South Carolina CAR DMV Practice Test 21

Your ability to handle dangerous traffic situations depends largely on searching for and identifying problems before meeting them. Looking far ahead of your vehicle does not mean you should simply stare at the center of the road. You need to continually scan the entire road, including the sides of the road.

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.

Low beam headlights should be used when driving in rainy or foggy weather. Even if they do little to help you see, low beams will make it easier for others to see you.

Warning signs prepare drivers for upcoming road conditions and hazards and are usually yellow with black markings. This sign warns drivers that there is an upcoming sharp turn and that they should lower their speed accordingly.

When a steady yellow light appears on a traffic signal, you should prepare to stop. If you are already within the intersection, you should clear the intersection as quickly as possible.

Walk all the way around your vehicle to check for obstacles before getting in. Before starting the engine, fasten your safety belt and make sure that your seat and mirrors are in safe positions.

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

Check the traffic behind you several times a minute to know if another driver is tailgating, approaching too fast, or trying to pass. If another car is following you too closely, slow down and let it pass. Most rear-end collisions are caused by vehicles following too closely.

You should slow down as you approach a roundabout and yield to any vehicles, bicycles, or pedestrians already in the circle. Enter the circle to your right, but steer to your left so that you move around the circle in a counterclockwise direction.

If a driver's left arm and hand are extended downward, they are indicating that they intend to stop. Adjust your driving accordingly if following a driver who is using this hand signal.

To prevent hydroplaning, you should ensure that the tires on your vehicle have good tread depth and are inflated to the proper pressure. Reduce the speed of your vehicle when driving in the rain. Hydroplaning occurs most frequently at higher speeds.

Holding a driver license is not a right. It is a privilege that must be earned and maintained.

Unless a posted sign prohibits it, you may turn right or left at a steady green light. When turning, you must yield to other vehicles and pedestrians within the intersection.

You should use your low beam headlights when driving in fog. High beam headlights may cause the light to reflect off of the fog and into your eyes.

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.

These signs indicate that the road curves to the right ahead and that drivers should slow down to the safe speed indicated (in this case, 35 mph).

Double solid yellow lines in the center of the road mean that passing is not allowed from either direction. You may not cross the lines unless you are making a left turn or passing pedestrians, bicyclists, and riders of scooters or skateboards when the opposite lane is clear and you can pass safely.

Driving can become unsafe if drivers believe they have nothing to improve. For your safety and the safety of others, always strive to improve your driving and observation skills.

Alcohol and other drugs can negatively effect a number of skills needed for safe driving, including a driver's reaction time, coordination, alertness, and ability to concentrate.

When being passed, you must yield to the passing vehicle and not increase your speed. Allow the vehicle to safely merge back into your lane.

This sign indicates that workers may be on or very close to the roadway ahead, so you should take special care when traveling through the area.

If you are turning left from a two-way street onto a one-way street, you should complete the turn into the lane closest to the lane you have just left.

This sign indicates that the right lane on a multilane roadway ends ahead. Traffic in the right lane must merge left.

Many kinds of drugs can impair your ability to drive. This includes illegal drugs and legal prescription or over-the-counter medications. It can be a criminal offense to drive while impaired by any drug.

A flashing red traffic light means the same thing as a stop sign. You must come to a complete stop, yield to cross traffic and pedestrians, and then proceed when the way is clear.

You should never demand the right-of-way. Laws do not specify who has the right-of-way, only who does not. At a four-way stop, if multiple drivers arrive at once, the driver on the left should yield the right-of-way to the driver on the right. Drivers should yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians when turning right or left.

When facing a green light, you must yield to pedestrians and vehicles already in the intersection. Drivers must yield to pedestrians when turning on a steady green signal.

Before you return to the driving lane when completing a pass, be sure there is a safe gap between your vehicle and the passed vehicle. When you can see both headlights of the vehicle in your rearview mirror, it is safe to return to the driving lane.

The only way to sober up after drinking alcohol is to allow time for your body to eliminate the alcohol in your system. Nothing you can do, including eating and drinking, can accelerate this process.

Pavement is particularly treacherous when it first begins to rain. Accumulations of dirt and oil mix with the rainwater, creating a greasy film on the roadway.