New Mexico MVD Motorcycle Practice Test 56
- Questions25
- Correct to pass18
- Passing score72%
- Minimum age13 years
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1. Where is a road work ahead sign placed?
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Answer B: In advance of the work space or detour, so drivers are warned before reaching it
Advance warning signs are placed upstream of the work space or detour so that drivers have time to slow down and change lanes before reaching the activity.
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2. Why must the handlebars be kept square during a hard straight line stop?
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Answer B: Because a front wheel turned under heavy braking can put the machine down
With the front tire loaded to its limit, any steering input asks it to do two jobs at once and the front end can wash out instantly.
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3. 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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4. When must a passenger keep both feet on the footrests?
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Answer C: At all times, including while the motorcycle is stopped
Feet stay on the footrests even at a stop, because a foot put down or swung out can unbalance the motorcycle or be caught by the road.
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5. A driver behind you on a two-lane road clearly wants to pass. Why should you not wave that driver past?
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Answer B: You cannot see the whole road ahead for them and they may rely on your signal
Waving another driver out invites them to trust your judgment of a road you cannot see well enough, and the decision to pass belongs to the driver making it.
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6. You are wearing a high visibility jacket. How should that change the way you ride?
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Answer B: You still ride as though drivers have not seen you
Bright gear improves your odds of being noticed but guarantees nothing, so keep the lane position, space cushion and escape routes that protect you anyway.
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7. A police officer is directing traffic at an intersection and waves you through a red light. What should you do?
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Answer C: Follow the officer, whose directions come before signs and signals
Directions given by a police officer or an authorized flagger override signs, signals and pavement markings.
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8. The car ahead drifts across the lane line and back again several times. What should you do?
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Answer C: Assume that the driver is distracted or impaired, and keep well back
Drifting is a classic sign of a distracted, drowsy or impaired driver, and distance is your protection from all three.
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9. A traffic signal separates you from the rest of your group. What should you do?
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Answer B: Continue at a safe and legal pace and rejoin the group farther along
Staying with a group never justifies breaking a traffic law, so a separated rider proceeds normally and the group regroups at a planned point.
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10. When is it safe to return to your own lane after passing a vehicle?
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Answer C: Once you can see the whole front of that vehicle in your mirror
Seeing the entire front of the vehicle in the mirror proves there is a full vehicle length of clear road, which the rider cannot judge by feel alone.
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11. A rectangular marker with alternating black and retroreflective yellow stripes set at a slant is used to
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Answer C: mark an obstruction, with the stripes sloping down toward the side on which traffic should pass
This striped panel is an object marker, and the direction in which the stripes slope shows the driver which side of the obstruction to pass on.
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12. At a freeway exit, the paved triangle between the ramp and the through lanes is filled with diagonal white lines. What do they mean?
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Answer A: Stay out of that area, because it is not meant to be driven on
Chevron and diagonal markings fill paved areas that traffic is not intended to use, so drivers should keep out of them.
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13. Why does full riding gear matter on a short trip around the neighborhood?
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Answer D: Pavement takes skin off at 25 miles an hour just as it does at 55
Serious injuries happen at ordinary street speeds and close to home, so gear that is worth wearing on a long trip is worth wearing on a short one.
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14. Why does the situation ahead of this sign deserve extra care from a motorcyclist?
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Answer C: Because a narrow machine is easy to overlook in a mirror or a blind spot
A motorcycle fills very little of a mirror and disappears easily into a blind spot, so the rider should adjust speed and lane position to stay visible where the streams come together.
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15. A single solid white line separates two lanes running in the same direction. What is it telling drivers?
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Answer A: Changing lanes there is discouraged
A solid white lane line discourages lane changing, typically where merging or weaving would create a hazard.
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16. You notice a bulge on the sidewall of one of your tires. What should you do?
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Answer D: Have the tire replaced before driving far, because it could blow out
A sidewall bulge means the internal cords have broken and only the rubber is holding the air. The tire can fail suddenly at any speed.
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17. What is true about the oily strip down the center of a traffic lane?
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Answer D: It usually gives enough traction, but heavy buildups where vehicles idle should be avoided
Passing tires keep the central strip largely clear, but the thick deposits that collect at busy intersections and toll booths really are slick.
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18. Who must wear a helmet on a motorcycle in New Mexico?
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Answer B: Operators and passengers under 18
New Mexico law requires a securely fastened helmet meeting federal standards for motorcycle operators and passengers under 18, while the state recommends helmets for everyone else.
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19. What is the correct swerving technique?
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Answer D: Press the handgrip on the side you want to go and look toward the escape route
A swerve is two quick countersteering inputs, and because the motorcycle goes where the rider looks, the eyes belong on the open space.
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20. An overhead lane-use control signal shows a steady red X above the lane you are traveling in. What does it require?
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Answer D: Leave that lane, because it is closed to you
A steady red X means road users are not permitted to use the lane beneath it, so you must move into a lane that is open.
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21. A hands free phone conversation is which kind of distraction?
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Answer C: Cognitive, because your mind leaves the road
Hands free equipment removes the manual and visual parts of a call but not the mental load, and it is the mental load that makes a driver miss hazards.
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22. You come upon a crash that has just happened and decide to help. Where should you stop your vehicle?
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Answer A: Well beyond the scene, completely off the road, with the hazard lights on
Stopping past the crash and off the pavement keeps you from becoming another victim and leaves the approach clear for emergency vehicles.
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23. Why should a rider downshift one gear at a time instead of skipping several at once?
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Answer D: Skipping gears can lock the rear wheel through sudden engine braking
Dropping several gears at once forces engine speed far above what road speed supports, and the rear tire can be dragged into a skid when the clutch comes out.
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24. At an intersection where turning on a red arrow is not permitted, the signal shows a red left arrow next to a steady green ball. What may you do?
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Answer D: Go straight or turn right if permitted, but not left
An arrow controls only the movement it points to, so here the red arrow stops the left turn while the green ball still allows the other movements.
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25. As a driver keeps drinking, in what order are driving abilities usually lost?
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Answer C: Judgment, then vision, reaction time and coordination
Alcohol reaches the parts of the brain that handle judgment first, and only later does it visibly affect sight, reactions and muscle control.