New Mexico MVD Permit Practice Test 32
- Questions25
- Correct to pass18
- Passing score72%
- Minimum age15 years
-
1. On a busy multilane highway, where is the best place to travel?
Show answer
Answer B: In a gap in the traffic, with space open on both sides
Travelling in a gap keeps escape routes open on both sides, while riding alongside other vehicles removes the room you would need to swerve.
-
2. You have driven at 70 mph for an hour and then exit onto a town street. What is the common risk?
Show answer
Answer B: Your sense of speed adapts, so 35 mph feels slow and you drive too fast
After a long stretch at high speed the brain adapts, so town speeds feel unnaturally slow; check the speedometer instead of trusting the feeling.
-
3. Besides its height, what else matters about a head restraint?
Show answer
Answer C: That it is close to the back of the head, and not far behind it
A restraint that sits far behind the head lets the head snap back before it is caught, so a small gap is important.
-
4. You have stopped after a crash. Why should the engines of the vehicles involved be switched off?
Show answer
Answer A: To reduce the risk of a fire starting around any fuel that has spilled
Crashes often break fuel lines, and a running engine is a source of ignition, so switching off lowers the risk of fire.
-
5. A bicyclist stops at a four-way stop just before you do. Who goes first?
Show answer
Answer B: The bicyclist, who reached the intersection and stopped there before you did
A bicyclist on the roadway follows the same right of way rules as a driver, so arrival order decides the turn.
-
6. 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?
Show answer
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.
-
7. What is the criminal license revocation period for a fourth or subsequent DWI conviction in New Mexico?
Show answer
Answer C: Lifetime
New Mexico imposes a lifetime criminal revocation on a fourth or subsequent DWI conviction, the harshest tier in its escalating revocation schedule.
-
8. What must a driver be ready for beyond this sign?
Show answer
Answer C: Vehicles approaching from the opposite direction in the next lane over
The separation between the two directions runs out, so from that point oncoming vehicles share the same pavement and the driver has to keep right.
-
9. When is switching traction control off sometimes useful?
Show answer
Answer A: When you need spinning wheels to rock out of deep snow or mud
Rocking a stuck vehicle free needs the wheel spin that the system normally prevents. Switch it back on as soon as you are moving again.
-
10. What counts as a complete stop at a stop sign?
Show answer
Answer C: The wheels stop turning before the stop line
A legal stop means the vehicle is no longer moving, made at the stop line or before entering the crosswalk or intersection.
-
11. The light turns yellow when your front wheels are already past the stop line inside the intersection. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Keep going and clear the intersection without speeding up
Once you are legally in the intersection the safest and correct action is to continue through and clear it, without accelerating.
-
12. A left-turn bay opens ahead of the intersection with a solid white line beside it. Where should you enter the bay?
Show answer
Answer C: At the opening before the solid line begins
The solid line marks where lane changes are no longer intended, so you move into the turn bay at its opening rather than cutting across the line later.
-
13. The center line beside your lane is solid yellow while the opposite side has a broken yellow line. What does this mean?
Show answer
Answer D: You may not pass, but traffic in the other direction may
A solid yellow line on your side of the center marks a no-passing zone for your direction only, while the broken line grants the opposing direction a passing zone.
-
14. Why can a motorcycle ahead of you slow down without any warning light showing?
Show answer
Answer B: The rider may slow by downshifting or rolling off
Riders often lose speed by closing the throttle or changing down, which does not switch on the brake light, so watch the machine itself and keep back.
-
15. A driver is following you far too closely. What is the best response?
Show answer
Answer D: Increase your own following distance and let the driver pass when it is safe
More room ahead of you means you can slow gradually instead of braking hard, which reduces the chance of being struck from behind, and letting the driver by removes the problem entirely.
-
16. A sign showing a figure with an outstretched thumb inside a red circle with a slash means that
Show answer
Answer B: soliciting a ride is prohibited there
The no hitchhiking sign bars standing beside the road to solicit a ride, and it is common along freeway ramps and shoulders.
-
17. A flashing red lamp is mounted above a stop sign at a rural intersection. What does it add?
Show answer
Answer C: Emphasis, while the required stop stays the same
A stop beacon makes an easily missed stop sign more visible, but it neither adds to nor takes away from the obligation the sign already imposes.
-
18. What should you do before you back out of your own driveway at home?
Show answer
Answer A: Walk around the vehicle and check behind it for children or objects
A small child, a bicycle or a toy can sit entirely inside the blind area behind a vehicle, and a walk-around is the only way to be sure it is clear.
-
19. How many alcoholic drinks does it take to begin affecting driving ability?
Show answer
Answer C: Even one drink can affect it
A single drink can slow reactions and weaken judgment before you feel any change. Impairment starts long before a person feels drunk.
-
20. What does New Mexico require of a driver when no minimum speed limit is posted on a road?
Show answer
Answer C: Drive fast enough not to interfere with the normal flow of traffic
When no minimum speed is posted, New Mexico requires drivers to travel fast enough that they do not interfere with the normal flow of traffic.
-
21. Once a driver has joined the route this sign begins, how is the rest of the way marked?
Show answer
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.
-
22. Permanent signs must be retroreflective or lighted so that
Show answer
Answer A: they show the same shape and color at night as by day
Retroreflective sheeting throws headlight light back to the driver, so a sign keeps its daytime shape and color after dark.
-
23. Up to what age does New Mexico law require children to ride in appropriate safety restraints?
Show answer
Answer C: Under age 12
New Mexico requires every child under 12 to be in an appropriate safety restraint while the vehicle is moving, and children should ride in the rear seat.
-
24. Why is following distance measured in seconds rather than in car lengths?
Show answer
Answer A: Because a time gap automatically grows with speed, while a fixed number of car lengths does not
A gap counted in seconds keeps the same margin of reaction time at any speed, whereas a fixed number of car lengths becomes far too small as speed rises.
-
25. What does restriction G on a New Mexico driver's license mean?
Show answer
Answer C: The holder is limited to driving in daylight only
New Mexico's restriction code G limits a license holder to driving only during daylight hours.