that you should not merge until the solid white line has ended, and that you should not stop in the acceleration lane unless absolutely necessary. You must also yield the right-of-way to freeway traffic. High-speed roadways generally have acceleration ramps so you can build up speed before entering.

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

13. 13. When should high beam lights be used in Colorado?

    1. In city traffic so that you can read signs sooner
    2. When following another car within 200 feet of it at night
    3. In rural areas and on open highways away from cities
    4. In fog, to get the brightest view of the road ahead
    Show answer

    In rural areas and on open highways away from cities. The handbook says to use your high beam lights when driving in rural areas and on open highways away from urban and metropolitan areas, where there are fewer vehicles and less glare for other drivers. In cities and in traffic with other vehicles nearby, high beams can blind other drivers, so low beams are used where traffic is close. Switch to low beams as soon as another vehicle approaches or you come to a more built-up area.

    Study this in the handbook: Freeways, lane changes and passing

14. 14. What may a driver never do on a designated bicycle path or lane?

    1. Glance for riders before you turn across the lane
    2. Stop, park, or drive in the bicycle path or lane
    3. Signal your turn well ahead of time
    4. Ease off the gas when riders are close
    Show answer

    Stop, park, or drive in the bicycle path or lane. The handbook says not to stop, park or drive on a designated bicycle path or lane. The lane is for people on bikes, and blocking it can force riders into the lane of traffic. Bicyclists have the right of way in a bike lane, and drivers may cross it only to turn, so wait for riders to clear and do not use the lane to stop or pass.

    Study this in the handbook: Bicyclists, motorcycles, trucks and pedestrians

15. 15. Headlight switch tries fail at night. What backup lighting should be used?

    1. Parking lights, while you continue the trip as planned
    2. No lights at all, to avoid confusing other traffic
    3. Emergency flashers, turn signals, or fog lights if you have them
    4. High beams that you switch on and off by hand
    Show answer

    Emergency flashers, turn signals, or fog lights if you have them. If the headlight switch trick fails, the handbook says to put on the emergency flashers, turn signals or fog lights, if you have them, so other drivers can see you. These lights make your vehicle visible even when the headlights will not work, and you should pull off the road as soon as it is safe to do so. Keep the lights on for as long as you need to travel to a safe stopping place.

    Study this in the handbook: Avoiding collisions, animals and vehicle failures

16. 16. You wait to turn left on a plain green light with traffic streaming toward you. What traffic must you yield to?

    1. All oncoming traffic, unless you have a green arrow
    2. Only the trucks and buses that are coming toward you
    3. Only the traffic that has already started to turn
    4. Nobody, once your own turn signal is flashing
    Show answer

    All oncoming traffic, unless you have a green arrow. The handbook says you must yield to all oncoming traffic when turning left, unless you have a green arrow or arrived first at a four-way stop. A plain green light lets you enter the intersection and wait to turn, but you must let oncoming traffic go by first unless you have a green arrow or reached a four-way stop first.

    Study this in the handbook: Right of way at intersections, roundabouts and mountain roads

17. 17. Your light shows green, but a crossing guard signals traffic to stop. Which instruction controls?

    1. The green light always wins over the people who direct traffic
    2. Whoever gestures the more forcefully is the one to obey
    3. Stop only after you have finished making your turn
    4. Stop as the guard directs, since officers and guards override signals
    Show answer

    Stop as the guard directs, since officers and guards override signals. The handbook says traffic control can also be provided by law enforcement, highway personnel, or school crossing guards, and you must obey directions from these persons even if the signal shows green. A signal tells drivers what to do when no one is directing traffic, but when a guard or officer is giving directions you follow the person, even if it conflicts with the light.

    Study this in the handbook: Fitness to drive, distractions and basic control

18. 18. Snow is forecast overnight and you park facing downhill on a curbed street. How should the front wheels sit before you leave?

    1. Turned toward the curb, resting against it so the car cannot roll
    2. Turned away from the curb so the car rolls into the street
    3. Straight ahead, since the emergency brake alone will hold the car
    4. Turned right only if the street has no curb on either side
    Show answer

    Turned toward the curb, resting against it so the car cannot roll. The handbook says that when you stop your vehicle headed downhill, you turn your front wheels toward the curb. If the brakes fail to hold, the curb stops the vehicle. On a hill, the curb is the backup if the brakes do not hold, and snow or ice can make a vehicle more likely to slip, so turning the wheels toward the curb is especially important.

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

19. 19. A stop sign faces you at a quiet intersection with no other traffic in sight. What must you do?

    1. Slow down and roll through if nothing is coming
    2. Come to a complete stop
    3. Stop only if another vehicle is waiting
    4. Slow to about 10 mph and check both ways
    Show answer

    Come to a complete stop. The handbook says stop signs mean you must come to a complete stop. The sign applies to every driver at that approach, whether or not other traffic is visible, and a slow roll through the intersection does not satisfy it. Stop first, then check for pedestrians and vehicles before you proceed when it is safe. Do not assume that an empty intersection means you can skip the stop.

    Study this in the handbook: Fitness to drive, distractions and basic control

20. 20. A school bus across an undivided two-lane road flashes red with its arm out. Your direction faces it. What must you do?

    1. Proceed slowly on your own side of the road
    2. Stop only after the bus arm is fully extended
    3. Stop and stay stopped until the red lights stop flashing
    4. Pass carefully at under 10 mph on the left side
    Show answer

    Stop and stay stopped until the red lights stop flashing. The handbook says you must stop for a school bus with flashing red lights whether it is on your side of the road, the opposite side or at an intersection you are approaching. Remain stopped until the flashing red lights are no longer flashing. The stop applies in both directions on an undivided road, and you should wait for the flashing to end, since children may cross in front of or behind the bus.

    Study this in the handbook: Right of way at intersections, roundabouts and mountain roads