District Of Columbia CAR DMV Practice Test 1

Legal medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, can potentially impair your ability to drive. Always consult with your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions about how a particular drug or drug combination will affect your ability to drive. You should particularly make a point of talking with your doctor if they give you a prescription for a tranquilizer or sedative.

Backing up is always dangerous because it is hard to see behind your vehicle. Use extra caution when backing up.

Warning signs prepare drivers for upcoming road conditions and hazards and are usually yellow with black markings. This sign tells drivers that they may encounter traffic coming from the opposite direction.

When heavy rain reduces visibility, reduce your speed. Turn on your headlights so other drivers can see your vehicle. If the rain is so heavy that you are unable to see clearly, drive onto the shoulder and stop until the rain lets up.

Before changing lanes, you should check your side mirrors and look over your shoulder to make sure it is safe to proceed.

To ensure that you will have time to react to hazards on the roadway, it is best to keep a cushion of space on all sides of your vehicle. Do not crowd vehicles to your left and right sides.

Warning signs are usually yellow with black markings. They alert you to conditions that are immediately ahead. This sign warns drivers about the presence of traffic signals at an intersection ahead.

A driver’s ability to safely operate a vehicle may be impaired at any BAC level, even a level lower than the legal limit. Any amount of alcohol can affect one’s judgment and physical coordination. Driving under the influence of even a small amount of alcohol can lead to criminal charges.

Choosing to eat, drink, or smoke while driving is dangerous because these actions require a driver to remove their hands from the wheel and their eyes from the road. Drivers who engage in distracting activities while driving have trouble staying in their lanes and controlling their vehicles.

If you are stopped at a railroad crossing with more than one track, do not start moving as soon as a train passes. Wait until you have a clear view down all tracks before you start across. Even where there is only one track, do not start across immediately after a train passes; check again for another train that may be approaching.

When passing a bicyclist, slow down and give them as much space as you can. Bicyclists have much less protection than drivers of motor vehicles and they should not be crowded. Passing a bicycle too quickly can shift the bicyclist off-course.

Factors that can affect braking distance include how fast your vehicle is traveling, the condition of your brakes and tires, and the condition of the pavement.

Ramps and bridges are suspended in the air, causing them to become icy very quickly in cold weather. Drive with extra caution when crossing a bridge in freezing temperatures.

This sign warns that there is a steep hill ahead.

Do not become distracted by looking at passengers, attempting to find something in your vehicle, looking at reading material, sightseeing, or daydreaming while driving. Continue scanning the road, checking your mirrors, and looking at the instrument panel at regular intervals. Developing these safe habits will keep you attentive as a driver.

When you leave your vehicle unattended, you must stop the engine, lock the ignition, remove the key from the ignition, and set the parking brake.

If a vehicle comes toward you with its high beams on, look away from the headlights and toward the right side of the road until the car has passed. This will keep you from being blinded.

If you want to enter the freeway but do not see a space for your vehicle in traffic, slow down on the ramp to wait for a gap. Do not drive to the end of the ramp and wait for a gap or you will not have enough room to accelerate to the speed of traffic before entering the roadway.

As you enter a work zone, signs and message boards will warn you of workers, slow-moving equipment, and/or closed lanes ahead. You should reduce your speed and be prepared to slow down or stop.

If a traffic light at an intersection is not functioning due to a power outage, yield to other drivers in the same manner as you would when approaching a four-way stop. When it is your turn, proceed through the intersection with caution.

Distractions cause drivers to react more slowly to traffic and hazards on the roadway. Distracted driving is never safe.

If you must drive in foggy conditions, you should use your low beam headlights, as well as your fog lights, if your vehicle has them. High beams direct their light upwards, where it can bounce off the fog and into your eyes, reducing visibility even more.

Pedestrians should walk on the side of the road facing the traffic in the lane nearest them.

Instructions given by police officers directing traffic always override posted traffic signals and signs. Follow the officer's instructions.

A broken yellow line in the center of the road indicates that traffic next to the broken yellow line may pass, if it is safe to do so.