SD Permit Practice Test 19

All 20 questions in test 19

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. Judging distances and speeds matters most in which driving tasks?

   1. Reversing carefully into a parallel parking space between two parked vehicles downtown
   2. Judging safe gaps when merging and passing on two-lane roads, and judging a train's speed before crossing tracks
   3. Reading street signs at night
   4. Choosing a lane at a toll plaza
   Show answer

   Judging safe gaps when merging and passing on two-lane roads, and judging a train's speed before crossing tracks. Distance and speed judgment earns its keep where gaps decide outcomes: merging into traffic, passing on two-lane roads, and reading an approaching train before committing to the tracks. Parking uses slow, close judgment of a different kind. Sign reading is vision, not gap estimation. Toll lanes crawl at speeds where misjudgment costs paint at worst. The train case is the unforgiving teacher, since locomotives look slow while covering ground impossibly fast; practice gap judgment everywhere so the critical estimates arrive calibrated.

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

2. 2. Before entering a shared center turn lane, what must you be sure of?

   1. That your signal has been on for a mile
   2. That traffic behind you has stopped fully
   3. Enter the lane only if it is safe to do so
   4. That you may travel in the lane until your turn appears
   Show answer

   Enter the lane only if it is safe to do so. The shared center lane collects turning vehicles from both directions, so enter only when it is safe, checking for an opposing driver aiming at the same stretch of pavement. Signal duration by distance is not the safety test. Traffic behind you need not stop for your lane entry. Traveling along the lane to reach a distant turn misuses space meant for the turn itself. Treat the center lane as borrowed space with two landlords: nose in only when your turn is imminent and the lane's other customers are accounted for.

   Study this in the handbook: Pavement markings and signaling

3. 3. Why avoid dark or tinted corrective lenses while driving at night?

   1. They cut down the light that you need to see clearly
   2. They are illegal in all vehicles during nighttime driving
   3. Tinted lenses cause permanent damage to your eyes
   4. They make headlights look brighter to other drivers
   Show answer

   They cut down the light that you need to see clearly. Night driving already starves your eyes of light, and dark or tinted lenses subtract more of the little that remains, shrinking contrast and hazard detection. The lenses are a daytime tool misapplied, not banned equipment in themselves. No permanent eye damage comes from wearing them; visibility loss is the harm. Oncoming lights actually dim through tint along with everything else, which is the danger, not protection. Wear clear correction after dark and save the shades for the glare they were designed to tame.

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

4. 4. You are driving beside parked cars and a stopped vehicle ahead may hide a pedestrian. What should you do?

   1. Slow down and do not pass until the crossing is clear
   2. Pass the stopped vehicle quickly on the left side
   3. Honk once and continue at the same speed
   4. Move closer to parked cars to see around them
   Show answer

   Slow down and do not pass until the crossing is clear. Parked and stopped vehicles create a screen that a person can step from without warning. Slow down beside that screen and hold off passing until you are sure nobody is crossing in front of the stopped vehicle. Rushing around on the left, as one choice proposes, puts you exactly where a hidden walker would appear. Ease your speed early, scan the gaps between bumpers and wheels, and be ready to stop with your foot covering the brake.

   Study this in the handbook: Controlling speed

5. 5. What must you do with written evidence of financial responsibility while driving?

   1. Keep it filed safely at home and bring it after any traffic stop ends
   2. Show it only after a crash happens
   3. Carry it in the vehicle covered and present it to any law enforcement officer upon request
   4. Keep it only in digital photos online
   Show answer

   Carry it in the vehicle covered and present it to any law enforcement officer upon request. Proof of financial responsibility rides in the covered vehicle and must be presented to any law enforcement officer who requests it at a stop. Filing it at home beside the title leaves you unable to prove coverage roadside. Waiting for a crash inverts the purpose; officers verify coverage during ordinary enforcement. Online photos may help as backup yet the requirement is evidence carried with the vehicle. Keep the current card where you can reach it calmly, and replace it the day a renewal arrives.

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

6. 6. A driver with diabetes who takes insulin should not drive under what circumstance?

   1. When there is any chance of an insulin reaction, blackout, convulsion, or shock
   2. Whenever the weather is cold outside
   3. Only when driving alone without any passengers riding along with you
   4. After eating a full meal at home
   Show answer

   When there is any chance of an insulin reaction, blackout, convulsion, or shock. Insulin creates a hard boundary: any chance of a reaction, blackout, convulsion, or shock means not driving, because those events arrive without a safe warning window at speed. Cold weather alone does not trigger the restriction. Passenger presence changes nothing; the risk follows meal and dose errors whenever they occur. A full meal is actually protective against the reaction feared. Skipping food or misjudging dosage is the setup to avoid, and during dose adjustments by a doctor, letting someone else drive is the prudent pattern.

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

7. 7. A loaded truck traveling at 55 mph under ideal conditions needs at least how far to stop completely?

   1. About 150 feet
   2. The same distance as a passenger car
   3. A minimum of 200 feet
   4. At least 335 feet
   Show answer

   At least 335 feet. The handbook's ideal-condition example assigns at least 335 feet to a loaded truck with good tires and properly adjusted brakes moving at 55 mph. The 200-foot figure is not the stopping distance stated for this truck. A passenger car does not need the same distance because the loaded truck has much greater mass. The rule describes a minimum, so the truck may need even more room if conditions worsen. Treat the full 335 feet as the starting point for space ahead of a large vehicle.

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

8. 8. In a side impact collision, what protection do front air bags offer?

   1. Front air bags will not help in a side hit; lap and shoulder belts are needed
   2. They fully replace seatbelts and restraints in side impact collisions of every kind
   3. They deploy sideways from the dashboard
   4. They hold the driver behind the wheel automatically
   Show answer

   Front air bags will not help in a side hit; lap and shoulder belts are needed. Front air bags are aimed at frontal crashes and will not help when the strike comes from the side; lap and shoulder belts do the work of keeping you positioned behind the wheel there. Bags never replace belts in any direction of impact. Dashboard units deploy forward, toward the windshield area, not across the cabin. No device holds a driver in place automatically like a harness lock. Belt up for the crash you cannot choose: the side hit gives no crumple warning and throws you toward the intruding door.

   Study this in the handbook: Crashes, emergency vehicles and traffic stops

9. 9. Before opening a door from a vehicle parked on the street, what should you check for?

   1. Only the inside rearview mirror
   2. The door's lock and handle
   3. The sides and rear for bicyclists
   4. A bicycle bell before opening
   Show answer

   The sides and rear for bicyclists. Before opening the door of a vehicle parked on the street, check to the sides and rear for bicyclists. The inside mirror alone does not cover every area beside the door. The lock and handle do not reveal whether a rider is approaching, and a bell may not be present or audible. The handbook's instruction is a visual check in both side areas and behind the vehicle before the door moves.

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

10. 10. With parent or guardian permission, during which hours may a Motorcycle Restricted Minor's Permit holder operate a motorcycle?

    1. From 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. while carrying the permit
    2. From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. while carrying the permit
    3. From 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. while carrying the permit
    4. From 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. while carrying the permit
    Show answer

    From 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. while carrying the permit. Motorcycle restricted riding with parent or guardian permission runs from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. while the rider carries the permit. Extending the window to 10 p.m. copies the car restricted schedule and adds two dark hours the motorcycle stage withholds. Starting at eight removes morning time that is actually allowed, and eleven pushes far past either schedule. Remember eight for two wheels here; ten belongs to the ordinary restricted car permit.

11. 11. How should pets be carried so they do not become a driving hazard?

    1. Loose on the driver's lap where it can stay comfortable during the trip
    2. Properly secured in a pet carrier or portable kennel
    3. Standing on the rear seat to see out
    4. Held by a front seat passenger only
    Show answer

    Properly secured in a pet carrier or portable kennel. Pets belong properly secured in a carrier or portable kennel, where sudden braking cannot throw them and wandering cannot reach the pedals or your lap. A loose pet on the driver is a steering obstruction with a heartbeat. Standing animals become projectiles in the first hard stop. A passenger's arms fail exactly when forces peak in a crash. Securing the animal protects everyone in the cabin and keeps a frightened pet from diving under the brake at the worst possible moment.

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

12. 12. You are passing a bicyclist on a road posted at 45 mph. What minimum separation does South Dakota law require?

    1. Ten feet
    2. Four feet
    3. Three feet
    4. Six feet
    Show answer

    Six feet. The separation depends on the posted limit. At 35 mph or less the minimum is three feet, and above that threshold it rises to six feet. A 45 mph road therefore falls in the higher group, so the three foot answer belongs to slower streets. Four feet appears nowhere in the statute, and ten feet is more than the law demands. Measure from the right side of your vehicle, including mirrors, to the left side of the bicycle, and stay that far out until you are safely past the rider. If traffic prevents the gap, wait rather than squeeze by.

    Study this in the handbook: Crashes, emergency vehicles and traffic stops

13. 13. Why does alcohol hit new drivers harder than experienced drivers?

    1. New drivers have lower body weight on average
    2. New drivers are still learning to drive
    3. Experienced drivers feel no impairment from alcohol
    4. New drivers face no zero tolerance law
    Show answer

    New drivers are still learning to drive. New drivers are still building the complex skills of driving, so alcohol degrades a task that is not yet automatic for them, while seasoned drivers at least perform the basics from habit. Body weight varies person to person and is not the reason given. Seasoned drivers still lose judgment after drinking; experience changes skill reserve, not immunity. Zero tolerance very much applies to the young drivers most likely to be new. The practical warning is that a beginner has no spare capacity for impairment to steal.

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

14. 14. No crosswalk lines are visible at a controlled intersection. Where must you stop when a stop is required?

    1. Before entering the intersection
    2. At the center of the intersection
    3. Past the first lane of cross traffic
    4. Wherever the signal post stands
    Show answer

    Before entering the intersection. Paint is not what creates a crosswalk. Where markings are missing at an intersection, the handbook still requires a stop before you enter the intersection when a sign or signal demands one. Stopping in the middle or beyond the first lane puts the vehicle in the path of cross traffic. Using the signal post as a marker is unreliable because posts sit back from the travel way. Pick a fixed reference such as the curb line or the edge of the intersecting roadway, stop behind it, and then creep forward only after scanning both directions.

    Study this in the handbook: Pavement markings and signaling

15. 15. You are parking along a street that has a curb. Where should you place the vehicle?

    1. Two feet out from the curb to leave door room
    2. As close to it as possible
    3. Angled with the front wheel on the curb
    4. In the middle of the parking lane regardless of curb position
    Show answer

    As close to it as possible. A parked vehicle should intrude on traffic as little as possible. With a curb present, tuck the vehicle as close to it as you reasonably can, so the travel lane stays wide and passing drivers get a predictable edge. Two feet out narrows the lane and invites sideswipes. Resting a wheel on the curb damages tires and leaves the vehicle unsettled. Lane middle placement ignores the curb entirely. Close and parallel is the goal on flat ground, and on a hill you add the wheel turn that guards against a roll.

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

16. 16. Why check behind the vehicle on foot before getting in to back up?

    1. To confirm the trunk is fully closed
    2. Children and small objects cannot be seen from the driver's seat
    3. Mirrors show the area behind perfectly
    4. Only when backing in a shopping center parking lot
    Show answer

    Children and small objects cannot be seen from the driver's seat. The zone directly behind a vehicle is invisible from the seat, and children or small objects living in that blind area appear only when it is far too late, so a walk-around check comes first. Trunk closure is minor beside a hidden child. Mirrors explicitly fail to show the immediate rear ground. The danger exists in every driveway and lot, not only commercial ones. Ten seconds around the back is the cheapest blind spot elimination in all of driving; make it habit before the key turns.

17. 17. Why should you avoid driving beside other vehicles for long periods on multi-lane roads?

    1. It is against the law to match another vehicle's speed for any distance traveled
    2. It shortens the following gap to the vehicle ahead
    3. You may sit in their blind spot and lose space needed to avoid a crash
    4. Other drivers are required to accelerate away
    Show answer

    You may sit in their blind spot and lose space needed to avoid a crash. Lingering beside another vehicle can park you inside its blind spot while also erasing the side space you would need to dodge trouble, a double loss. Matching speed itself breaks no law; position and duration create the problem. Riding abeam does not shorten the gap ahead; the loss happens beside you. Nobody is required to accelerate away from you either. Solve it deliberately: ease ahead or drop back until you ride in open space with an escape route, rather than cruising trapped in a rolling box.

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

18. 18. A driver under 18 lets a Motorcycle Instruction Permit expire. What must the minor do next?

    1. Renew the expired permit without restarting required time
    2. Wait until age eighteen and skip instruction entirely
    3. Move directly onto a Motorcycle Restricted Permit
    4. Obtain another Instruction Permit for the required time
    Show answer

    Obtain another Instruction Permit for the required time. Expiry under eighteen sends a motorcycle learner back to another Instruction Permit for the required length of time. Simply renewing without restarting sounds kinder, yet the lapsed permit no longer preserves the needed continuous period. Moving straight to a restricted stage skips the unfinished teaching stage, and waiting for eighteen discards the under eighteen route entirely. Treat the expiration date as a hard wall and finish qualifying time before it arrives.

19. 19. Compared with other intersection controls, by about how much do roundabouts reduce fatal crashes?

    1. About 35 percent fewer fatal crashes
    2. About 50 percent fewer fatal crashes
    3. About 75 percent fewer fatal crashes
    4. About 90 percent fewer fatal crashes
    Show answer

    About 90 percent fewer fatal crashes. Crash statistics credited to roundabouts show about a 90 percent cut in fatal crashes against other forms of intersection control, alongside roughly 75 percent fewer injury crashes and 35 percent fewer crashes overall. The tempting 35 percent figure is real but belongs to total crashes, not deaths. Fifty percent appears in none of the three reported reductions. Fewer conflict points and lower speeds explain the pattern. When a junction converts to a circle, the deadliest angle collisions largely disappear from the record.

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

20. 20. You reach a roadway covered by a large body of standing water. What route decision does the handbook require?

    1. Drive through slowly in the center of the flood
    2. Follow another vehicle closely through the water
    3. Find another route to your destination
    4. Wait for the water to hide the lane lines fully
    Show answer

    Find another route to your destination. Large standing water on a roadway is a turn-around instruction: pick another route rather than probing depth with your vehicle. The center of a flooded stretch can hide washed-out pavement, open manholes, or a current strong enough to float a car. Following another vehicle only proves their path, seconds before it changes. Waiting until markings vanish makes the hazard worse, not clearer. Treat brown water over asphalt like a closed sign, because you cannot verify what the surface underneath still looks like.

    Study this in the handbook: Controlling speed