Maine CAR DMV Practice Test 23

Alcohol slows your reflexes and reaction time, reduces your ability to see clearly, and makes you less alert. As the amount of alcohol in your body increases, your judgment worsens and your driving skills decrease. You will have trouble judging distances, speeds, and the movement of other vehicles.

To prevent drowsiness on long trips, you should schedule regular stops. Give yourself time to rest and stretch, even if you are not feeling tired.

You should always turn from the lane that is closest to the direction you want to go. Turn into the lane closest to your previous lane.

You should turn your head to check your blind spots before every lane change.

A flashing red traffic light means the same thing as a stop sign. You must come to a complete stop, yield to other traffic and pedestrians, and then proceed when it safe to do so.

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

When entering a freeway, use the on-ramp to accelerate to the speed of freeway traffic so you can blend in smoothly and safely. Entering traffic must yield to traffic already on the freeway.

This sign indicates the presence of a pedestrian crossing. You should watch for people entering a crosswalk or crossing your path. Slow down and be prepared to stop.

Highway work zones are established according to the type of work underway along the roadway. Signs in work areas are typically diamond-shaped, orange, have black letters or symbols, and serve as a warning that people are working on or near the highway.

White lines separate traffic lanes traveling in the same direction. You may cross broken white lines to pass, as long as the passing lane is clear.

Drivers must obey any instructions given by a police officer, even if the instructions contradict laws, signs, signals, or markings that would otherwise apply.

This sign warns that especially slippery conditions exist when the road is wet.

When the center of the road is marked by a solid yellow line beside a broken yellow line, passing is permitted from the side next to the broken line and prohibited from the side next to the solid line.

Safety belts can double your chance of surviving a crash and more than double your chance of avoiding serious injury. Airbags, when used properly with safety belts, provide additional protection in a front-end crash. You should wear both shoulder and lap belts.

It is important to be able to clearly see through all windows. It is also important that other drivers are able to see your vehicle under dangerous weather conditions. Remove snow, ice, and frost from all windows, headlights, and taillights before you start to drive.

A flashing yellow traffic light indicates that you should drive with caution.

Always be aware of what is happening around your vehicle. Constantly observing your surroundings to the front, sides, and rear of your vehicle will help you see problems that may require you to change speed or roadway position.

As speed increases, the chance of a fatality increases. If you are moving faster than 80 miles per hour, you have almost no chance of living through a crash. Driving more slowly than other traffic can also be dangerous because other motorists may become impatient and make dangerous moves to pass you.

You should pass a bicyclist the same way you would pass any other vehicle, but not so fast or close to them that you throw debris in their face or blow them around with the draft of air from your vehicle. Allow at least 3 feet of space between your side mirror and the bicyclist, or at least 5 feet on higher speed roads or when there is a group of bicyclists. Honking unnecessarily may startle riders and make them more likely to crash.

Even if the light is green, you may not enter an intersection unless you can get completely across before the light turns red. If you block the intersection, you can be cited.

If an aggressive driver cuts you off on the roadway, stay calm and get out of their way. Trying to get even with an aggressive driver risks escalating the situation and increasing the danger.

This sign means that you are approaching an upcoming intersection. Watch carefully for cross traffic.

A flashing yellow light means that you should slow down, check for cross traffic, and proceed with caution.

A green light tells you that you can go through the intersection. However, you must first yield the right-of-way to traffic and pedestrians who are still in the intersection.

Do not increase your speed when being passed by a large vehicle. Maintain your speed or slow down slightly to allow the larger vehicle to pass safely.

If their vehicle loses traction on a slippery road, a driver with an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) needs to press down hard on the brake pedal, hold it, and steer out of danger. In an emergency situation, the ABS automatically pumps the brakes at a faster rate than the driver could. Removing steady pressure from the brake pedal or pumping the brakes will disengage the ABS.

When backing up, place your right arm on the back of the passenger seat and look directly through the rear window. Do not depend on your rearview or side mirrors as mirrors do not show directly behind your vehicle. Only drive in reverse at a low speed.

You must pull over to the right edge of the road and stop for an emergency vehicle with flashing lights, regardless of whether it is approaching you from behind or from the opposite direction.

When passing a school bus that is stopped on the opposite side of a multilane highway that has a median or divider, drivers may continue driving. If the highway is not separated by a median or divider, drivers on both sides of the street must stop.

If a green arrow turns into a solid green light, you may still turn in the direction that the arrow was pointing but you must first yield to pedestrians and oncoming traffic.

If there is no stop line or crosswalk, you should stop at the point nearest to the intersecting roadway where you can get a view of approaching traffic. You should not enter the intersecting roadway to gain a better view.

A double solid yellow line down the center of a road indicates that traffic is moving in opposite directions and that passing is not allowed from either direction.

The fatal accident rate for night driving is nearly three times greater than it is for daytime driving, despite the fact that there are less miles driven at night. It is a good habit to drive more slowly at night than you would during the day because overall visibility is much more restricted in the dark.

If your headlights fail, first try the dimmer switch. This will often turn them on again.

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).

Pedestrians have the right-of-way at street crossings but must obey traffic control signals. Where a traffic signal is not present, vehicles must stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk, whether it is marked or unmarked.

Driving too fast for conditions is a major cause of motor vehicle crashes. Being inattentive to surroundings can cause a driver to collide with other vehicles. Most rear-end collisions are caused by drivers following other vehicles too closely.

Drivers cannot see you unless they are looking your way. Your horn may get their attention. Use it whenever it will help prevent a collision.

Compared to signs and other roadside objects, pedestrians are hardest to see at night.

Watch for any pedestrian who may cross your path. If you see pedestrians near the road where you are driving, slow down and be prepared to stop, if necessary.