New Mexico MVD Permit Practice Test 21
- Questions25
- Correct to pass18
- Passing score72%
- Minimum age15 years
-
1. You are parking on a hill where there is no curb, whether facing up or down. Which way should the front wheels point?
Show answer
Answer B: Toward the shoulder, so the vehicle would roll away from the traffic lanes
With no curb to stop the vehicle, the wheels are turned toward the edge of the road so that a runaway vehicle leaves the roadway instead of entering it.
-
2. You are already inside an intersection when you realize you should be in the lane beside you. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Stay in your lane through the intersection and change lanes afterwards
Drivers in an intersection are watching for cross traffic and turning vehicles, so an unexpected sideways move there is easily missed.
-
3. A sign with a brown background and a white legend guides road users to
Show answer
Answer B: parks, campgrounds and other recreational or cultural sites
Brown is reserved for recreational and cultural interest area signing, such as parks, historic sites and scenic areas.
-
4. You are involved in a collision, even a minor one. What is your first legal duty?
Show answer
Answer A: Stop at or near the scene without blocking traffic more than necessary
Every driver involved in a crash must stop at the scene, and leaving before meeting that duty is a serious offense. Move the vehicles only as far as needed to clear the traffic lanes.
-
5. How should a long trip be broken up to keep the driver alert?
Show answer
Answer D: Stop for a break every couple of hours and share out the driving
Regular breaks and a change of driver are the only reliable answers to fatigue; caffeine only postpones it.
-
6. A driver sees this sign on a quiet road with no other traffic in either direction. What is the correct response?
Show answer
Answer C: Slow down, look and listen for a train, and be ready to stop
The sign gives advance notice of a highway-rail grade crossing, so the driver reduces speed, checks both directions along the tracks and keeps enough room to stop short of the rails.
-
7. Why is hard braking the wrong response to a tire blowout at speed?
Show answer
Answer C: Because it can pull the vehicle further out of line and start it spinning
With one tire gone the braking forces are uneven, so heavy braking increases the pull to one side and can spin the vehicle.
-
8. You are in a passing zone that continues over the crest of a hill ahead. May you start a pass?
Show answer
Answer B: Only if you can finish it well before the crest
Beyond the crest you cannot see oncoming traffic, so any part of the pass that happens there is being made blind.
-
9. Enhanced reference location markers differ from ordinary mileposts in that they
Show answer
Answer B: carry the route number and a mileage figure to the tenth of a mile
An enhanced reference location marker adds the route designation and carries the mileage to a tenth, so the point named is far more precise than a plain milepost.
-
10. What marks a New Mexico driver's license or ID card as REAL ID compliant?
Show answer
Answer C: A gold star, on a card issued after November 14, 2016
New Mexico marks REAL ID compliant driver's licenses and ID cards with a gold star, and only cards issued after November 14, 2016 carry it.
-
11. On a wet road, how should a driver adjust after passing this sign?
Show answer
Answer B: Start braking earlier, because a slippery surface lengthens the stopping distance
A wet surface lengthens stopping distance, so the extra warning distance should be spent braking gently and early instead of late and hard.
-
12. A yellow pennant, an isosceles triangle with its long axis horizontal, is reserved for which message?
Show answer
Answer D: No passing zone
The pennant shape is used only for the no passing zone sign, which marks the point where overtaking is no longer allowed.
-
13. A child seat was in the car during a moderate crash. What should be done with it?
Show answer
Answer A: Replace it, because a seat that has been through a crash may be weakened
Crash forces can damage a seat in ways you cannot see, so a seat involved in anything but the mildest crash is replaced.
-
14. You are driving on a road covered with a layer of wet fallen leaves. What should you expect?
Show answer
Answer B: As little grip as on ice, plus hidden markings and hidden holes
Wet leaves are as slippery as ice and they hide the lane lines and any potholes underneath, so slow well before curves and stops.
-
15. The light ahead is green, but traffic beyond the intersection is backed up so far that you could not clear it. What is the correct action?
Show answer
Answer D: Wait behind the stop line until there is room on the far side
Entering an intersection you cannot clear blocks cross traffic and pedestrians, so you should hold your position until space opens on the other side.
-
16. A driver extends the left arm out the window and bends it upward at the elbow. What does this signal mean?
Show answer
Answer B: A right turn
The left arm bent upward at the elbow is the standard hand signal for a right turn.
-
17. You are the first to arrive at a crash on a rural road. What should you do first?
Show answer
Answer C: Park well clear of the scene, put on your hazard lights and call for help
Getting trained help on the way and keeping the scene visible does more good than anything an untrained bystander can do.
-
18. How should your speed behave while you move from one lane into the next?
Show answer
Answer C: Keep it steady or adjust it smoothly to match the traffic in the new lane
A lane change works best as a smooth movement at the speed of the lane you are joining, since sudden braking or acceleration surprises the drivers around you.
-
19. When is a child ready to use a vehicle seat belt without a booster seat?
Show answer
Answer A: When the lap belt lies across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt crosses the chest
Belt fit, not age, decides readiness. Until the child is tall enough for the lap belt to sit on the thighs and the shoulder belt on the chest, a booster is needed.
-
20. The steering suddenly becomes very heavy while you are driving. What has happened and what should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: The power steering has failed, so steer with more effort and pull over
Loss of power assistance leaves the steering usable but very heavy. Keep both hands on the wheel, slow gradually and pull off the road to check it.
-
21. You are traveling at 55 mph on a rural road and come up behind a horse-drawn buggy. What is the main danger?
Show answer
Answer D: You close on it very quickly because it moves at walking pace
A buggy travels only a few miles an hour, so the gap closes far faster than drivers expect and there is very little time to brake once you see it.
-
22. You want to turn right at a steady red light and no sign prohibits the turn. What is required?
Show answer
Answer B: Come to a complete stop, then yield to traffic and pedestrians before turning
A right turn on a steady red is permitted only after a complete stop and only after yielding to cross traffic and to pedestrians, and a posted sign can prohibit it entirely.
-
23. You are approaching a highway-rail grade crossing marked only with a crossbuck sign. What does that sign require?
Show answer
Answer A: Yield to any approaching train and cross only when the tracks are clear
The crossbuck is a regulatory yield sign, and a train can never stop or steer around a vehicle, so the driver must always give way.
-
24. You are following a large truck on a two-lane road and cannot see past it. What should you do before deciding to pass?
Show answer
Answer D: Drop back so that your view of the road ahead opens up
Distance is what buys you a view around a large vehicle, and no decision to pass can be made from a position where you cannot see.
-
25. How can you keep space at the sides of your vehicle in heavy traffic?
Show answer
Answer D: Drive in the gaps between the other vehicles rather than beside them
Travelling in the open spaces rather than alongside others keeps a way out open on at least one side.