LA Permit Practice Test 10

All 20 questions in test 10

Every question below comes from the Louisiana 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 must a driver do at a steady red traffic light before making a permitted right turn?

   1. Wait for a green arrow in every case
   2. Slow down and turn without stopping if traffic is light
   3. Turn first, then stop beyond the intersection
   4. Stop behind the stop bar or crosswalk and yield before turning
   Show answer

   Stop behind the stop bar or crosswalk and yield before turning. A steady red signal requires a stop behind the stop bar, crosswalk, or intersection. A right turn may follow only when no sign prohibits it and after the driver yields to traffic and pedestrians. Rolling through because the road looks empty is still a violation and removes the time needed to check for a person crossing from the side. A green arrow is not required for every permitted right turn. Stop completely, scan both directions and the crosswalk, then turn only when the movement is legal and safe.

   Study this in the handbook: Traffic lights and arrows

2. 2. How long does texting take a driver's eyes off the road, according to the Louisiana guide?

   1. 4.6 seconds
   2. 30 seconds
   3. Half a second
   4. 10 seconds
   Show answer

   4.6 seconds. Texting causes a driver to look away from the road for 4.6 seconds, long enough to cover a football field at highway speed. The guide notes that 47 states ban texting while driving and 17 ban all handheld phone use, and that 44 percent of teens say they drive more safely without friends in the car. Put the phone away before you start the engine.

   Study this in the handbook: Night driving, pedestrians and phones

3. 3. What does a steady DON'T WALK pedestrian signal tell a person at the curb?

   1. Cross if no vehicle is immediately visible
   2. Do not enter the roadway toward the signal
   3. Cross normally because the signal is not flashing
   4. Wait only for a vehicle to wave the pedestrian through
   Show answer

   Do not enter the roadway toward the signal. The steady DON'T WALK indication means pedestrians must not enter the roadway toward that signal. A person cannot replace the signal with a quick visual check or a driver's wave, because traffic can approach from outside the immediate view. The fact that the signal is steady does not make it permissive. Wait for a steady WALK indication before beginning, and continue checking traffic while crossing. For drivers, a person already in the crosswalk remains a roadway user who must be given space and time to finish safely.

   Study this in the handbook: Lane changes, passing and wet roads

4. 4. What hand positions does the Louisiana guide recommend on the steering wheel?

   1. 10 and 2 at all times
   2. 12 and 6
   3. 9 and 3 or 8 and 4, with 12 o'clock only while backing
   4. One hand at 12
   Show answer

   9 and 3 or 8 and 4, with 12 o'clock only while backing. The recommended positions are 9 and 3 or 8 and 4, which keep the arms clear of a deploying air bag and give balanced control. The only time 12 o'clock is recommended is when backing to the left or right and the driver must turn in the seat to see the path, and there is little need to reposition the hands during almost all open road driving.

   Study this in the handbook: Safety belts, child restraints and air bags

5. 5. What does a steady yellow traffic light mean?

   1. The signal is about to change to red, so stop if safely possible
   2. Speed up because the light will remain yellow for one minute
   3. Stop only after entering the intersection
   4. Treat it exactly like a flashing yellow light and continue
   Show answer

   The signal is about to change to red, so stop if safely possible. A steady yellow warns that the signal is about to change to red. The driver should slow and make a complete stop before the stop bar when that can be done safely. If already in the intersection, continue safely through rather than stopping in the conflict area. The speed-up choice increases risk, and a steady yellow is not the same as a flashing yellow caution. Check mirrors, brake smoothly, and avoid an abrupt stop when stopping would itself be unsafe.

   Study this in the handbook: Traffic lights and arrows

6. 6. How far ahead do low beam and high beam headlights let you see, according to the Louisiana guide?

   1. About 50 feet and 100 feet
   2. About 1,000 feet on both
   3. About 150 to 200 feet on low beam and 350 to 400 feet on high beam
   4. About 500 feet and one mile
   Show answer

   About 150 to 200 feet on low beam and 350 to 400 feet on high beam. Your lower beam headlights let you see clearly about 150 to 200 feet ahead, and high beams about 350 to 400 feet, so at highway speed you can easily overdrive your low beams. Slow down at night, use high beams on open road when no one is approaching, and dim them for oncoming and followed vehicles. Night driving creates a different set of problems.

   Study this in the handbook: Night driving, pedestrians and phones

7. 7. What shape are most construction and maintenance signs in a work area?

   1. Octagon
   2. Circle
   3. Pennant
   4. Diamond
   Show answer

   Diamond. Construction and maintenance signs notify drivers of unusual or potentially dangerous conditions in or near work areas. Louisiana's guide says most signs in work areas are diamond shaped, and a few are rectangular. Orange warning signs tell you that workers, machinery and barricades are just ahead, and you may need to slow down, stop or change lanes. When you see an orange diamond, reduce speed, watch for workers and equipment, and follow the signs and flag persons through the area.

   Study this in the handbook: Warning, regulatory, guide and work zone signs

8. 8. Which first-time Louisiana license applicants must submit a detailed report from a physician or vision specialist?

   1. Everyone under 18
   2. Only commercial drivers
   3. Physically impaired persons and persons over 60
   4. Only applicants who wear glasses
   Show answer

   Physically impaired persons and persons over 60. Every physically impaired person and every person over the age of 60 applying for a license for the first time must submit a detailed report from a physician and/or vision specialist, on a form from the Office of Motor Vehicles. Teens under 18 are not singled out. The rule is not limited to commercial drivers or glasses wearers, and the OMV may require a medical or visual report from anyone.

   Study this in the handbook: Insurance, renewal, your record and losing your license

9. 9. Until what age must a Louisiana driver keep the intermediate license?

   1. The 17th birthday
   2. The 16th birthday
   3. The 18th birthday
   4. The 21st birthday
   Show answer

   The 17th birthday. Stage 2 of Louisiana's program, the intermediate license, must be maintained until the seventeenth birthday. The driver can then move to Stage 3, the full license, after completing Stages 1 and 2. Sixteen is the minimum age to get the intermediate license, not the end of it. Eighteen and 21 are not the Stage 2 cutoff. While intermediate, the driver faces the 11:00 p.m. curfew and the evening passenger limit.

   Study this in the handbook: The graduated licensing program

10. 10. What maximum prison term does Louisiana law set for a fourth DWI conviction?

    1. 5 years
    2. 30 years
    3. 6 months
    4. 10 years
    Show answer

    30 years. Louisiana Revised Statute 14:98.4 sets a fourth or later DWI at a $5,000 fine and imprisonment, with or without hard labor, for not less than ten years nor more than thirty years, so the maximum is 30 years. Two years of that sentence must be served without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension. Ten years is the minimum, not the maximum. Five years is the top of the third conviction range, and six months is the most jail for a first or second conviction.

11. 11. Bad weather makes your vehicle difficult for others to see clearly at what distance, requiring headlights?

    1. 100 feet
    2. 200 feet
    3. 1,000 feet
    4. 500 feet
    Show answer

    500 feet. The guide requires headlights when weather makes it difficult for other people to see your vehicle clearly from 500 feet away. This question concerns how well other road users can see your vehicle, not simply whether you can see the pavement. Weather can trigger the headlight requirement during daylight. The guide separately requires headlights when moisture or precipitation makes windshield wipers necessary, so check both visibility and the weather conditions.

    Study this in the handbook: Night driving, pedestrians and phones

12. 12. About how much can a first DWI conviction cost a Louisiana driver, counting court costs, fines and lawyer fees?

    1. $4,500
    2. $500
    3. $250
    4. $25,000
    Show answer

    $4,500. The guide warns that your first DWI conviction could cost you $4,500 once court costs, fines, lawyer fees and similar expenses are added. The court fine is only one part of that total, so a figure near the fine alone understates the cost. Two hundred fifty and five hundred dollars are far too low, and $25,000 is not the guide's estimate. A first conviction also brings a criminal record and possible loss of license for a year.

    Study this in the handbook: Alcohol and Louisiana's BAC limits

13. 13. What should a driver do when visibility ahead is blocked by a curve, hill, or vehicle?

    1. Maintain speed because the obstruction hides danger
    2. Slow down and be ready to adjust the path of travel
    3. Move immediately into the opposing lane
    4. Use the shoulder as a normal passing lane
    Show answer

    Slow down and be ready to adjust the path of travel. A blocked view removes the time needed to react to a hazard, so the guide calls for slowing down and preparing to adjust the path. Maintaining speed treats unseen roadway conditions as harmless. Moving into opposing traffic or using the shoulder adds a new danger and is not a visibility solution. Reduce speed before the curve or hill, keep the vehicle in its lane, and scan for a safe path as the view opens. The concrete cue is limited sight distance, which requires more preparation before the hazard becomes visible.

    Study this in the handbook: Scanning ahead, stopping distance and following distance

14. 14. At a simultaneous intersection approach, which driver must yield?

    1. Both drivers must proceed together
    2. The driver on the right yields to the driver on the left
    3. The driver on the left yields to the driver on the right
    4. The larger vehicle always goes first
    Show answer

    The driver on the left yields to the driver on the right. When two vehicles approach an intersection together, the driver on the left yields to the vehicle on the right. This rule resolves a simultaneous-arrival conflict without relying on vehicle size or asking both drivers to enter together. Reversing the sides changes who must yield and is therefore unsafe. The cue is to locate your vehicle relative to the other one: if you are on the left, wait and allow the vehicle on your right to proceed.

    Study this in the handbook: Right of way and other laws you should know

15. 15. On a multilane highway, how should you respond to a stopped emergency vehicle displaying warning lamps?

    
    1. Stop in the lane next to the emergency vehicle
    2. Change to a lane not adjacent to it when safe, or slow to a reasonably safe speed
    3. Keep your speed and pass without changing lanes
    4. Move onto the emergency vehicle's shoulder
    Show answer

    Change to a lane not adjacent to it when safe, or slow to a reasonably safe speed. Louisiana's emergency vehicle rule gives priority to creating space around a parked responder. On a highway with two or more lanes in the same direction, change into a lane that is not next to the parked vehicle when traffic and safety allow. If a lane change cannot be made, slow to a reasonably safe speed. Stopping beside the responder can create a new conflict, and normal speed leaves too little protection for people working roadside. Scan early, signal, check the next lane, and make the safest available adjustment.

    Study this in the handbook: Emergency vehicles and the move over rule

16. 16. What road layout is represented by the repeatedly bending arrow shown?

    
    1. A winding road ahead
    2. A single sharp right turn ahead
    3. A divided highway beginning ahead
    4. A crossroad ahead
    Show answer

    A winding road ahead. The repeated bends identify a winding road. Expect the road to change direction through a series of curves rather than make just one isolated turn. The entire arrow matters when reading this sign: its several bends distinguish it from a single-curve warning. A divided-highway symbol would show a separation between opposing traffic, and a crossroad symbol would show intersecting roads. Use this advance warning to prepare for the changing path ahead.

    Study this in the handbook: Warning, regulatory, guide and work zone signs

17. 17. When do most teen crash deaths occur, according to the Louisiana guide?

    1. On weekday mornings
    2. During school hours
    3. On weekends, when 53 percent of all teen crashes occur
    4. In winter only
    Show answer

    On weekends, when 53 percent of all teen crashes occur. Most teenage deaths from motor vehicle collisions occur on weekends, as 53 percent of all teen crashes occur on the weekend. In 2016, 818 teen drivers and 569 passengers died in vehicles driven by teens, and 58 percent of those passengers were not buckled up. The guide adds that the top factors for fatal crashes involving teens are unsafe speeds and non use of seat belts, so weekday mornings, school hours, and winter are not the pattern it describes.

18. 18. What is the purpose of a flashing or sequential arrow panel in a Louisiana work zone?

    1. To show the distance to the end of construction
    2. To identify the location of an emergency service
    3. To give a new permanent speed limit
    4. To guide drivers into certain lanes around a closure
    Show answer

    To guide drivers into certain lanes around a closure. A work-zone arrow panel guides drivers into selected lanes and warns that part of the road ahead is closed. These panels may operate during the day as well as at night. Read the displayed direction as guidance for the temporary traffic path through the work area. The panel does not give a distance to the end of construction or establish a permanent speed limit; its role is to direct traffic around the closed portion.

19. 19. Yawning, dizziness and an upset stomach develop while exhaust may be entering your car. What should you do?

    1. Wait until you can smell exhaust before acting
    2. Keep the windows closed and drive faster
    3. Continue until the symptoms become severe
    4. Get fresh air immediately
    Show answer

    Get fresh air immediately. Those symptoms can indicate carbon monoxide poisoning, and the guide directs you to get fresh air immediately. Carbon monoxide has no odor, so waiting to smell something is not a useful safety check. Exhaust can enter through defects in the exhaust system or accumulate while an engine runs in an enclosed space. Treat the combination of symptoms and possible exhaust exposure seriously rather than assuming that ordinary tiredness is the only explanation.

    Study this in the handbook: Stuck pedals, fires, floods and crashes

20. 20. Which Louisiana children must wear an approved helmet on a bicycle?

    1. Children under 6
    2. Children under twelve
    3. Everyone under 18
    4. Only children riding as passengers
    Show answer

    Children under twelve. Louisiana requires children under the age of twelve to wear approved helmets when operating a bicycle or riding as a passenger, fastened securely with the straps. Children who weigh less than forty pounds or are less than forty inches tall must ride in an approved restraining seat. Six and 18 are not the rule's age, and the helmet rule covers riders as well as passengers.

    Study this in the handbook: Bicycles, motorcycles and big trucks