Iowa CAR DMV Practice Test 6

To stay aware of hazards, you should scan the road and check your rearview mirrors every two to five seconds. Constantly staring at just the road ahead of you is dangerous. If you must drive in foggy conditions, you should use your low beam headlights, not your high beam headlights.

Even if a vehicle is properly equipped with rearview and outside mirrors, it still has blind spots that cannot be seen in the mirrors. Large trucks have much larger blind spots than most passenger vehicles.

A speed limit is the maximum or minimum legal speed you can travel on a road under ideal conditions. You may drive more slowly than the posted speed, but it is illegal to drive any faster. You must drive more slowly where signs or signs indicate a school zone or work zone speed limit. If conditions such as road construction or bad weather make the posted speed unsafe, drive under the speed limit.

This sign warns of a winding road ahead.

Warning signs alert drivers to upcoming hazards and are usually yellow with black markings. This sign warns drivers about potential traffic merging into their lane from the right.

A regulatory sign displaying a red circle with a red slash through the middle indicates that a specific action is prohibited. Right turns are not permitted where this sign is posted.

Your horn should be used to warn other drivers or pedestrians in situations where they may not see you. For example, if you think another driver is about to hit you, you should sound your horn.

When other drivers are behaving angrily, you should take action to physically and mentally distance yourself from the situation. Avoid making eye contact with them, or making body movements or gestures that could provoke them. Slow down, move over, or do whatever you safely can to put yourself out of danger.

After finding a parking space, checking traffic, and signaling, you should stop parallel to the vehicle directly ahead of your desired parking space before turning your wheel to park.

Warning signs are used to warn drivers about upcoming hazardous conditions and are usually yellow with black markings. This sign warns drivers that an upcoming bridge may be too narrow to meet or pass a truck and that they should be careful.

This sign indicates that the overpass ahead has a low clearance. You should not proceed if your vehicle is taller than the height shown on the sign (in this case, 13 feet 6 inches).

A triangular red and white sign indicates that you must yield the right-of-way.

Blind spots are areas that a driver cannot see without moving their head. They can be located to the sides of and behind a vehicle.

Each time you pass another vehicle, there is an increased chance for a collision. If you are moving faster than surrounding traffic, you will have to continue passing others. Drive with the flow of traffic, within the legal speed limit, and pass only as needed.

You should always change lanes gradually and carefully. Only change lanes when necessary. Every lane change increases the possibility of a traffic accident.

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.

Driving above the speed limit, driving too far below the speed limit, and driving too fast for conditions are all actions that commonly contribute to traffic accidents. Always drive with the general flow of traffic, within legal speed limits.

A pedestrian with a disability who is utilizing a guide dog, a white cane, a wheelchair, or another assistive device, whether on a sidewalk or roadway, has the right-of-way and is granted the same rights as any other pedestrian.

Drivers must obey special signs or instructions given by flaggers. They are in place to keep drivers and workers safe.

Drowsiness can make people drive so poorly that they appear to be drunk. Opening a window, turning on the radio, or drinking coffee is not enough to make a drowsy driver alert to roadway hazards.

This one-way sign indicates that traffic flows only in the direction of the arrow.

You must stop at a railroad crossing when directed to do so by a flagger or stop sign. Stop when flashing red signals and gates are present and operating.

When making any turn, turn from the lane closest to the direction you wish to travel into the first available legal lane. If you are making a left turn from a one-way street, this means that you would make the turn from the lane nearest to the left curb.

As you drive on a wet road, your tires may start to ride up on the surface of water, causing you to lose control of your vehicle. This is called hydroplaning. The best way to avoid hydroplaning is to lower your speed when driving under wet conditions.

Drivers must always yield to pedestrians in the street, even if they are crossing against a red light or are otherwise being careless.

A railroad crossing crossbuck sign is considered a yield sign and a driver must yield the right-of-way to any oncoming trains and railroad equipment.

When a school bus is stopped with its red lights flashing and stop arm out, other drivers are required to stop. This law applies to drivers traveling on both public and private roads.

An eight-sided red sign means "stop."

Warning signs are usually diamond-shaped with black markings on a yellow background. They alert drivers to upcoming hazards. This sign warns drivers to be extra careful when the pavement is wet because the road may become slippery, making vehicles more difficult to control.

A large truck has large blind spots to the front, sides, and rear of the vehicle. Avoid lingering in these areas. Because of their larger size and weight, trucks require more room to maneuver and stop than passenger vehicles.

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.

Guide signs, sometimes known as destination signs, have a green background and provide directional and mileage information to specific destinations. They can be a helpful resource when driving in unfamiliar locations.

The larger the vehicle, the larger the blind spots. Large trucks and SUVs have spots close to their rears that cannot be seen in their side or rearview mirrors.

When the driver behind you wants to pass, you should slow down so that there is enough room in front of your vehicle for the other driver to complete their pass. This will allow them to complete the passing maneuver in less time and more easily.

You must yield the right-of-way to a police vehicle, fire engine, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle using a siren or air horn and red or blue flashing lights. Pull over to the right edge of the road, or as near to the right side as possible, when you see or hear an emergency vehicle approaching from any direction on an undivided highway.