Ohio BMV Permit Practice Test 31

  • Questions40
  • Correct to pass30
  • Passing score75%
  • Minimum age15 years 6 months

40 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 30 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. An Ohio first-time distracted-driving offender wants to attend a safety course instead of paying the fine and having points assessed. Within how many days of the violation must the offender submit proof of completion to the court?

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    Answer B: 90 days

    An Ohio first-time offender who completes the distracted driving safety course must submit written proof to the court within 90 days of the violation to avoid the fine and points.

  2. 2. You are driving in fog so thick that you can barely see the vehicle ahead. Which pavement marking is the best guide for staying in your lane?

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    Answer A: The white edge line on the right side of the road

    The right edge line keeps you positioned away from oncoming traffic and is easy to follow at low speed. Following tail lights closely tempts you to drive faster than you can see.

  3. 3. What is the safe way to carry a dog in a car?

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    Answer C: In a secured crate, or in a harness attached to a seat belt anchor

    An unrestrained animal distracts the driver and becomes a heavy projectile in a crash, so it should be crated or harnessed.

  4. 4. Under Ohio's open container law, which passenger is exempt from the general ban on possessing an open container in a moving vehicle?

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    Answer B: A chauffeured limousine passenger who is not seated in the front compartment where the operator sits

    Ohio's open container law exempts a person riding in a chauffeured limousine under a prearranged contract, so long as that person is not occupying a seat in the front compartment where the limousine's operator sits.

  5. 5. How should tire pressure be checked and set?

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    Answer B: When the tires are cold, set to the pressure specified by the vehicle manufacturer

    Driving heats the air and raises the reading, and the sidewall number is a maximum rather than a recommendation, so check cold and use the figure on the vehicle placard or in the owner's manual.

  6. 6. A driver passes this sign on an entrance ramp while merging onto a freeway. Who has priority?

    A downward pointing white triangle with a wide red border
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    Answer B: The traffic already traveling on the freeway

    The sign places the duty on the entering driver, who must adjust speed and fit into a gap without forcing through traffic to brake or swerve.

  7. 7. In plain words, what is understeer?

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    Answer B: The vehicle keeps going straight even though the wheels are turned

    Understeer means the front tires have run out of grip, so the vehicle takes a wider line than the one you steered.

  8. 8. A friend who has been drinking insists on driving home. What is the right thing to do?

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    Answer B: Take the keys and arrange a sober ride, even if the friend objects

    An impaired driver is dangerous on any street at any speed, and coffee does not lower blood alcohol. Keeping the keys and finding another way home is the only safe choice.

  9. 9. What fine range applies to a third OVI conviction within 10 years in Ohio?

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    Answer A: $1,040 to $2,750

    Ohio law sets the fine for a third OVI conviction within ten years at not less than $1,040 and not more than $2,750, well above the first-offense range.

  10. 10. A truck passes you in heavy rain and its spray blanks out your windshield. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Hold the wheel steady, ease off slightly and let the wipers clear it

    The blackout lasts a second or two. Keeping your line and easing off is far safer than braking hard or steering blind toward the shoulder.

  11. 11. You and an opposing driver reach a four-way stop at the same time and both of you are turning right. What should happen?

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    Answer C: Both may turn at the same time into their own lanes

    Two opposing right turns take drivers into different lanes without crossing, so both can proceed together once pedestrians are clear.

  12. 12. Traffic safety experts describe three kinds of driver distraction. Which set is correct?

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    Answer A: Visual, manual and cognitive

    Distraction takes the eyes off the road, the hands off the controls or the mind off driving, and many activities do more than one of those at once.

  13. 13. A driver moves into the space you were keeping ahead of you. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Ease off and rebuild the gap in front of you

    Losing a following gap is common in traffic; the answer is simply to drop back and recreate it rather than drive too close.

  14. 14. What is a microsleep?

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    Answer D: A few seconds of sleep, sometimes with the eyes open

    A microsleep is an involuntary lapse of a few seconds during which the driver is asleep and the vehicle travels blind, often without the driver knowing.

  15. 15. How does braking distance change if you double your speed?

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    Answer D: It grows much more than twice as long

    Braking distance increases with the square of speed, so doubling speed roughly quadruples the distance needed to stop.

  16. 16. 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.

  17. 17. If you must abandon a vehicle stuck on the tracks with a train coming, why do you move toward the train and away at an angle?

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    Answer D: Because debris from the impact is thrown forward, away from the train

    A train pushes wreckage down the track ahead of it, so walking toward the train and off to the side keeps you out of the debris path.

  18. 18. A curb sign reads 2 Hour Parking, 8 AM to 6 PM, Monday to Saturday. When may you stay longer than two hours?

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    Answer A: Outside those hours and on Sundays

    A time limit applies only during the days and hours printed on the sign; outside them the ordinary parking rules apply.

  19. 19. A vehicle ahead of you displays a reflective orange triangle on its rear. What does that emblem tell you?

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    Answer B: The vehicle is built to travel at 25 mph or less

    The orange triangle is the slow moving vehicle emblem used on farm and construction equipment designed for 25 mph or less, warning you that you are closing on it much faster than it appears.

  20. 20. Why is a sign reading BRIDGE ICES BEFORE ROAD worth heeding even when the road itself is merely wet?

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    Answer C: Cold air passes under a bridge as well as over it

    A bridge deck loses heat from below as well as above, so it can be frozen while the road on either side of it is only wet.

  21. 21. A pedestrian steps off the curb without looking your way. What should you assume?

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    Answer B: That the person has not seen you at all, and be ready to stop for them

    Defensive driving means assuming you have not been seen until there is clear evidence that you have.

  22. 22. You turn from asphalt onto a loose gravel road. What should you do about your speed?

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    Answer D: Lower it, since grip is reduced and stopping takes longer

    Loose gravel gives far less grip than pavement, so speed must come down for both steering and stopping.

  23. 23. You are driving through patchy fog on a highway. What should you be ready for?

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    Answer B: Sudden dense banks where visibility drops within a few car lengths

    Patchy fog can go from clear to nearly blind in a moment, so keep your speed low enough that a sudden bank does not leave you without room.

  24. 24. Why are sign shapes and colors standardized across the whole country?

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    Answer D: So a driver knows the kind of message before reading it

    Uniform shapes and colors let a driver classify a sign as regulatory, warning or guide from a distance, before the legend can be read.

  25. 25. You have turned right into the nearest lane but you need the left lane soon. When should you move over?

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    Answer A: After the turn is finished, once you have checked mirrors and blind spot

    Complete the turn in the proper lane first, then make a normal lane change with mirror and blind spot checks once you are established on the new street.

  26. 26. You leave a brightly lit service area onto a dark rural road. Why should you slow down for a while?

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    Answer C: Your eyes need time to adjust, so at first you see less

    Eyes take a few minutes to adapt from bright light to darkness, and during that time you can see much less than your headlights actually show.

  27. 27. You are stopped at a steady red arrow pointing right, and no sign or state rule permits turning on a red arrow. May you turn right?

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    Answer A: No, you must wait until the red arrow goes out and a green signal appears

    A steady red arrow prohibits the movement it points to until a signal permitting it appears. Only a posted sign or a specific state rule allows a turn on a red arrow after a complete stop, so without one you must wait.

  28. 28. A warning sign showing two children on a see-saw is posted beside a residential street. What does it mean?

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    Answer D: A play area lies beside the road and children may run out

    The playground sign warns that children are present next to the roadway and may enter it without looking, so drivers should cover the brake and slow down.

  29. 29. What is the correct order of a pass on a two-lane road?

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    Answer A: Check ahead and behind, signal left, move out, accelerate past, signal right and return

    A pass begins with the decision that the road is clear and ends with a signaled return, and each step warns other drivers before the vehicle moves.

  30. 30. Besides its height, what else matters about a head restraint?

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    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.

  31. 31. Besides an insurance policy or a liability bond, what document can an Ohio vehicle owner use to demonstrate proof of financial responsibility?

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    Answer D: A certificate of self-insurance

    Ohio law recognizes a certificate of self-insurance, typically used by large fleet owners, as an accepted form of proof of financial responsibility alongside insurance policies and bonds.

  32. 32. What is the first thing to do once your disabled vehicle is stopped on the shoulder?

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    Answer A: Switch on the hazard warning lights so other drivers can see the vehicle

    Hazard lights are the fastest way to make a stopped vehicle visible, and everything else can follow once traffic has been warned.

  33. 33. Which clue tells you that a parked vehicle is about to pull into traffic?

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    Answer D: Exhaust smoke, brake lights, front wheels turned out or a driver in the seat

    A running engine, lit brake lights, turned wheels or a person behind the wheel all mean the vehicle may move. Slow down and give it room.

  34. 34. A sign on a freeway restricts trucks to the two right-hand lanes. What should a car driver expect in those lanes?

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    Answer A: More heavy vehicles and slower changes of speed

    A truck lane restriction concentrates heavy vehicles on the right, and those vehicles accelerate, brake and change lanes far more slowly than cars.

  35. 35. You are entering a freeway using an on-ramp with an acceleration lane. What is the correct technique?

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    Answer C: Use the acceleration lane to reach the speed of traffic, then merge into a gap while yielding to traffic already on the freeway

    The acceleration lane exists so you can match the speed of freeway traffic before merging, and drivers already on the freeway have the right-of-way.

  36. 36. You are approaching a traffic light that has been green for a long time. How should you treat it?

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    Answer C: Expect it to change and be ready to stop

    A light that has been green for a while is called a stale green light. Cover the brake and decide in advance where you could still stop safely.

  37. 37. Why is being thrown out of a vehicle in a crash so dangerous?

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    Answer C: Because you strike the road or other objects at high speed, and rarely survive

    Ejection is one of the deadliest outcomes of a crash, and a fastened belt is what keeps a person inside the vehicle.

  38. 38. 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.

  39. 39. A sign at the approach to a bridge reads WEIGHT LIMIT 10 TONS. What does the figure set?

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    Answer B: The heaviest vehicle the bridge may legally carry

    A weight limit sign is a regulation based on what the structure can bear, and it applies to the loaded weight of the whole vehicle.

  40. 40. Your vehicle has a backup camera. What is the right way to use it?

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    Answer C: Use it as an aid, but still turn and look behind you

    A camera has a limited field of view and can be dirty or wet, so it supplements looking over your shoulder and using the mirrors rather than replacing them.