SD Permit Practice Test 17

All 20 questions in test 17

Every question below comes from the South Dakota 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 are unsure whether a drug is safe to combine with driving. What should you do?

   1. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about side effects
   2. Take half a dose and test your driving
   3. Read online reviews from other drivers
   4. Skip the drug only on highway trips
   Show answer

   Ask your doctor or pharmacist about side effects. When safety is uncertain, ask a doctor or pharmacist about side effects before driving on any drug, prescription or otherwise. Testing a half dose behind the wheel uses live traffic as your laboratory. Online reviews from strangers carry no knowledge of your dose, health, or other medicines. Limiting caution to highways ignores that most trips mix local streets where children and intersections concentrate. The label is your first check and the professional is your second; between them, guesswork has no seat in the vehicle.

   Study this in the handbook: Vision, fatigue, distraction and aggressive driving

2. 2. What visibility principle links your trouble seeing others with their trouble seeing you?

   1. Glare affects only oncoming traffic
   2. Other drivers can pick you out easily first, even at dusk
   3. Headlights help the driver who uses them far more than anyone nearby
   4. If you have trouble seeing them, they will have trouble seeing you
   Show answer

   If you have trouble seeing them, they will have trouble seeing you. Seeing is reciprocal on the road: when conditions make other vehicles hard for you to pick out, yours is equally hard for them to find, so lights and caution must rise together. Nobody reliably sees you first at dusk; fading light erases everyone equally. Headlights work both directions at once, showing the road and announcing your position. Glare blinds in several geometries, not just head-on. On a murky evening, switch on and slow down as if you were invisible, because to the driver squinting through the same murk, you nearly are.

3. 3. An oncoming vehicle looks distant as you judge a pass. Why can that appearance mislead you?

   1. A distant vehicle is usually moving slowly, so the gap you see will hold through the pass
   2. A small-looking vehicle is much farther down the road than its size first suggests
   3. A far vehicle can look standing still, yet visible closing can mean it is too close
   4. Oncoming speed stays impossible to judge until the vehicle is alongside your own car
   Show answer

   A far vehicle can look standing still, yet visible closing can mean it is too close. Distance flattens motion. A vehicle far down the road seems to hang motionless even while closing at highway speed, and by the time its approach becomes obvious the gap may already be too small for a pass. Assuming it travels slowly invents a margin that does not exist. Looking small does not place a vehicle farther away; distance shrinks apparent size while closing speed stays high. Speed can be judged, with caution, by giving distant traffic the benefit of every doubt. When the picture is unclear, wait. A delayed pass costs a moment, while a misjudged one puts you beside another vehicle with nowhere to go.

   Study this in the handbook: Following distance, passing and large vehicles

4. 4. You face a steady red light and plan to continue straight. When may you proceed?

   1. As soon as the intersection appears empty
   2. When the vehicle ahead begins to move
   3. After slowing down and checking for cross traffic
   4. After the light turns green and traffic clears
   Show answer

   After the light turns green and traffic clears. A solid red requires a full stop and keeps you waiting until the signal changes and the path is free of conflicting traffic. Treating an empty-looking intersection as permission skips both conditions, since a vehicle or pedestrian can arrive while you are deciding. Rolling through after a slowdown is still running the light. Following the car ahead is not a check of your own signal. Keep your eyes on the light and on the cross lane until green appears and the crossing traffic has actually cleared.

   Study this in the handbook: Traffic signals and arrows

5. 5. How does alcohol change reaction time behind the wheel?

   1. It speeds up information processing slightly
   2. It leaves reaction time unchanged at any dose
   3. It slows the ability to process information and respond
   4. It slows brake movement while judgment stays sharp
   Show answer

   It slows the ability to process information and respond. Alcohol slows the mental processing that turns a seen hazard into a started response, stretching reaction time exactly when traffic allows the least slack. Nothing about drinking sharpens processing; every measured function degrades. Reaction time does lengthen, so an unchanged claim misses the slowdown that begins with drinking. The slowdown begins in the brain's information handling, long before feet or hands enter the chain. A brake light that deserved a quick response gets a slow one instead, and at highway speed that lost time is measured in car lengths.

   Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, zero tolerance and implied consent

6. 6. How do your survival chances compare between staying inside the vehicle and being thrown clear?

   1. Thrown clear is safer in most crashes
   2. Chances of not being killed are much better if you stay inside the vehicle
   3. Staying inside the vehicle helps only during high speed highway crashes
   4. Staying inside helps only in rollovers
   Show answer

   Chances of not being killed are much better if you stay inside the vehicle. The thrown clear story is a myth: your chances of avoiding death are much better remaining inside, where the structure, belts, and air bags work as a system. Ejection exposes the body to pavement, crushing, and other vehicles with no protection at all. Limiting the benefit to highway speeds ignores protection during slower crashes around town as well. Staying inside protects in frontal, side, and rear crashes too, not only rollovers. Belts exist to keep you in that survival cell; wear them so the engineering can do its half.

   Study this in the handbook: Seat belts, child seats and driving position

7. 7. Besides an insurance policy, which deposit can satisfy South Dakota financial responsibility?

   1. A Certificate of Deposit or Securities in the amount of $50,000 deposited with the State Treasurer
   2. A savings account statement from any local bank showing a large enough balance
   3. A letter promising to pay after a crash
   4. A vehicle title held by a family member
   Show answer

   A Certificate of Deposit or Securities in the amount of $50,000 deposited with the State Treasurer. One alternative to a liability policy is depositing a Certificate of Deposit or securities worth fifty thousand dollars with the State Treasurer, money pledged before any crash happens. A bank statement shows savings without pledging them to the state. A promise letter is unenforceable paper with no funds behind it. A relative holding your title secures a loan, not public responsibility. The deposit works because the state can reach real money after a judgment; every substitute that keeps funds under your sole control fails that test.

   Study this in the handbook: Instruction and Restricted Minor's Permits

8. 8. In a forward two-point turnabout into a driveway, when should you stop the forward entry?

   1. As the rear of the vehicle clears the curb or edge of the driveway
   2. When the front bumper reaches the far curb across the driveway
   3. Before the rear of the vehicle clears the driveway edge
   4. Before the front wheels enter the driveway
   Show answer

   As the rear of the vehicle clears the curb or edge of the driveway. During a forward two-point turnabout, enter the driveway near its right side and stop as the rear of the vehicle clears the curb or edge. That places the vehicle out of the traffic lane before the driver checks around and reverses. Stopping before the rear clears leaves part of the vehicle exposed, while reaching the far curb or stopping before the front wheels enter does not follow the maneuver. Use the rear edge of the driveway as the stopping reference.

   Study this in the handbook: Turns, U turns and roundabouts

9. 9. You drive on a closed road in a snowstorm and get stuck. What consequences can follow besides the wait?

   1. Only a warning for first offenses
   2. Four wheel drive lets you travel closed roads without any penalty
   3. Free towing provided by the county
   4. A ticket, plus accountability for rescue costs for yourself, passengers, or the vehicle
   Show answer

   A ticket, plus accountability for rescue costs for yourself, passengers, or the vehicle. A closed road transfers the risk to you: emergency help may not reach you promptly in a storm, and you can be ticketed and held accountable for the costs of rescuing yourself, your passengers, or your vehicle. Warnings are not promised for a deliberate barrier violation. County towing is a bill, not a benefit. Drivetrain hardware earns no legal immunity from a closure. Barriers and closed signs price the gamble in advance; the storm collects it from drivers who thought their vehicle exempted them.

   Study this in the handbook: Night, winter, deer and work zones

10. 10. In a multi-lane roundabout, how do you know which lane is correct for your exit?

    1. All lanes serve every exit equally
    2. Choose your lane after entering by watching traffic already inside
    3. The lane with the fewest vehicles waiting
    4. Black and white signs and white arrows on the road show the correct lane to use
    Show answer

    Black and white signs and white arrows on the road show the correct lane to use. Roundabout lane choice is posted, not improvised: black and white signs beside the road and white arrows painted on the pavement show which lane serves your movement. Lanes are not interchangeable once circulating begins. The shortest queue may feed the wrong exit entirely. Waiting until you are inside to pick a lane forces a late lane change in the circle. Read the signs on approach while speed is low and options remain open, because changing lanes inside the circle is where roundabout crashes are born.

    Study this in the handbook: Turns, U turns and roundabouts

11. 11. For a fully licensed adult driver, which phone use does state law prohibit while driving?

    1. Texting, reading texts, or using social networking while driving
    2. Making a hands-free phone call with a dashboard-mounted phone
    3. Listening to spoken navigation directions while driving
    4. Using a phone to play music through the car system
    Show answer

    Texting, reading texts, or using social networking while driving. South Dakota state law prohibits texting, reading texts, and social networking while driving. The cited rule does not list a hands-free call, spoken navigation directions, or playing music through the vehicle system. Those activities can still distract a driver, so keeping attention on the road remains important, but they are not the phone uses named in this particular prohibition. Put messages and social networking aside until the vehicle is safely parked.

    Study this in the handbook: Instruction and Restricted Minor's Permits

12. 12. Which shoulder harness positions are wrong and must be avoided?

    1. Across the shoulder and chest with little slack
    2. Under the arm or behind the back
    3. Over a thin shirt in warm weather
    4. Flat against the chest with the belt untwisted
    Show answer

    Under the arm or behind the back. The shoulder harness belongs across the shoulder and chest with minimal slack; routing it under the arm or behind the back defeats the restraint geometry entirely. Correct placement with slight slack is the standard being described as safe, not an error. Clothing thickness under a belt changes nothing important. A flat untwisted strap across the chest is proper placement, not a routing error. Wrong routing concentrates crash forces on ribs and soft tissue instead of the shoulder skeleton, turning the belt itself into the injury source.

    Study this in the handbook: Seat belts, child seats and driving position

13. 13. A bicyclist ahead gives no hand signal before shifting position. Why might that happen?

    1. Road or traffic conditions may require both hands on the handlebars
    2. Signals are optional for all riders at all times
    3. The rider is exempt near intersections
    4. Signals only apply to motor vehicles legally
    Show answer

    Road or traffic conditions may require both hands on the handlebars. Riders must signal turns and stops, yet rough pavement or dense traffic can force both hands onto the handlebars for control, leaving no hand free to signal. That physical limit does not repeal the signaling duty in normal conditions. No intersection exemption exists either. Signals bind bicyclists as road users, with this practical exception understood. Read the rider instead: a head turn or shoulder glance telegraphs a lane change as surely as a hand, so watch the person, not just for the gesture you expected.

    Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists and school buses

14. 14. You park a vehicle with an automatic transmission on a level street. How should you leave the gear selector?

    1. In neutral with the parking brake released
    2. In park, as the handbook directs for an automatic
    3. In drive with the wheels turned to the curb
    4. In reverse so the vehicle cannot roll forward on any grade
    Show answer

    In park, as the handbook directs for an automatic. For an automatic transmission the handbook says to leave the vehicle in park when you leave it, while a manual gearbox goes into its lowest gear. Neutral with the brake released leaves nothing holding the vehicle on even a slight grade. Drive and reverse are working gears for travel, not parking positions, and either one lets the vehicle creep once the engine is off. The cue is the selector itself: park locks the output shaft, so pair that setting with the brake every time you walk away.

    Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists and school buses

15. 15. Your light turns green at a busy intersection. What should you avoid doing?

    1. Checking whether cross traffic has cleared
    2. Immediately moving into the intersection
    3. Waiting for a gap large enough to cross fully
    4. Watching for pedestrians still in the crosswalk
    Show answer

    Immediately moving into the intersection. Green means go when clear, not go instantly: pause long enough to confirm the path is open and cross traffic has actually stopped. The driver who charges on green meets the late runner still clearing from the side street. Checking the crossing flow, judging a full gap, and scanning the crosswalk are the habits that make the pause useful. That two-second survey at the stop line is cheap insurance; use it every cycle, because the one time you skip it is when someone runs the red.

    Study this in the handbook: Right of way, funerals and intersections

16. 16. How often should your eyes be checked for safe driving?

    1. Only when a license renewal notice arrives
    2. Only after a crash or citation occurs
    3. Regularly, by an eye doctor
    4. Once in a lifetime at first licensing
    Show answer

    Regularly, by an eye doctor. Vision changes quietly, so regular checks by an eye doctor catch decline before the road exposes it at highway closing speeds. Waiting for a renewal cycle can leave years of degraded seeing unexamined. Crashes and citations are the most expensive vision tests available. One lifetime check assumes eyes freeze at sixteen, which biology refuses to honor. The screening at licensing is a floor, not a maintenance plan; your own appointments keep the most important sense in driving certified between official looks.

    Study this in the handbook: Vision, fatigue, distraction and aggressive driving

17. 17. At a cloverleaf interchange, what traffic should you pay special attention to?

    1. Traffic parked on the interchange ramps ahead
    2. Traffic moving only in the opposite direction
    3. Traffic trying to enter or exit the highway
    4. Traffic stopped at toll booths on the highway
    Show answer

    Traffic trying to enter or exit the highway. A cloverleaf weaves entering and exiting traffic through the same short stretches, so watch closely for vehicles trying to enter or exit the highway or interstate. Those drivers may slow, accelerate, or change lanes across your path with little space to blend. Watching only opposite traffic, as one choice limits you, misses the merges happening beside you. Leave room near ramps, avoid lingering beside merging cars, and expect speed differences where the loops join the main road.

18. 18. Which use of a motor vehicle can cost you your South Dakota driver license?

    1. Using the vehicle to commit a felony or causing a death in a crash
    2. Using the vehicle for a paid delivery route
    3. Driving the vehicle across a state line on vacation
    4. Lending the vehicle to a licensed family member
    Show answer

    Using the vehicle to commit a felony or causing a death in a crash. A vehicle used as a tool in a felony, or driven in a way that kills someone, puts the license itself at risk beyond ordinary fines. Paid routes, interstate trips, and loans to licensed relatives are normal uses the law allows. The line is criminal use and fatal harm, not mileage or purpose. Anyone borrowing your car should be licensed, sober, and clear that serious crime ends driving privileges.

    Study this in the handbook: License rules, insurance and the point system

19. 19. Using the penny test on tire tread, what result marks a tire unsafe?

    1. The tread rubber covers Lincoln's shoulders and most of his head completely
    2. If the tread does not come at least to Abe's head, the tire is unsafe
    3. Any visible Lincoln means the tire is new
    4. The penny test measures pressure, not tread
    Show answer

    If the tread does not come at least to Abe's head, the tire is unsafe. Insert the penny headfirst into the groove; if the tread fails to reach at least to Lincoln's head, the tread is worn past safety and the tire needs replacement. Full coverage of the head and shoulders is the healthy direction, the opposite finding. A visible Lincoln is precisely the warning, not a certificate of newness. The penny gauges tread depth, while pressure takes a gauge. Wet roads expose worn tread first: channels too shallow to clear water turn braking and turning into sliding.

20. 20. What should a driver avoid doing in a short acceleration lane before merging?

    1. Use the lane to reach the speed of traffic before merging.
    2. Look for a safe opening before merging.
    3. Slow down on the ramp while waiting for a gap.
    4. Drive to the end of the lane and stop.
    Show answer

    Drive to the end of the lane and stop.. The acceleration lane gives a driver time to build speed before joining faster traffic. The handbook warns that driving to the end and stopping leaves too little room to reach traffic speed and can surprise drivers behind. Using the lane to reach traffic speed describes its intended use, while looking for a safe opening describes the search for a safe merge. Slowing on the ramp also reflects the handbook's advice when a driver must wait for a gap. The prohibited action is therefore stopping at the lane's end, not using the lane to prepare for a merge.

    Study this in the handbook: Controlling speed