LA Permit Practice Test 3

All 20 questions in test 3

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. When following another vehicle at night, within what distance must you use low beam headlights?

   1. 150 feet
   2. 200 feet
   3. 350 feet
   4. 500 feet
   Show answer

   200 feet. The Louisiana guide requires lower headlight beams when you follow within 200 feet of another vehicle. This is different from approaching another vehicle, where the guide gives a 500 foot distance. Identify whether you are behind the other vehicle or meeting it before choosing the threshold. Keeping your headlights on does not mean keeping the high beams on; select the lower beams when the following distance reaches the stated limit.

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

2. 2. On a first offense, a Louisiana driver age 21 or older submits to the test and shows a BAC of 0.10%. How long are driving privileges suspended?

   1. 365 days
   2. 730 days
   3. 90 days
   4. 180 days
   Show answer

   180 days. If you submit to the test and are 21 or older, a BAC of 0.08% to 0.149% brings a 180 day suspension, so 0.10% falls in that band. A BAC of 0.15% or greater brings two years, or 730 days. Three hundred sixty-five days is the suspension for a first refusal. Ninety days is not in the rule. Penalties increase with each later conviction.

   Study this in the handbook: Implied consent and DWI penalties

3. 3. What mandatory jail time does Louisiana list for a second DWI conviction?

   1. 48 hours
   2. 30 days
   3. None
   4. One year
   Show answer

   48 hours. Louisiana Revised Statute 14:98.2 sets a second DWI conviction at a fine of $750 to $1,000 and 30 days to six months in jail, and at least 48 hours of that sentence must be served without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. That 48 hour minimum is the mandatory jail time. Saying there is none ignores the statute. Thirty days is the bottom of the full jail range, not the part that can never be suspended. One year is the mandatory minimum for a third conviction, not a second.

4. 4. Which of these can cost a Louisiana driver the driving privilege?

   1. Failure to pay state income taxes
   2. Buying a new car
   3. Moving within the same parish
   4. Driving an older vehicle
   Show answer

   Failure to pay state income taxes. Louisiana's list of ways to lose the driving privilege includes failure to pay child support and failure to pay state income taxes, along with DWI, refusing an alcohol test, failing to stop for a school bus, three reckless driving convictions in 12 months, and driving with a suspended license. Buying a car, moving within a parish and driving an older vehicle are lawful and are not on the list. The same list covers altering information on the license, unlawful use of a license and making a false statement on an application, so the privilege depends on more than driving behavior.

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

5. 5. Which traffic control devices does the Louisiana guide list as the most commonly used in a work zone?

   1. Traffic lights, painted crosswalks, and speed bumps
   2. Signs, barricades, drums, cones, tubes, flashing arrow panels, and flag persons
   3. Guardrails, rumble strips, and reflectors
   4. Police cars, tow trucks, and ambulances
   Show answer

   Signs, barricades, drums, cones, tubes, flashing arrow panels, and flag persons. Work zones are managed with a familiar set of orange devices. The guide lists signs, barricades, drums, cones, tubes, flashing arrow panels, and flag persons as the most commonly used traffic control devices, and orange is the basic color for these devices. Traffic lights and crosswalks are permanent controls, guardrails and reflectors are roadside hardware, and emergency vehicles are not traffic control devices. Flag persons wear orange vests, shirts, or jackets and use red flags or stop and slow paddles to stop, slow, or guide traffic through the area.

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

6. 6. Where should a vehicle’s lap belt fit?

   1. Snugly across the hips
   2. Loosely across the stomach
   3. High across the ribs
   4. Under the thighs near the knees
   Show answer

   Snugly across the hips. Position the lap portion snugly across the hips, where strong bones can absorb more impact than the abdominal region. A loose belt across the stomach puts it in the wrong place and allows unnecessary movement. The shoulder portion should run over the shoulder and across the chest. Before setting off, straighten the belt and check its position on your body rather than merely checking that the buckle has clicked.

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

7. 7. How should you check the path behind you when backing a vehicle?

   1. Watch only the inside rearview mirror
   2. Use only the side mirror nearest the curb
   3. Turn your head and body to see behind you instead of depending on mirrors
   4. Keep facing forward and alternate between the mirrors
   Show answer

   Turn your head and body to see behind you instead of depending on mirrors. Before backing, check behind the vehicle and turn your head and body so you can see where it will move. The guide specifically says not to depend on mirrors. A direct rearward view is part of the backing procedure, along with moving slowly and being prepared to stop. Walking around the car beforehand can also reveal a child, pet, or object in the way. Continue watching the path as you back.

8. 8. Which vehicle is specifically listed as one that must stop at a railroad crossing?

   1. A minivan carrying a family
   2. A passenger car carrying one adult
   3. A motorcycle with its headlight on
   4. A school bus
   Show answer

   A school bus. The guide identifies school buses as vehicles that must stop at railroad crossings, along with vehicles carrying passengers for hire, trucks, and vehicles carrying explosives or flammable liquids. A family minivan, an ordinary passenger car, and a motorcycle are not in that listed category merely because they are approaching tracks. Drivers should watch for these required stops and never pass unless passing is legal, there are no unsafe conditions, and the tracks can be seen clearly. The cue is the vehicle's special operating or cargo category, not simply its presence near rails.

   Study this in the handbook: Railroad crossings

9. 9. Which restraint category does Louisiana’s guide list for children ages two through four?

   1. A booster seat with restraints
   2. A lap and shoulder seat belt alone
   3. A forward-facing federally approved car seat
   4. A rear-facing federally approved car seat
   Show answer

   A forward-facing federally approved car seat. For ages two through four, Louisiana's guide lists a forward facing, federally approved car seat. A rear facing seat is listed from birth to at least two years, a booster seat with restraints for ages four through nine, and a lap and shoulder seat belt at nine years. The guide says a child that falls into more than one category for age or weight must use the more protective category. Check that situation before moving a child to the next restraint.

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

10. 10. What does the octagon shape tell a driver about a traffic sign?

    
    1. It identifies a no-passing zone
    2. It marks a railroad advance warning
    3. It is used exclusively for stop signs
    4. It marks a guide sign to a service
    Show answer

    It is used exclusively for stop signs. The octagon is reserved for stop signs, making its shape useful before the lettering can be read. A railroad advance warning uses a round yellow sign or a white crossbuck, and the sideways triangle identifies a no-passing zone. Service information is commonly shown on blue square or rectangular signs. If an octagonal sign comes into view, begin slowing and prepare for a complete stop rather than treating it as a general warning.

    Study this in the handbook: Sign shapes and colors

11. 11. When should a driver move over for a roadside incident in Louisiana?

    1. Only after passing the incident and returning to the original lane
    2. When approaching a roadside incident, slow down and change lanes
    3. Speed up so the incident is cleared sooner
    4. Stop in the travel lane beside the incident
    Show answer

    When approaching a roadside incident, slow down and change lanes. Louisiana’s move-over instruction applies when approaching a roadside incident. The driver should slow down and change lanes, creating space for people and vehicles at the shoulder. Passing first defeats the protective purpose, and speeding raises the danger near workers or crash victims. Stopping in the travel lane creates a new obstruction unless another rule or emergency requires it. Look well ahead for incident signs, check mirrors, signal, and make the lane change only when it can be completed safely.

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

12. 12. Which occupants must be buckled under Louisiana’s mandatory safety belt law?

    1. Front-seat passengers, with back-seat belts left optional
    2. Passengers younger than eighteen, wherever they sit
    3. Passengers in both front and back seats of cars, vans and pickups
    4. Passengers in cars and vans, with pickup trucks exempt
    Show answer

    Passengers in both front and back seats of cars, vans and pickups. Louisiana's mandatory safety belt law requires all passengers in both the front and back seats of cars, vans and pickup trucks to be properly buckled. Sitting in the back does not create an exemption, and the rule is not limited to young passengers. The guide warns that unbelted back-seat passengers can be thrown into other passengers or ejected from the vehicle in a crash. Pickup trucks are covered just like cars and vans. Before moving, check the passengers behind you as well as the person beside you.

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

13. 13. What does a yellow diamond-shaped sign generally warn a driver about?

    
    1. A legal instruction to travel at the minimum speed
    2. A mandatory service stop at the next exit
    3. Approaching conditions such as curves, side roads, and traffic flow
    4. A route number for an interstate highway
    Show answer

    Approaching conditions such as curves, side roads, and traffic flow. Yellow diamond signs are warnings about conditions ahead, including curves, side roads, and changes in traffic flow. They are not service signs, route markers, or minimum-speed regulations. The shape and color provide an early cue before the wording is readable. When one appears, scan farther ahead, reduce speed if needed, and prepare for the condition shown rather than waiting until the hazard is immediately beside the vehicle. These warning signs usually have black lettering or symbols on yellow.

    Study this in the handbook: Sign shapes and colors

14. 14. What minimum stopping distance does the Louisiana guide give for a loaded tractor trailer at 55 mph?

    1. 100 feet
    2. 290 feet on a clear, dry road with good tires and brakes
    3. 1,000 feet
    4. 50 feet
    Show answer

    290 feet on a clear, dry road with good tires and brakes. A tractor trailer loaded with freight, with safe rated tires and properly adjusted brakes, traveling at 55 mph on a clear dry roadway requires a minimum of 290 feet to come to a complete stop, and in crashes between large trucks and cars the car occupants sustain 78 percent of the fatalities. Stay out of the no zone, pass on the left, and leave room before cutting back in.

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

15. 15. About how much rushing water can carry away most vehicles?

    1. Six inches
    2. One foot
    3. Four feet
    4. Two feet
    Show answer

    Two feet. The guide warns that two feet of rushing water can carry away most vehicles. Six inches is a different warning threshold: it can reach the bottom of many passenger cars and cause loss of control or stalling. Neither number should be treated as a depth below which a flooded road is safe to cross. Moving water and hidden road damage make the appearance of the surface an unreliable basis for choosing a route.

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

16. 16. In Louisiana, how close may you park to a fire station driveway on the other side of the street?

    1. No closer than 20 feet
    2. No closer than 15 feet
    3. No closer than 500 feet
    4. No closer than 75 feet
    Show answer

    No closer than 75 feet. Louisiana prohibits parking within 20 feet of a fire station driveway on the same side of the street, or within 75 feet of the driveway on the other side of the street. So 20 feet is the same side rule. Fifteen feet is the fire hydrant distance. Five hundred feet is how close you may not follow an emergency vehicle answering a call.

    Study this in the handbook: Parking rules and painted curbs

17. 17. Where must proof of required liability insurance be kept while a Louisiana vehicle is operational?

    1. Only at the driver's home
    2. In the vehicle
    3. Only at the insurance agent's office
    4. It need not be kept anywhere
    Show answer

    In the vehicle. Louisiana requires proof of insurance to be maintained in the vehicle when the vehicle is operational. It must also be presented when a law-enforcement officer requests it. Keeping the document only at home or at an agent's office would not satisfy the guide's in-vehicle requirement, and having no proof available ignores the rule. The concrete cue is operational: before driving, make sure the insurance proof travels with the vehicle.

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

18. 18. When parking an automatic vehicle, when should you set the parking brake?

    1. While holding the brake pedal, before shifting into Park
    2. After releasing the brake pedal and shifting into Park
    3. Only after the vehicle rolls against the transmission
    4. Only after turning off the engine and leaving the seat
    Show answer

    While holding the brake pedal, before shifting into Park. Set the parking brake while your foot remains on the brake pedal and before shifting into Park. The guide explains that this reduces strain on the parking pawl, the transmission device that holds a car in Park. The parking brake should be used every time you park, on flat ground as well as hills. You still need to shift into Park; applying the parking brake is an additional part of securing the vehicle.

19. 19. What should a driver do when weather or traffic conditions make the posted maximum speed unsafe?

    1. Maintain the maximum because the sign overrides weather
    2. Reduce speed below the posted maximum as conditions require
    3. Drive at least the posted maximum to avoid blocking traffic
    4. Use the posted maximum only when following another vehicle
    Show answer

    Reduce speed below the posted maximum as conditions require. The manual gives slippery pavement, rain, snow, ice, fog, and poor visibility as reasons to reduce speed below the posted maximum. The choice that keeps the maximum because of the sign ignores those conditions and removes the driver's duty to adapt. A minimum pace is also unsafe when sight distance or traction is poor. Use the surface and visibility as cues: ease off before the hazard, increase following space, and preserve enough distance to stop smoothly.

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

20. 20. After stopping for a school bus, when may a driver begin moving again?

    
    1. When the driver can see around the bus from the stopped position
    2. As soon as the flashing red lights turn off, without checking
    3. After waiting ten seconds even if the bus remains stopped
    4. After the bus moves and the driver scans before proceeding
    Show answer

    After the bus moves and the driver scans before proceeding. After stopping for a school bus, the driver must wait for the vehicle to move and scan before starting to drive again. Turning off the red lights alone is not enough if the bus remains in place or children are still nearby. A fixed ten-second wait has no role in this rule, and seeing around the bus does not confirm that the roadway is clear. Keep the vehicle stopped, watch the bus, and check both sides before proceeding.

    Study this in the handbook: School buses, turns and signals