Idaho ITD Permit Practice Test 3

Test 3 of 10. Pick an answer for each question to see if it is right and why; your score appears at the end. You need 34 correct answers to pass, the same ratio as the real Idaho test.

A highway through mountain valleys with a river and pine trees, a typical landscape of Idaho
  1. 1. In near freezing weather, which part of an otherwise clear road is most likely to still be icy?

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    Answer D: A shaded dip under trees or beside a rock cut

    Sun clears most of the road, but shaded hollows never warm up and can hold ice long after the rest of the pavement is dry.

  2. 2. You are in a marked passing zone but a steady stream of oncoming traffic is coming toward you. What does the broken center line allow?

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    Answer C: A pass only when the road is clear, so you have to stay behind

    A passing zone marks where the sight distance is adequate, but it never gives permission to enter a lane that another vehicle is occupying.

  3. 3. A yellow diamond reading DIP warns a driver about

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    Answer A: a short, sharp depression in the road surface

    A dip is an abrupt low point that can jolt a vehicle or scrape its underside, so speed should be reduced before reaching it.

  4. 4. A pedestrian near the curb is staring at a phone and not looking at traffic. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Slow down and be ready to stop, because the pedestrian may step out without looking

    Distracted pedestrians step into the street without checking. Assume they have not seen you and give yourself time and space to stop.

  5. 5. You get into a heated argument with a passenger while driving. What should you do?

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    Answer D: End the discussion or pull over to finish it

    Anger narrows attention and encourages risk, and a conversation you cannot let go of is a passenger you should be parked to talk with.

  6. 6. Your right wheels drop off the edge of the pavement onto a soft shoulder. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Ease off the accelerator, hold the wheel straight and steer back gently once you have slowed

    Yanking the wheel while the tires are pressed against a pavement lip can throw the vehicle across the road, so slow down first and then make a gentle correction.

  7. 7. The lane you are in has a right-turn-only arrow painted on the pavement. What must you do?

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    Answer C: Turn right, because a lane-use arrow is a legal requirement

    Lane-use arrows painted on the pavement are regulatory markings, so a driver in that lane must travel in the direction shown.

  8. 8. What does a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 mean for the driver of a car?

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    Answer B: It is the level almost every state treats as legally intoxicated

    In almost every state a driver at 0.08 or above is legally intoxicated whatever the driver seems like, but impairment starts well before that level is reached.

  9. 9. The light ahead is green but traffic beyond the intersection is backed up. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Wait behind the intersection until there is room to clear it completely

    You may not enter an intersection unless you can get completely through it, because stopping inside blocks cross traffic when the signal changes.

  10. 10. On the Idaho skills test, how many repetitions of the same scored error count as a critical driving error?

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    Answer D: Five of the same skill

    Idaho calls this a habitual violation: missing the same scored skill five times is a critical driving error and ends the test immediately in a fail.

  11. 11. How is the yield sign shaped and colored?

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    Answer C: A downward-pointing triangle with a wide red border and a red legend on white

    The yield sign is a downward-pointing equilateral triangle with a wide red border and the legend in red on a white background, an outline used for no other message.

  12. 12. A sign with a blue background and a white legend and border tells road users about

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    Answer A: services such as fuel, food, lodging, hospitals and rest areas

    Blue is the background of the general service series, which points travelers toward the services available along or near the route.

  13. 13. A deer has just crossed in front of you on a stretch signed for animal crossings. What is the best assumption?

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    Answer B: More animals are likely to follow the first one

    Deer travel in groups, so one animal crossing usually means others are about to follow, and a driver should slow and keep scanning both shoulders.

  14. 14. Besides a chemical test, what else supports an impaired driving charge?

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    Answer B: The officer's observations of the driving and the driver

    Weaving, slow responses, speech and balance observed by the officer are evidence in their own right, which is why a driver can be charged on behavior alone.

  15. 15. A driver who has been drinking has two cups of strong coffee. What has changed?

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    Answer D: The driver is more awake but just as impaired

    Coffee can make a drinker feel alert, but nothing except time removes alcohol from the blood, so a wide awake drinker is still an impaired driver.

  16. 16. You are turning left at an intersection and an oncoming bicyclist is approaching in the bike lane. What must you do?

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    Answer B: Yield and complete the turn only after the bicyclist has passed

    A bicycle in the roadway has the same right of way as a vehicle, so a left-turning driver must yield to an oncoming rider just as to an oncoming car.

  17. 17. Who does Idaho's open container law apply to?

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    Answer D: Both drivers and passengers

    Idaho prohibits both drivers and passengers from drinking or possessing an open container of alcohol in a vehicle.

  18. 18. When must a crash be reported to police in Idaho?

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    Answer A: When someone is injured or property damage is more than $1,500

    Idaho requires drivers to report to police any crash involving injury or more than $1,500 in property damage, and the same threshold applies after striking an unattended vehicle.

  19. 19. Under the Driver License Compact, what happens when an Idaho licensee is convicted of a traffic offense in another member state?

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    Answer C: Idaho records it and acts on it as though the offense had happened in Idaho

    Idaho belongs to the Driver License Compact, so out-of-state convictions are reported home and acted on as if they had occurred in Idaho.

  20. 20. What should you check on the hitch before towing a trailer?

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    Answer B: That the coupler is locked and the safety chains are crossed underneath

    The coupler must be latched and pinned, and the chains crossed under the tongue so they cradle it if the coupling lets go.

  21. 21. How many points may a single moving traffic violation add to an Idaho driving record?

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    Answer B: One to four points

    Idaho assigns between one and four points to each moving traffic violation recorded on a driver's record.

  22. 22. During the pre-drive vehicle knowledge check for the Idaho skills test, how many items may an applicant fail to locate or demonstrate and still continue?

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    Answer A: Three or fewer

    The applicant must locate or demonstrate items such as the horn, wipers, signals and the three arm signals, and missing three or fewer allows the test to continue.

  23. 23. How should a lap and shoulder belt be positioned?

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    Answer A: Lap belt low across the hips and shoulder belt across the chest and collarbone

    The lap belt must bear against the strong pelvic bones rather than soft organs, and the shoulder belt must cross the rib cage and collarbone so crash forces spread over the skeleton.

  24. 24. Which vehicle is most affected by a strong side wind?

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    Answer D: A van or a car towing a tall trailer

    Wind pushes against the side area of a vehicle, so tall boxy shapes and trailers are moved far more than low heavy ones.

  25. 25. Once a driver has joined the route this sign begins, how is the rest of the way marked?

    An orange rectangle with black lettering and a black arrow
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    Answer B: By further markers of the same kind at each turn, until the original road is rejoined

    The alternate route is signed continuously, with a marker at every turn, so a driver with no local knowledge can follow it back to the original road.

  26. 26. A small yellow plaque showing a speed number below a curve warning sign gives

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    Answer C: the speed recommended for the condition being warned about

    The advisory speed plaque belongs to the warning series and states the speed judged safe for the condition ahead under good circumstances, not a regulatory limit.

  27. 27. The lane you are in is marked with a straight arrow and a right-turn arrow together. What does that mean?

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    Answer D: Drivers in that lane may either go straight or turn right

    A lane marked with two arrows serves both movements, so a driver in it may take either one.

  28. 28. How many points in any 12-month period trigger a 30-day suspension in Idaho?

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    Answer C: 12 to 17 points

    Idaho sends a warning letter at 8 to 11 points in 12 months and imposes a 30-day suspension at 12 to 17 points in the same period.

  29. 29. You are at a red light where right turns on red are allowed, you cannot see clearly, and the driver behind sounds the horn. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Stay stopped until you can see that the turn is safe

    Turning right on red is permitted, never required, so you wait until you can see that the way is clear no matter what the driver behind does.

  30. 30. You drive onto a section where the top layer has been milled off and the surface is grooved. How will it feel?

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    Answer C: The steering may wander, so hold the wheel firmly and slow down

    Grooves cut into the pavement tug at the tires and make the steering feel restless. A firm grip and a lower speed keep the vehicle tracking straight.

  31. 31. You are on a country road with no sidewalk and two people are walking toward you on your side of the shoulder. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Slow down and move over to give them room

    Where there is no sidewalk, people are expected to walk on the shoulder facing traffic, and drivers must slow and give them space.

  32. 32. What happens when tires are driven underinflated for a long time?

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    Answer D: They wear at the edges, they run hot and they are more likely to fail

    An underinflated tire flexes too much, which wears the shoulders and builds up heat that can destroy the tire.

  33. 33. You realize you have just gone past your exit on a freeway. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Carry on to the next exit and turn around there

    A missed exit costs a few minutes, while backing up or cutting across the striped gore area puts you in the path of traffic that is not expecting it.

  34. 34. An officer directing traffic faces you and holds one hand up with the open palm toward your vehicle. What does the gesture mean?

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    Answer D: Stop before reaching the officer

    A raised open palm shown toward a driver is the standard signal to stop.

  35. 35. Unless otherwise posted, what is the maximum speed in an Idaho residential, business or urban district?

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    Answer B: 35 miles per hour

    Idaho sets a 35 mile per hour maximum in any residential, business or urban district unless a different limit is posted.

  36. 36. When an Idaho driver is required to stop at a railroad crossing, where must the stop be made?

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    Answer C: Within 50 feet but no less than 15 feet from the nearest rail

    Idaho requires the stop to be made within 50 feet of the nearest rail but no closer than 15 feet whenever a stop at a railroad crossing is required.

  37. 37. At what age may an Idaho resident obtain a Driver Training Permit to enroll in a driver training program?

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    Answer A: 14 years and six months

    A Driver Training Permit allows anyone from 14 and a half up to 17 years of age to attend an approved public or private driver training program in Idaho.

  38. 38. Why is parking against the flow of traffic dangerous even when nobody complains?

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    Answer D: Because you had to cross traffic to get there and must cross again to leave

    Parking on the wrong side means driving against traffic at both ends of the stop, and your reflectors and lights face the wrong way while you are there.

  39. 39. Idaho allows a passing speed exception on two-lane roads. What does it permit?

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    Answer C: Exceeding the posted limit by up to 15 mph while passing where the limit is 55 mph or greater, outside work zones

    A passenger vehicle, pickup or motorcycle that is not towing may exceed the posted limit by up to 15 mph while passing a slower vehicle on a two-lane road posted at 55 mph or more, but never in a work zone.

  40. 40. You are ready to pull out of a parallel parking space into the traffic lane. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Signal, check the mirror and blind spot, and wait for a gap

    A driver leaving a parking space must yield to traffic already in the lane, so signal, look for the gap and only then move out.