ME Permit Practice Test 3

All 20 questions in test 3

Every question below comes from the Maine 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 does the number on this SPEED LIMIT sign represent?

   
   1. A suggested speed that may always be exceeded safely
   2. The legal speed when conditions are ideal
   3. The minimum speed required in every weather condition
   4. A speed reserved for trucks and buses
   Show answer

   The legal speed when conditions are ideal. Maine describes black and white speed limit signs as indicating the legal speed when conditions are ideal. The posted number is not a guarantee that the same speed is safe during rain, ice, congestion, darkness, or another hazard. It is also not merely a suggestion, a universal minimum, or a commercial-vehicle-only rule. Drivers must reduce speed when conditions demand it, even if the posted limit is higher. The cue is to read the number as a maximum for ideal conditions, not permission to ignore risk.

2. 2. What shape and color identify most Maine warning signs?

   1. Blue circle
   2. Yellow diamond
   3. Green rectangle
   4. White octagon
   Show answer

   Yellow diamond. Most Maine warning signs are yellow and shaped like a diamond. That combination tells the driver to expect a hazard or roadway change and to prepare before reaching it. A blue circle, green rectangle, or white octagon identifies a different sign category or function. Use both visual features together rather than relying on color alone. When the yellow diamond appears, scan past the sign, compare the symbol with the road ahead, and adjust speed if the approaching condition requires more time to react.

3. 3. What does this five-sided sign identify?

   
   1. A school zone where special caution is required
   2. A public park with no school activity
   3. An adult pedestrian crossing only
   4. A hospital entrance with emergency traffic
   Show answer

   A school zone where special caution is required. Maine uses a five-sided sign to identify a school zone. Drivers should slow and watch for children, school traffic, and crossing activity. The shape does not identify a park, hospital, or an adult-only crossing. In the manual's school-zone guidance, the driver must slow to 15 mph during specified recess, school opening, or school closing periods, including when school speed signs are flashing. The key visual cue is the pentagon, followed by careful scanning for children near the roadway.

4. 4. At an intersection, one driver goes straight and the opposing driver signals a turn. Who has the right-of-way?

   1. The driver who signals first
   2. The driver turning left
   3. The driver going straight
   4. The larger vehicle
   Show answer

   The driver going straight. When two vehicles approach an intersection from opposite directions at the same time and one driver signals a turn, Maine gives the right-of-way to the vehicle going straight. Signaling communicates an intention, but it does not give a turning vehicle priority over opposing traffic. Vehicle size also has no role in this rule. Before moving, each driver should still check the whole situation because the manual warns against insisting on priority. The useful visual cue is the conflict between a straight path and a turn: the straight-moving vehicle proceeds first, and the turning driver yields.

5. 5. When may a driver on the opposite side of a divided highway continue past a school bus with red lights flashing?

   1. Only when the bus driver waves every vehicle through
   2. Whenever the driver is late
   3. Only after passing the bus on the shoulder
   4. When a solid divider separates that roadway from the bus
   Show answer

   When a solid divider separates that roadway from the bus. Maine allows traffic on the opposite side of a multi-lane divided highway to continue when a solid divider separates that roadway from the school bus. The divider is the condition that creates the exception. A driver cannot use lateness, the shoulder, or a missing wave as justification. Vehicles traveling on the bus’s side still stop when the red lights flash or the stop arm is extended, then proceed slowly only after those warnings end and children are watched for.

6. 6. When may a driver pass across a broken center line on the driver’s side?

   
   1. Only when no oncoming cars are in the passing lanes
   2. Whenever the vehicle ahead is moving slowly
   3. Only after sounding the horn twice
   4. Even when a no-passing sign is posted
   Show answer

   Only when no oncoming cars are in the passing lanes. A broken center line on your side permits a pass only when the passing movement is safe and no oncoming cars occupy the passing lanes. The marking alone does not guarantee a clear path. A slow vehicle ahead is not enough reason to cross, and a horn cannot make an unsafe gap safe. A no-passing sign or another traffic control device still governs the maneuver. Look far ahead, judge the available distance, and return only after the pass can be completed legally.

7. 7. In about what share of fatal crashes are alcohol and other drugs contributing factors, according to the Maine handbook?

   1. About 95 percent
   2. About 2 percent
   3. About 40 percent
   4. About 10 percent
   Show answer

   About 40 percent. Alcohol and other drugs are contributing factors in about 40 percent of all fatal crashes, and over half of fatally injured drivers have an alcohol level of .06 or more. Roughly 8,500 young adults are killed and 40,000 more crippled or disfigured each year in this country because of drinking and driving. Alcohol is a drug, whatever the container, and it impairs judgment before it impairs coordination.

8. 8. What is the best way to reduce the chance of hydroplaning on a wet road?

   1. Increase speed to cross the water before sliding
   2. Use worn tires so water escapes more quickly
   3. Keep the tires in good condition and reduce speed
   4. Make frequent sharp steering changes to test traction
   Show answer

   Keep the tires in good condition and reduce speed. The manual identifies two practical defenses against hydroplaning: maintain tires in good condition and keep speed down on wet pavement. Worn tires lose contact at lower speeds, so the worn-tire choice reverses the safety advice. Speeding reduces the tires' ability to wipe water from the surface, while sharp steering changes can trigger a skid when contact is reduced. The cue is heavy rain or a visibly wet road: ease off the pace early and remember that tire condition affects how soon hydroplaning can begin.

9. 9. How many young adults are killed each year by drinking and driving, according to the Maine handbook?

   1. Approximately 8,500 killed, with 40,000 more crippled or disfigured
   2. About 100
   3. About 1 million
   4. About 500
   Show answer

   Approximately 8,500 killed, with 40,000 more crippled or disfigured. Approximately 8,500 young adults are killed and an additional 40,000 are crippled or disfigured every year due to drinking and driving in this country. Alcohol is a drug that has damaged or destroyed the lives of tens of millions of drinkers and their families. Protect your friends by not drinking and driving and by encouraging them to do likewise, and arrange a sober ride before the first drink.

10. 10. How long does Maine law give you to notify the Bureau of Motor Vehicles after you change your name or address?

    1. 10 days
    2. 30 days
    3. 60 days
    4. 90 days
    Show answer

    30 days. Maine law requires notice to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles within 30 days of a name or address change. Ten days is shorter than the law requires, and 60 or 90 days are too long. Keeping the address current also matters because the renewal notice is mailed to the address on file about 45 days before the license expires. The same 30 day deadline covers a change of name as well as a change of address.

11. 11. A Maine driver is convicted of vehicular manslaughter and alcohol was involved. What happens to the driver's license?

    1. It is revoked for exactly 5 years
    2. It is suspended for 150 days
    3. It is revoked for at least one year
    4. It is revoked permanently
    Show answer

    It is revoked permanently. Vehicular manslaughter brings revocation for at least 5 years, and when alcohol is involved the revocation is permanent. Five years is the minimum for a case without alcohol. One hundred fifty days is the first OUI minimum, far short of this penalty. At least one year is the revocation listed for a habitual offender. Maine treats a death caused by a driver under the influence as grounds for losing the license for life.

12. 12. How should an infant under age 2 ride in a vehicle under Maine's child safety guidance?

    1. In the front seat facing forward
    2. In the back seat facing the rear
    3. In the back seat without a restraint for short trips
    4. On an adult passenger's lap in the front seat
    Show answer

    In the back seat facing the rear. Maine's child safety guidance says infants under age 2 should always ride in the back seat facing the rear. A forward facing position is identified for children age 2 and older, and neither an unrestrained short trip nor an adult's lap provides the required protection. The front seat is especially unsafe when a passenger air bag is active. The cue is age and direction together: under two means rear facing in the back seat, with the child restraint used according to its instructions.

13. 13. How long do Maine's restrictions for a newly licensed driver under 18 remain in effect?

    1. One year from the license application
    2. 90 days from permit issuance
    3. 270 days from license issuance
    4. Until the driver turns 21
    Show answer

    270 days from license issuance. Under current Maine law the restrictions last 270 days counted from license issuance, and the period may extend beyond the driver's 18th birthday. Older handbooks count from the date the road test was passed, but the statute was amended in 2019 to use the issuance date. One year and age 21 describe different milestones, and the learner's permit date is not the starting point. A violation adds another 270 days to the restriction period.

14. 14. How should you respond when this skidding-car sign warns of a slippery road?

    
    1. Maintain the posted limit because the sign is advisory only
    2. Accelerate sharply to cross the slick area quickly
    3. Brake hard while turning to test the pavement
    4. Slow down and avoid hard braking or abrupt steering
    Show answer

    Slow down and avoid hard braking or abrupt steering. A slippery-road warning means the pavement may not provide enough tire grip for normal speed and abrupt control inputs. Slow before the hazard, steer smoothly, and avoid hard braking that could start a skid. Accelerating, testing traction while turning, or treating the sign as optional can reduce control. Rain, ice, wet leaves, and gravel are examples of conditions that make a road slippery. The visual cue should trigger a gentler speed and larger stopping margin before the vehicle reaches the slick section.

15. 15. When is driving below the posted speed limit unlawful under Maine's traffic rule?

    1. Whenever another vehicle is following at a safe distance
    2. Whenever a driver travels 5 miles per hour below the sign
    3. Only when the driver is in a school zone
    4. When the slow speed interferes with normal and reasonable traffic movement without a safety need
    Show answer

    When the slow speed interferes with normal and reasonable traffic movement without a safety need. Maine prohibits driving so slowly that normal and reasonable traffic movement is interfered with, unless the reduced speed is necessary for safety. The rule does not create a fixed five mile threshold, and it is not limited to school zones. A vehicle behind you is not automatically evidence of a violation if traffic is still moving normally. The practical cue is to distinguish unnecessary obstruction from a justified slower speed caused by weather, hazards, visibility, or another safety condition.

16. 16. If your brakes stop working while driving, what should you try first?

    1. Pump the brake pedal rapidly and hard several times
    2. Turn off the engine and remove the key while moving
    3. Apply the parking brake sharply at full force
    4. Shift into reverse immediately
    Show answer

    Pump the brake pedal rapidly and hard several times. Maine's brake-failure procedure begins with rapidly and firmly pumping the brake pedal several times. If that does not restore braking, the driver should apply the parking brake slowly, shift to a lower gear, and look for a safe stopping place. A sharp parking-brake application can lock the rear wheels and cause a skid. Turning off the engine immediately or selecting reverse can create loss of control and is not the first instruction. The emergency cue is a brake pedal that no longer responds normally: keep control, warn others with horn and lights, and work through the sequence.

17. 17. What does a solid white line separating lanes generally tell a driver?

    1. The roadway has no marked lanes after the line
    2. The lanes carry opposing traffic and passing is required
    3. A lane change is required before the next intersection
    4. The lanes have different uses and changing lanes is discouraged
    Show answer

    The lanes have different uses and changing lanes is discouraged. Solid white lines separate lanes moving in the same direction when those lanes have different uses. They also discourage a lane change across the line. That is different from a broken white line, which indicates multiple same-direction lanes and allows a safe lane change. The marking does not divide opposing traffic or command a driver to move immediately. Read arrows, signs, and surrounding lane arrangements together before changing position, especially near turn-only lanes.

18. 18. What does Maine say about highways with minimum posted speed limits?

    1. Minimum speeds apply only in parking lots
    2. All highways require a minimum of 10 mph
    3. Some highways may have minimum posted speed limits
    4. Maine prohibits all minimum speed limits
    Show answer

    Some highways may have minimum posted speed limits. Maine notes that some highways may have minimum posted speed limits. A posted minimum tells drivers not to travel below that speed unless another safety rule or condition requires a slower pace. The choices claiming every highway has a 10 mph minimum, limiting minimums to parking lots, or banning them all contradict the manual. Look for the word some, because the rule is not universal. The practical cue is a separate minimum-speed sign, which differs from the maximum speed limit shown on ordinary speed signs.

19. 19. What is the minimum fine for misusing a disability parking access aisle in Maine?

    1. $25
    2. Not less than $200
    3. $50
    4. $1,000
    Show answer

    Not less than $200. Parking in an access aisle next to a disability parking space is prohibited, and misuse of an access aisle is a traffic infraction subject to a fine of not less than $200. The striped aisle is where a ramp or lift deploys, so even a brief stop blocks the person the space exists for. Disability plates and placards are issued by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

20. 20. When a first OUI conviction includes an aggravating circumstance, how long is the listed minimum license loss?

    1. At least 150 days
    2. At least 30 days
    3. At least 90 days
    4. At least one year
    Show answer

    At least 150 days. For a first OUI conviction with an aggravating circumstance, Maine lists a license loss of at least 150 days. The 30 day and 90 day choices are shorter than the stated minimum, while one year belongs to a different rule and is not the figure in this first conviction penalty list. Read the question for the aggravated category, which can involve a high alcohol level, excessive speed, refusal, attempted eluding, or an underage passenger. The memory cue is 150 days after the 48 hour jail provision.