New Mexico CAR DMV Practice Test 23

On a traffic signal arranged vertically, red is always on top and green on the bottom. When arranged horizontally, red is always on the left and green on the right.

If a tire blows out or suddenly goes flat while you are driving, grip the steering wheel firmly and keep the vehicle aiming straight. Take your foot off the accelerator and do not brake. Allow the vehicle to slow by itself and use the brakes gently, but only if necessary. Pull off the road when it is safe to do so.

Distracted driving is extremely risky behavior that puts not only you and your passengers in danger, but also endangers pedestrians, bicyclists, and other motorists sharing the road. Focused attention on driving helps to prevent crashes.

A steady red traffic light indicates that drivers must come to a complete stop. Driving through a red light is against the law and is extremely dangerous. Drivers may turn right on a steady red light if there is no sign prohibiting a turn on red.

Before changing lanes, signal, look in all your mirrors, and look over your left or right shoulder to make sure the lane next to you is clear. Looking over your shoulder is a way to check your blind spot to be sure there is no vehicle, motorcycle, or bicycle traffic in the next lane.

You must stop at a railroad crossing when directed to do so by a flagger, stop sign, or warning devices, such as gates or flashing lights. Not all railroad crossings are equipped with such devices. It is against the law to drive around lowered railroad crossing gates.

A parking space marked by a "Reserved Parking for Persons with Disabilities" sign may only be used by vehicles that display Persons with Disabilities license plates, Disabled Veteran license plates, and/or disabled parking placards.

Warning signs advise drivers of potentially hazardous conditions. For your own safety, obey warning signs. Disregarding the information provided by a warning sign may result in an accident due to your negligence.

You must approach all railroad crossings with extreme caution and cross only when you know that no train is coming from either direction. If there is a flagger at a crossing, you must obey all of their instructions.

If you try to insert your vehicle between a turning truck or bus and a curb, you may suffer a serious crash. To avoid a collision, do not turn until the truck or bus has completed its turn.

When traffic control signals are not working, a driver must always treat the intersection as an all-way stop and come to a complete stop, unless otherwise directed by law enforcement. The driver must then look and yield the right-of-way before entering the intersection.

Pennant-shaped warning signs like this are only used to indicate a no passing zone.

Legal prescription and over-the-counter drugs can impair your ability to drive, including drugs taken for colds, hay fever, allergies, or to calm nerves or muscles. It is illegal to drive while under the influence of any drug that impairs your ability to drive safely; this law does not differentiate between illegal, prescription, or over-the-counter drugs.

Keep a space between your vehicle and parked vehicles. A person may step out of a parked vehicle or out from between the parked vehicles without looking. A driver may begin moving their vehicle before realizing you are there.

Drivers must always yield the right-of-way to pedestrians in the roadway, even if there is not a marked crosswalk.

Special child seats are available for children who are too small to wear regular safety belts. No person is strong enough to safely hold onto a child of any size during an accident or sudden stop. Never allow a child to ride in a vehicle unless they are properly fastened into a seat.

This sign indicates that right turns are prohibited.

This sign is placed at the beginning of one-way streets and ramps to indicate that you must not continue driving in your current direction.

If you pass another vehicle on its right, do so only when conditions permit you to do so legally and safely. You may only drive on the shoulder of a road if an official has directed you to do so.

At a green light, you must give the right-of-way to any vehicle, bicyclist, or pedestrian in the intersection. If a pedestrian begins crossing the street after the traffic signal light starts flashing, wait until they have crossed the street before proceeding.

Orange-colored signs indicate construction areas. Proceed with caution.

As an increasing number of drivers populate the roadways, road rage becomes more prevalent. To help prevent road rage, a driver should use proper turn signals, obey posted speed limits, and allow plenty of travel time.

Lane use control signals are used when the direction of the flow of traffic in a specific lane changes throughout the day. They are used to show which lanes of traffic are open and closed, as well as to show if toll booths are open or closed. When a lane control signal contains a green arrow, drivers may drive normally in the indicated lane.

Large trucks take longer to stop than other vehicles traveling at the same speed. The average passenger vehicle traveling at 55 mph can stop within 400 feet. However, a large truck traveling at the same speed can take almost 800 feet to stop.

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.