Iowa CAR DMV Practice Test 13

This sign indicates that hospital emergency services are located to the right.

You should use low beam headlights when driving in fog, rain, or snow.

When there is a solid yellow line and a broken yellow line in the center of the road and the broken line is next to your lane, you may cross the lines to pass if there is no oncoming traffic.

When merging onto a freeway, you should enter at or near the speed of traffic.

Other cars and motorcycles are often hidden in a vehicle’s blind spot, so be sure to glance over your shoulder before you begin a lane change. Begin signaling 100 feet before changing lanes or turning in a residential area. Signal five seconds in advance when changing lanes on a freeway.

Some regulatory signs prohibit certain actions. These signs are rectangular and white with red and black markings. A red circle and slash on top of a black symbol indicates that the specified action is forbidden.

Try to avoid panic stops by watching well ahead of your vehicle for hazards. If you allow yourself space to react to hazards, you are less likely to need to stop or turn suddenly.

As alcohol builds up in your system, it will slow your reactions, make you feel more confident, and cause you to make more errors.

Fatigue and being under the influence of alcohol have similar effects on your ability to drive safely. For example, being awake for 18 hours impairs your driving about as much as a blood alcohol level of 0.05 percent. Being awake for 24 hours in a row has the same effect on your driving as a blood alcohol level of 0.10 percent.

Downward-facing triangular signs usually indicate that drivers should yield. Once the road is clear of traffic or pedestrians and it is safe to do so, drivers may proceed.

To avoid the need for last-minute braking or turning, consistently watch the road far ahead of your vehicle. By looking ahead and being ready to stop or change lanes if needed, you can drive more safely, save fuel, and help keep traffic moving at a steady pace.

When you follow so closely behind a truck that you cannot see the truck driver’s side view mirrors, the trucker cannot see you and has no way of knowing you are there. Tailgating a truck, or any vehicle, is dangerous because you take away your own cushion of safety if the vehicle in front of you stops quickly.

If you approach an emergency vehicle, tow truck, or roadside assistance vehicle that is stopped with its lights flashing, you must change lanes to allow the vehicle extra space. If there is only one lane moving in your direction, or if changing lanes would be unsafe, you must slow down to a speed below the posted speed limit and give the stationary vehicle as much room as possible. Always slow down and be prepared to stop when you approach an emergency scene.

Your turn signals should always be used when you make any movement to the left or right. You should use your signal when pulling into traffic from a curbside parking space, moving into a new lane, or passing another vehicle.

If your power steering stops working, additional effort will be required to maintain steering control. Reduce your speed and pull off the roadway to stop in a safe area.

This sign is displayed on slow-moving vehicles.

At intersections that are controlled by signs or signals and at intersections that are uncontrolled, the driver on the left must yield the right-of-way to the driver on the right when two vehicles arrive to the intersection at the same time.

When two vehicles arrive to an uncontrolled intersection at the same time, the vehicle on the right has the right-of-way. Once the vehicle on the right has safely passed through the intersection, the other driver may proceed.

This sign is placed on roads near schools to warn drivers to slow down, drive with caution, and watch for children.

This sign warns that two lanes of traffic going the same direction will soon merge into one lane.

For drivers age 21 or older, it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent or higher. Driving while under the influence of alcohol is not only illegal, but dangerous.

You should never pass if there is an oncoming vehicle in the passing lane, if your view is blocked by a curve or hill, at an intersection, before or on a railroad crossing or bridge, or in any other no passing zone. Unless you are on the opposite side of a multilane roadway with a median or shared center turn lane, you may not pass a stopped school bus that has its flashing red lights activated.

Before you drive, always fasten your seat belt and make sure all your passengers are using seat belts or child restraints. Studies have shown that if you use seat belts, your chances of being hurt or killed in a traffic crash are greatly reduced. Children age 12 and under should always ride properly restrained in a rear seat. Never put a rear-facing infant restraint in the front seat of a vehicle with a front passenger airbag.

In cold or wet weather, you should take special care on sections of road that are shaded by trees or buildings. These areas freeze more quickly than the rest of the road and are the last parts of the road to dry.

Lap belts should fit snugly across your hip bones and the lower part of your abdomen. Shoulder belts should sit comfortably so that you can insert your fist between the belt and your chest.

If your vehicle begins to skid, release the accelerator or brake pedal to regain vehicle balance. Steer in the direction of the skid to regain control of the vehicle.

Use your low beam headlights when driving in fog, rain, or snow. High beam lights can reflect off the weather conditions, lowering visibility even more.

Motorcycle operators have the right to use a complete traffic lane. Two motorcyclists may share a lane, but a car should never try to share a lane with a motorcycle.

Where this sign is posted, it is prohibited to make a right turn. It would be unsafe and unlawful to make a right turn at an intersection with this sign.

This sign indicates that a divided highway begins ahead. The road will split into two one-way roadways separated by a median or divider. You must keep to the right.

If two vehicles arrive at the same time to an uncontrolled intersection, the driver on the left must yield to the driver on the right. The driver on the left may then proceed when it is safe to do so.

Regulation signs regulate traffic speed and movement, displaying rules which drivers must obey. This regulation sign means that right turns are prohibited.

Warning signs are usually yellow with black markings. These signs alert drivers to areas where bicycles may be crossing.

All temporary signs in work zones have an orange background with black letters or symbols. These signs are found on the right side of the road, or on both the left and right sides if the roadway is a divided highway.

When parking downhill, turn your front wheels toward the curb or edge of the road. When parking uphill on a road without a curb, turn your wheels toward the edge of the road. When parking uphill on a road with a curb, you must turn your front wheels away from the curb.