LA Permit Practice Test 4

All 20 questions in test 4

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. In Louisiana, how close to a crosswalk at an intersection may you park?

   1. No closer than 5 feet
   2. No closer than 50 feet
   3. No closer than 20 feet
   4. Right up to the crosswalk line
   Show answer

   No closer than 20 feet. Louisiana law makes it illegal to park within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection. The same 20 foot distance applies to a traffic signal, flashing beacon, stop sign or yield sign at the roadside. Five feet is too close. Fifty feet is the distance from a railroad crossing, and parking right at the crosswalk blocks pedestrians and hides them from drivers. The hydrant distance is 15 feet, so the numbers differ by the object being protected.

   Study this in the handbook: Parking rules and painted curbs

2. 2. What happens to traffic fines in Louisiana construction zones?

   1. They are doubled
   2. They are waived
   3. They are cut in half
   4. They stay the same
   Show answer

   They are doubled. In Louisiana, traffic fines are double for construction zones. Reduced speed limits there are set to protect drivers and workers, so obey them even if no workers are visible. Fines are not waived, halved or left unchanged. Orange signs mark temporary traffic control areas where the higher fines apply. Slow down, watch for flaggers and equipment, and expect lanes to shift or narrow.

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

3. 3. After a property damage crash, what should you do to reduce the risk of another collision?

   1. Park across a lane so approaching traffic must stop
   2. Leave both vehicles in the travel lanes until every report is finished
   3. Drive away if the vehicles can still move under their own power
   4. Remove the vehicles from the roadway to the nearest soft shoulder when possible
   Show answer

   Remove the vehicles from the roadway to the nearest soft shoulder when possible. Louisiana's Move It campaign emphasizes clearing damaged vehicles from the roadway when it can be done safely. Moving them toward the nearest soft shoulder reduces congestion and lowers the chance of a secondary crash. Leaving vehicles in active lanes may expose everyone to another impact, while driving away abandons collision responsibilities. Do not create a new hazard while moving a disabled vehicle, and handle the required exchange of information after the scene is made safer. The practical cue is simple: protect people first, then deal with paperwork away from moving traffic whenever possible.

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

4. 4. About how long does it take for the effects of one marijuana cigarette to wear off, according to the Louisiana guide?

   1. About one hour
   2. About 15 minutes
   3. Five to six hours
   4. Two days
   Show answer

   Five to six hours. The guide contrasts marijuana with alcohol: the effects of a single drink diminish over about an hour, but it takes five to six hours for the effects of smoking one marijuana cigarette to wear off. That is why combining the two is especially dangerous. One hour is the alcohol figure, and 15 minutes is far too short. Two days is not the guide's estimate for the driving effects.

   Study this in the handbook: Implied consent and DWI penalties

5. 5. Your tires begin hydroplaning. How should you respond initially?

   1. Ease off the gas and avoid sudden braking or turning
   2. Brake sharply while steering toward the shoulder
   3. Accelerate until the tires reach dry pavement
   4. Turn abruptly toward the nearest tire tracks
   Show answer

   Ease off the gas and avoid sudden braking or turning. When the tires lose contact with the pavement on water, ease off the accelerator until the car slows and road contact returns. Abrupt braking or turning can send the vehicle into a skid. This response differs from recognizing why hydroplaning occurs: it is the action to take once it starts. Keep your steering movements controlled and resist the urge to make a sharp correction as soon as the steering feels light.

   Study this in the handbook: Skids, blowouts and hydroplaning

6. 6. How long must a Louisiana learner's license be maintained before advancing to the intermediate stage?

   1. At least one year
   2. At least 30 days
   3. At least 90 days
   4. At least 180 days
   Show answer

   At least 180 days. The learner's license must be maintained for a minimum of 180 days before the driver can advance to the intermediate stage, and the driver must also reach the sixteenth birthday. Thirty and 90 days are shorter periods than the guide specifies. One year is longer than the stated minimum and is not the program's threshold. Read the condition as two requirements joined together: the time minimum alone is insufficient if the applicant has not reached age 16. A calendar reminder for both the 180-day mark and the birthday helps avoid confusing this stage change with a full license.

   Study this in the handbook: The graduated licensing program

7. 7. When must Louisiana applicants complete driver education in relation to applying for a driver's license?

   1. Before making application for the driver's license
   2. Only after receiving the full license
   3. After the road skills test but before the vision exam
   4. Within 30 days after the first license renewal
   Show answer

   Before making application for the driver's license. The guide requires the driver education course to be completed before the applicant makes an application for the driver's license. The course is not a post-license task, and the stated order does not place it between a road test and a vision exam. The renewal deadline in the choice “Within 30 days after the first license renewal” is unrelated. Applicants should also note that a Temporary Instruction Permit must be obtained before the knowledge test, skill test, or behind-the-wheel instruction. The practical sequence is education first, then the application and required testing steps with the permit in place.

   Study this in the handbook: Who needs a license, license classes and the tests

8. 8. When approaching another vehicle at night, within what distance must you switch to low beam headlights?

   1. 100 feet
   2. 200 feet
   3. 350 feet
   4. 500 feet
   Show answer

   500 feet. Louisiana requires lower headlight beams when you approach within 500 feet of another vehicle. The approaching situation matters: the separate distance for following a vehicle is 200 feet. Do not wait until the other vehicle is close enough for its driver to be affected by your bright lights. Use the approaching vehicle and the 500 foot threshold to decide when to dim, while adjusting your speed to the distance your headlights illuminate.

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

9. 9. When should a driver increase the normal three second following gap to four seconds?

   
   1. Only when traveling below 15 mph
   2. During bad weather or when driving on wet pavement
   3. Whenever the road is dry and empty
   4. Only after the vehicle ahead changes lanes
   Show answer

   During bad weather or when driving on wet pavement. Wet pavement and bad weather increase the distance needed to stop, so the manual directs drivers to expand the ordinary three second rule to four seconds. The added time creates room for reduced traction, limited visibility, and a slower response from the vehicle ahead. It is not reserved for low speed travel, and dry pavement does not create the same specific need. Begin with a fixed roadside object, count after the lead vehicle passes, and drop farther back whenever conditions make stopping harder.

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

10. 10. What action is required at a flashing yellow traffic light?

    1. Continue at the posted speed without scanning
    2. Stop and remain until the light becomes green
    3. Slow down, watch for entering traffic, and proceed cautiously
    4. Treat it as a flashing red signal
    Show answer

    Slow down, watch for entering traffic, and proceed cautiously. A flashing yellow signal is a caution control, not a command to stop automatically. Reduce speed, look for traffic entering the intersection, and proceed only when the path is clear. The flashing-red choice applies a complete-stop procedure that belongs to a different signal. The strongest cue is the blinking amber light: expect conflict, yield when necessary, and be prepared to stop if another road user is already in the intersection. If traffic is already in the intersection, stop and let it pass before continuing.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic lights and arrows

11. 11. Why does the Louisiana guide say you should know the meaning of sign shapes?

    1. A shape can tell you what a sign means before you can read it
    2. Shapes matter only for signs that have no words
    3. The shape tells you how far away the sign is
    4. Only octagon and triangle shapes carry any meaning
    Show answer

    A shape can tell you what a sign means before you can read it. A sign's shape can tell you something about its meaning before you are close enough to read the words. The guide says that if you know the shapes and colors of signs, you can adjust your speed and driving manner before you can read the wording as you approach. For example, the octagon is used only for stop signs, the point down triangle only for yield signs, and the diamond for warning signs. Recognizing the shape early gives you more time to react.

    Study this in the handbook: Sign shapes and colors

12. 12. Who has the right-of-way when you merge onto a Louisiana interstate?

    1. Traffic already traveling on the interstate
    2. The vehicle coming down the entrance ramp
    3. Whichever driver signals first
    4. The vehicle nearest the end of the ramp
    Show answer

    Traffic already traveling on the interstate. Interstate traffic has the right-of-way over a vehicle entering from a ramp. Begin looking for an opening while on the ramp, signal and adjust your speed to meet a usable gap. Reaching the end of the acceleration lane does not transfer priority to you. Other drivers may be unable to move over or may not see you, so plan the merge without depending on them to create space.

    Study this in the handbook: Speed laws

13. 13. What may make material on a Louisiana vehicle's front windshield or front side windows lawful?

    1. A driver's preference for darker glass
    2. A physician's prescription
    3. A passenger's written permission
    4. A vehicle's age over ten years
    Show answer

    A physician's prescription. Louisiana prohibits non-transparent material affixed to the front windshield or front side windows unless it is prescribed by a physician. A driver's preference, a passenger's permission, or the vehicle's age does not create the stated exception. The rule concerns both the material's lack of transparency and where it is attached, so a fact pattern should be checked against both details. The quick cue is medical authorization: without a physician's prescription, non-transparent material in those front viewing areas is illegal under the guide.

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

14. 14. How long can a Louisiana driver lose the license for a second DWI conviction?

    1. One year (365 days)
    2. Three years (1095 days)
    3. Two years (730 days)
    4. 90 days
    Show answer

    Two years (730 days). The maximum license loss for a second DWI conviction is two years, or 730 days. One year is the first conviction maximum. Three years, or 1095 days, applies to third and fourth convictions. Ninety days is not in Louisiana's DWI list. The second conviction also carries at least 48 hours of jail that must be served without parole, probation or suspension.

15. 15. What roadway change does the pictured narrowing-lane symbol warn you about?

    
    1. A new lane begins on the right
    2. The right lane ends ahead
    3. The highway becomes divided
    4. A side road enters from the right
    Show answer

    The right lane ends ahead. The symbol shows the right lane narrowing into the lane beside it. This is a Lane Ends warning, giving advance notice that the available travel lanes will change. Read the actual lane diagram instead of relying only on the yellow background. An added lane would show extra roadway space becoming available, while a side road or divided highway would use a different arrangement. Prepare for the lane ending before reaching the narrowing roadway.

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

16. 16. What does a one-way street sign with an arrow tell drivers?

    
    1. Traffic may travel either way after yielding
    2. Traffic flows only in the arrow’s direction
    3. The arrow marks a lane reserved for turning around
    4. The street is closed to all motor vehicles
    Show answer

    Traffic flows only in the arrow’s direction. A one-way sign establishes the permitted direction of traffic. The driver must not turn opposite the arrow and must never drive the wrong way on that street. Yielding does not make reverse travel legal, and the arrow does not designate a turnaround lane or a complete closure. Use the sign together with lane arrows and nearby signals. If you miss a turn, continue legally and find another route instead of reversing direction.

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

17. 17. What do double solid yellow lines in the center of a roadway allow?

    1. Crossing only to change into a lane moving the same direction
    2. Crossing freely to pass whenever traffic is light
    3. Driving on top of the lines as a normal travel lane
    4. Crossing to make a turn, but not crossing to pass
    Show answer

    Crossing to make a turn, but not crossing to pass. Double solid yellow lines separate opposing traffic and may be crossed for a turn, but not to pass another vehicle. The light-traffic option still violates the stated passing restriction. These markings are not a normal travel lane and they do not separate same-direction lanes, which use white markings. Plan the turn carefully, signal, check for oncoming road users, and cross only for that turning movement. The guide describes these lines at the center of roads with four or more lanes.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic lights and arrows

18. 18. What total stopping distance does the Louisiana guide give at 50 mph?

    1. About 100 feet
    2. A minimum of 268 feet, including perception, reaction and braking
    3. About 50 feet
    4. About 1,000 feet
    Show answer

    A minimum of 268 feet, including perception, reaction and braking. Total stopping distance is the minimum distance traveled in ideal conditions including perception distance, reaction distance and braking distance, and at 50 mph your vehicle will travel a minimum of 268 feet before it stops; braking alone takes about 158 feet on dry pavement with good brakes. It takes much longer and farther to stop than most drivers realize, which is why following distance matters.

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

19. 19. When parking downhill beside a curb, which way should the wheels point?

    1. Away from the curb
    2. Straight down the roadway
    3. Toward the curb
    4. Toward the center of the roadway
    Show answer

    Toward the curb. Turn your wheels toward the curb when parking downhill. The guide pairs this wheel position with shifting into reverse or park, and it says always to set the emergency brake on a hill. The purpose is to keep the car from rolling into traffic if the brakes do not hold. Do not copy the uphill curb position: facing uphill beside a curb calls for the opposite wheel direction.

20. 20. What adjustment does the guide recommend when driving on a road covered with oil and water?

    1. Keep normal speed but shorten the gap to the vehicle ahead
    2. Reduce speed, use extra caution, and allow twice the normal following distance
    3. Brake hard throughout the trip to test traction
    4. Turn off the headlights so reflections do not distract you
    Show answer

    Reduce speed, use extra caution, and allow twice the normal following distance. Oil and water can make a roadway behave much like ice, so the guide calls for reduced speed, extra caution, and twice the normal following distance. Shortening the gap would remove the extra time needed if the vehicle ahead stops or skids. Repeated hard braking can itself cause a loss of control and does not create traction. The first rain is especially hazardous because oil and grease may still be on the pavement. Slow before the slick area, keep steering smooth, and leave room to respond.

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