New Mexico MVD Permit Practice Test 17
- Questions25
- Correct to pass18
- Passing score72%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. You have just been involved in a crash on a city street. Which sequence of first steps is correct?
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Answer A: Stop where you are, check everyone for injuries, and then make the scene safe
You are required to stop, and the first priority at the scene is people, followed by preventing a second collision.
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2. You are turning left from a one-way street onto a two-way street. How should the turn be made?
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Answer B: Start in the far left lane and finish just to the right of the center line
Left turns begin from the lane nearest the left edge of the street you are leaving and must finish on the right-hand side of the center line of a two-way street.
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3. A traffic signal is displaying a flashing red light. How must you treat it?
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Answer D: Stop completely, then proceed when the way is clear
A flashing red carries the same meaning as a stop sign: come to a full stop, then go only when it is safe.
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4. The only person offering you a ride home has been drinking. What should you do?
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Answer B: Do not get in; find another way home
A passenger in an impaired driver's vehicle shares all of the risk and can do nothing about it from the seat, so the only safe answer is another ride.
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5. An ambulance has just gone by and traffic starts to move again. Why should you wait a moment before pulling back out?
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Answer B: Another emergency vehicle may be following the first one
Emergency calls often bring several vehicles, so check that nothing else is coming before you rejoin the traffic lane.
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6. You are parking on a one-way street where parking is allowed on both sides. What must still be true?
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Answer D: The vehicle must face the direction the traffic flows
Either curb may be used on a one-way street where signs allow it, but the vehicle must always be headed in the direction traffic moves.
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7. What does it mean to scan the road while driving?
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Answer A: Moving your eyes constantly over the road, the sides and the mirrors
Scanning keeps information coming in from every direction, while a fixed stare leaves you blind to everything else.
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8. What is the basic rule for entering a roundabout?
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Answer B: Traffic already circulating goes first, and you wait for a gap
Entering traffic yields to vehicles already going around the circle, which is what keeps a roundabout moving instead of locking up.
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9. How long may a nonresident operate a vehicle in New Mexico without registering it there, if it carries current plates from their home state?
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Answer B: 180 days
A nonresident may use a vehicle in New Mexico for up to 180 days without registering it locally, as long as it displays current plates from the state where the owner resides.
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10. A school crossing guard has returned to the curb but two children are still walking across the road. When may you go?
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Answer C: Only after the children have reached the far sidewalk
The guard leaving the road does not end your duty; you stay stopped until every child is clear of the roadway.
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11. What can happen to a New Mexico driver who lets someone else use their driver's license as identification?
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Answer D: The license holder can lose their own driving privileges
New Mexico lists letting someone else use your driver's license among the grounds that can cost you your own driving privileges.
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12. Which combination best reduces the chance of hydroplaning?
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Answer D: Good tread depth, correct tire pressure and lower speed in the rain
Tread channels water away, correct pressure keeps the tire's shape, and lower speed gives the tire time to push water aside. Hydroplaning can begin at surprisingly modest speeds.
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13. Does this sign settle who has the right-of-way at the intersection ahead?
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Answer D: No, it only gives notice of the intersection; the control there decides priority
A warning prepares the driver for what is coming but grants no priority, so whatever stop control, yield control, signal or right-of-way rule applies at the intersection is what decides.
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14. What is the main function of the guide sign series?
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Answer D: To identify routes and lead road users to their destinations
Guide signs identify routes, name destinations and give distances, so drivers can navigate without stopping to consult a map.
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15. You see brake lights several vehicles ahead of you in your lane. What is the best first step?
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Answer C: Ease off the gas and cover the brake pedal
Reacting to the trouble several vehicles ahead, rather than waiting for the car in front, cuts your reaction time and warns the driver behind you.
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16. A raised area crosses the roadway and carries a series of white markings on its face. What are those markings for?
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Answer A: To make the hump visible so drivers slow for it
Speed hump markings warn drivers that the pavement rises, which matters most at night or when the hump is in shadow.
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17. A yellow sign reads SOFT SHOULDER. What is it telling you?
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Answer C: The shoulder may not carry the weight of a vehicle
A soft shoulder is unpaved and can let a wheel sink, so a driver who leaves the pavement there may lose control or become stuck.
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18. Unless posted otherwise, what is the New Mexico speed limit on rural interstate highways?
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Answer C: 75 mph
New Mexico sets 75 mph as the default on rural interstate highways, one of the higher default limits in the country.
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19. You are waiting in a left-turn lane at a green light when a fire engine with lights and siren comes toward you in the oncoming lanes. What should you do?
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Answer D: Hold your position and let the fire engine pass
Turning across the path of an approaching emergency vehicle is exactly what you must not do; stay put until it has gone by.
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20. A SHOULDER DROP OFF sign warns that
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Answer B: there is a step down from the pavement to the shoulder
The sign is used where the edge of the pavement stands several inches above the shoulder, which can grab a wheel and pull the vehicle sideways.
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21. In which situation should you increase your usual following distance?
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Answer B: On wet roads, at night, in fog, when towing a trailer, or when following a motorcycle
Reduced traction, reduced visibility, a heavier load and a vehicle that can stop faster than yours all require extra space to keep the same margin of safety.
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22. Two solid yellow lines are painted down the center of a two-way road. What do they mean?
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Answer B: Traffic in neither direction may cross them to pass
A double solid yellow line marks a no-passing zone that applies to traffic traveling in either direction.
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23. What should a driver do first after passing this sign?
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Answer A: Move into the right-hand lane and stay there
Traffic returns to two-way operation, so the driver keeps to the right of the centerline and stops treating the left side as available.
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24. Where should the lap part of the seat belt sit?
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Answer C: Low and snug across the hips, touching the tops of both of the thighs
The hip bones can take crash forces, but the abdomen cannot, so the lap belt goes low and tight across the hips.
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25. Why should you set the parking brake even when an automatic transmission is in Park?
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Answer B: Because it takes the strain off the transmission and holds the vehicle
The parking pawl is a small part carrying the whole vehicle; the parking brake shares that load and holds the vehicle if the pawl fails.