UT Permit Practice Test 3

All 20 questions in test 3

Every question below comes from the Utah 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. While merging in Utah, a vehicle in the continuing lane is close enough to pose an immediate threat. What must you do?

   
   1. Yield to that vehicle before joining its lane
   2. Claim priority by switching on your turn signal
   3. Enter first and require that driver to brake
   4. Enter first if your acceleration lane is about to end
   Show answer

   Yield to that vehicle before joining its lane. A driver merging into a traffic lane must yield to vehicles already in the continuing lane when they are close enough to be an immediate threat. A turn signal communicates your intention but does not require someone else to brake for your entry. Use the nearby vehicle’s position and closing speed as cues when judging the gap. Keep looking for suitable space, and merge only when your movement will not put you into conflict with that traffic.

2. 2. Which pair of BAC figures does Utah’s handbook give for the general limit and the CDL limit, respectively?

   1. 0.10 BAC and 0.05 BAC
   2. 0.08 BAC and 0.04 BAC
   3. 0.05 BAC and 0.08 BAC
   4. 0.05 BAC and 0.04 BAC
   Show answer

   0.05 BAC and 0.04 BAC. The handbook identifies 0.05 BAC for the general rule and 0.04 for CDL. Using 0.08 for the first figure would miss Utah’s lower alcohol limit, even though that number may sound familiar. When studying the two figures, connect the smaller one with CDL rather than reversing their order. Neither figure is a target for drinking before driving: the same section also prohibits operating a vehicle when impairment makes driving unsafe below the numerical limit.

3. 3. With no different speed posted and no additional hazard, how fast may you pass Utah school grounds during recess?

   1. No more than 25 mph
   2. No more than 20 mph
   3. No more than 30 mph
   4. No more than 35 mph
   Show answer

   No more than 20 mph. The school-ground rule allows 20 mph while passing during recess under the stated conditions. Choosing 25 mph would confuse the business or residential speed with the lower school speed. Children using the grounds during a break are a practical cue to check your speed before reaching the school frontage. Do not wait for a child to step into your lane before responding, and be ready to travel more slowly when an actual hazard makes that necessary.

4. 4. After an earlier Not-a-Drop denial, an 18-year-old commits another offense within 10 years. Which period applies under Utah’s repeat-offense rule?

   1. Six months from the new offense
   2. Two years or until age 21, whichever is shorter
   3. Two years or until age 21, whichever is longer
   4. One year regardless of age
   Show answer

   Two years or until age 21, whichever is longer. Utah compares a two-year loss of privileges with the time remaining until the person reaches 21 and uses whichever is longer. For an 18-year-old, reaching 21 can take longer than two years, so selecting the shorter period reverses the rule. The prior denial within ten years is the cue that this is a repeat case. Do not apply the six-month first-offense period simply because the latest incident involved only a small measurable amount of alcohol.

5. 5. A NO RIGHT TURN sign is posted beside a red traffic light. Does stopping first authorize a right turn?

   
   1. Yes, if no pedestrian is in the crosswalk
   2. Yes, once the wheels have completely stopped
   3. No, a posted restriction prevents that turn
   4. Yes, because the turn restriction applies only when the light is green
   Show answer

   No, a posted restriction prevents that turn. A right turn on red is allowed after a complete stop only when signs do not prohibit it. The posted no-right-turn restriction removes that permission at this location. An empty crosswalk or another driver waiting behind you does not override the sign. Before making a red-light turn, look beside the signal for turn restrictions as well as checking traffic; the signal color alone cannot tell you whether that particular maneuver is permitted.

6. 6. An ambulance approaches behind you with its emergency lights operating. Where should you wait for it to pass?

   1. Stopped at the right side of the road
   2. Moving slowly along the center line
   3. Stopped in the leftmost travel lane
   4. On the shoulder only after the ambulance overtakes you
   Show answer

   Stopped at the right side of the road. An approaching ambulance using emergency warning devices requires you to yield promptly, move to the right side, and stop until it passes. Merely creeping along the center line leaves your vehicle moving in an area the ambulance may need. Waiting until it overtakes you also delays the required response. Flashing emergency lights in your rearview mirror are the cue to check the space to your right and make room without competing for the roadway.

7. 7. What does the Utah handbook tell you to do before moving your vehicle after a stop?

   1. Sound the horn
   2. Turn off the turn signal
   3. Check for traffic and bicyclists
   4. Accelerate quickly to clear the intersection
   Show answer

   Check for traffic and bicyclists. A bicyclist can move up beside a stopped car while you are looking ahead, so the handbook's instruction is to check for traffic and bicyclists before moving after a stop. Honking is not a substitute for looking, the signal stays on until the move is complete, and a fast start into an unseen rider is how right hook crashes happen. Look left, right, and over your shoulder before your wheels roll.

8. 8. What is the most a Utah driver may be fined for a first texting while driving conviction that causes no injury?

   1. $1,000
   2. There is no fine
   3. $25
   4. $100, as a Class C misdemeanor
   Show answer

   $100, as a Class C misdemeanor. Texting while driving is a criminal offense in Utah, not a simple ticket. Utah law (41-6a-1716) makes a texting violation a Class C misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $100, and it becomes a Class B misdemeanor if the driver causes serious bodily injury through the prohibited device use. Officers may pull you over for texting on its own. The larger amounts and the no fine answer are wrong, and the real cost is the crash risk and the license suspension a judge can order.

9. 9. May a Utah driver change lanes while driving through an intersection?

   1. Yes, if you signal first
   2. Yes, if no one is behind you
   3. Only when turning left
   4. No; wait until you have completely cleared the intersection
   Show answer

   No; wait until you have completely cleared the intersection. Intersections are where paths cross, and a lane change inside one adds a sideways move that other drivers cannot predict. The handbook says never to attempt a lane change while driving through an intersection and to wait until you have completely cleared it before moving to a different lane. Signaling and an empty mirror do not make it legal, and a left turn is not an exception. Pick your lane before the intersection and hold it through.

10. 10. Utah was the first state to adopt which blood alcohol concentration limit?

    1. .08
    2. .05
    3. .10
    4. .02
    Show answer

    .05. In December 2018 Utah became the first state in the country to set the driving under the influence limit at a blood alcohol concentration of .05, lower than the .08 used in most states. The .02 figure applies to drivers under 21 in many states and .10 is an old standard. The practical lesson is that a single drink can put a smaller person near the limit, and impairment begins below any legal number, so the safe choice is not to drive after drinking.

11. 11. A Utah driver age 25 refuses the officer-designated chemical tests for the first time. What license revocation period is stated?

    1. Revocation lasting 18 months
    2. Revocation lasting six months
    3. Revocation lasting 120 days
    4. Revocation lasting 36 months
    Show answer

    Revocation lasting 18 months. For a driver in this adult age group, refusing the required chemical tests results in an 18-month revocation for the first offense. The 36-month period belongs to second or subsequent refusals, so it would overstate the first-offense period here. Notice the words refusal and first when separating this rule from DUI conviction suspensions. During a stop, the officer’s selection of tests is the relevant requirement; a driver cannot avoid the refusal consequence by simply declining those tests.

12. 12. How long must a 16 or 17 year old in Utah hold a learner permit before getting a first regular Class D license?

    1. 30 days
    2. 90 days
    3. 6 months
    4. 12 months
    Show answer

    6 months. Drivers who are 16 or 17 must hold the learner permit for 6 months and complete driver education before they can be issued a first regular Class D license. Ninety days is the holding period for applicants 19 and older who skip driver education, and 30 days and 12 months are not Utah holding periods. The renewal permit rules repeat the point: a 16 or 17 year old must complete driver education and hold a learner permit for at least six months.

13. 13. How does drinking even a little alcohol before driving affect your crash risk, per the Utah handbook?

    1. Your chances of a crash are much greater than if you had not drunk any alcohol
    2. There is no effect below the legal limit
    3. Risk rises only after three drinks
    4. Risk goes down because you drive more carefully
    Show answer

    Your chances of a crash are much greater than if you had not drunk any alcohol. The handbook does not treat the legal limit as a safety line. It says that if you drink alcohol or use other impairing drugs and drive even a little, your chances of being in a crash are much greater than if you had not drunk at all. Judgment and reaction time degrade with the first drink, long before .05, and there is no drink count below which the risk is zero. The only safe amount before driving is none.

14. 14. What happens in Utah if your driving privilege is denied, suspended, or revoked in another state?

    1. It has no effect in Utah
    2. You may drive in Utah with an out of state permit
    3. Only Utah convictions count
    4. Utah will not issue you a license while it is denied, suspended, or revoked elsewhere
    Show answer

    Utah will not issue you a license while it is denied, suspended, or revoked elsewhere. States share driver records, and the handbook lists a privilege that is denied, suspended, revoked, or disqualified in Utah or any other state among the reasons Utah will not license you. A suspension does not stop at the state line, an out of state permit does not override it, and convictions elsewhere do count. Clear the other state's requirements first; the handbook notes the home state keeps the privilege suspended until it receives proof that you complied.

15. 15. A lane-ends warning leads into a congested construction merge. What merging method does Utah describe?

    
    1. Use both lanes to the merge point, then alternate into one lane
    2. Let the continuing lane pass until the ending lane is empty
    3. Have every driver leave the ending lane as soon as its sign appears
    4. Have all vehicles in the ending lane enter before the continuing lane moves
    Show answer

    Use both lanes to the merge point, then alternate into one lane. For a congested merge point such as construction, Utah describes using both available lanes to the merge and then taking alternating turns into the single lane. Sending every driver out of the ending lane immediately is different from that zipper method. Giving an entire lane uninterrupted priority also defeats the alternating pattern. The queue where two streams become one is the cue to cooperate with the adjacent driver and take a turn rather than blocking the other stream.

16. 16. On a Utah street with a shared center left turn lane, how should you begin a left turn?

    
    1. Turn directly from the through lane without entering the center lane
    2. Signal left, check mirrors and your left blind spot, then steer smoothly into the shared lane
    3. Use the center lane to pass slower traffic first
    4. Stop in the through lane and wait for a gap
    Show answer

    Signal left, check mirrors and your left blind spot, then steer smoothly into the shared lane. The shared center lane exists so left turning drivers can leave the through lane before they slow down. The handbook says to check your mirrors and the vehicles ahead, signal left, check your left blind spot, and steer smoothly into the shared left turn lane, then make the turn when traffic is clear. Turning from the through lane or stopping in it blocks traffic behind you, and the center lane is never for passing.

17. 17. Near a merge warning sign, you are entering a lane occupied by an approaching vehicle close enough to be a hazard. Who yields?

    
    1. The continuing driver, because the merge is signed
    2. You, as the driver entering the continuing lane
    3. The driver who reached the merge point last, regardless of lane
    4. The continuing driver, if you signal first
    Show answer

    You, as the driver entering the continuing lane. The driver entering a continuing lane must give way to vehicles in it that are close enough to present an immediate threat. A merge warning sign alerts traffic to the meeting of streams but does not transfer priority to the entering vehicle. Signaling first also does not reserve a gap. Watch the approaching vehicle’s position and closing speed, and adjust your approach until you can enter without requiring that driver to take evasive action.

18. 18. How many hours of practice driving must a Utah driver education student complete with a parent or legal guardian, and how many after sunset?

    1. 20 hours, including 5 after sunset
    2. 50 hours, including 10 after sunset
    3. 30 hours, all in daylight
    4. 40 hours, including 10 after sunset
    Show answer

    40 hours, including 10 after sunset. In addition to the classroom and behind the wheel portions of driver education, a Utah student must complete 40 hours of driving with a parent or legal guardian, and 10 of those hours must be after sunset. Fifty hours with ten at night and twenty hours with five at night do not match Utah's figures, and an all daylight schedule skips the required night driving. Night hours are required because reduced visibility changes how a new driver judges speed and distance.

19. 19. May a Utah driver back up on a freeway or interstate after missing an exit?

    1. Yes, on the shoulder only
    2. No; never back up on a freeway or interstate
    3. Yes, if no traffic is behind you
    4. Yes, for less than 100 feet
    Show answer

    No; never back up on a freeway or interstate. Backing on a freeway puts a slow or reversing vehicle in front of traffic moving at 70 mph or more, and the handbook forbids it outright: do not back up on a freeway or interstate. The shoulder, an empty mirror, and a short distance do not make it legal or safe. If you miss an exit, continue to the next one and come back. The same rule covers the exit gore area, where stopping and backing are also prohibited.

20. 20. What is the Utah handbook's advice for dealing with a distraction or problem while driving?

    1. Handle it at the next red light
    2. Slow down and deal with it while driving
    3. Immediately pull over to the side of the roadway and take care of it
    4. Ignore it until you reach your destination
    Show answer

    Immediately pull over to the side of the roadway and take care of it. A distraction is anything that takes your mind or body away from driving, and the handbook's answer is not to manage it at the wheel. If you have a problem or there is a distraction, immediately pull over to the side of the roadway and take care of it. A red light is not a safe place to look away, dealing with it while moving is the distraction itself, and ignoring a real problem lets it grow. Set navigation, phones and loose items before you leave.