South Carolina DMV State Practice Set — 36 Questions

Before you back up, change lanes or brake suddenly, check the traffic behind you with your mirrors and by turning your head. Look over your shoulder through the rear window when backing, and check your blind spot before moving into another lane. These are the moments when a collision with someone behind you is most likely: backing takes you toward whatever is back there, and if you change lanes or brake hard, a vehicle coming up behind you may have no room to avoid you.

A siren or flashing red or blue lights mean an emergency vehicle needs the road. Move to the right edge, stop, and stay there until it has gone by; failing to do so breaks the law and puts lives at risk.

Slippery pavement gives your tires less traction, so lose speed before a curve or intersection rather than while you are in it. Speeding into a curve, or waiting until you are already descending a hill to downshift, makes a skid more likely.

The law requires headlights starting 30 minutes after the sun sets and ending 30 minutes before it rises, which means that in the morning you can turn them off when sunrise is half an hour away. Leave them on longer when rain, fog, or snow limits visibility.

Water on the pavement makes stopping take longer, so open up a gap of at least 4 to 5 seconds behind the vehicle ahead. Brake, steer and accelerate gently to avoid skidding.

Tip On wet pavement, plan on about twice your usual following distance so you have room to stop.

Most states require a parallel-parked car to have its wheels within 12 inches of the curb, and some allow up to 18, so staying within 12 inches keeps you legal in either case. A wider gap leaves the car sticking out into the travel lane, where it becomes a hazard to passing traffic.

Tip A gap of roughly 6 to 12 inches keeps you within the limit while protecting your tires from the curb.

If a school bus stops on a two-lane road with its red lights flashing, traffic approaching from either direction has to stop and stay put until the lights go off and the bus moves on. Simply slowing down is not sufficient, including when the bus is on the opposite side of the road.

Tip Drivers on the far side of a highway split by a physical divider, such as a raised median, are not required to stop.

Drivers who are 21 or older break the law once their BAC hits 0.08%. Anyone under 21 is held to a zero-tolerance limit far below that, so 0.08% is not their cutoff, and 0.06% is not the standard adult limit.

South Carolina sends people convicted of DUI to ADSAP, a state program of alcohol and drug assessment and education that must be completed before driving privileges return. A first offense also brings a fine far above $100, a suspension measured in months rather than years, and at least 48 hours in jail or doing public service.

As the picture shows, the mirrors leave blind spots on both sides of the car, so a quick look over your shoulder is the reliable way to spot a vehicle hiding there. Signal to announce your move, check the mirrors for traffic behind you, and then do the head check before you move over.

Practice on a South Carolina beginner's permit is not limited to particular hours of the day; what the law insists on is that a licensed supervisor who meets the state's requirements always rides along.

No one number is safe in every situation. Choose your speed based on the weather, the road surface, how far you can see and how heavy traffic is, and remember that driving under the limit can still be too fast in poor conditions.

Total stopping distance is the ground you cover while reacting plus the distance needed to brake, which depends on speed, brakes, tires, and the road surface. Darkness can make hazards harder to spot, but the clock itself does not change how far the vehicle needs to stop.

Tip When judging how quickly you can stop, think about speed, reaction time, brakes, tires, and pavement, not the hour.

Under implied consent, getting a license and driving on public roads count as advance agreement to chemical testing, such as a breath test, when you are arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. Refusing the test usually brings its own penalties, including loss of your license.

After a blowout, hold the steering wheel firmly, take your foot off the accelerator, and keep the car going straight while it loses speed on its own. Braking hard can make you lose control, so stop only after you have eased off the road to a safe spot.

Blinking your brake lights or turning on the hazard flashers lets the people behind you know early that traffic is stopping for a crash ahead, which gives them room to slow down. These signals warn of danger or an unexpected slowdown; they are not a way to thank another driver or something to use while reversing out of a parking spot.

Tip Hazard flashers are for warning others of a sudden danger, not for excusing double-parking or for ordinary driving.

Cutting across a parking lot, gas station, or other property to avoid a sign or signal is illegal. The only exception is when a police officer directs traffic that way.

One standard drink equals either 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits; each holds about the same amount of alcohol. Choosing beer or wine over liquor does not make you any less impaired.

Headlights must be on at night, which many states take to mean the time starting 30 minutes after the sun sets and ending 30 minutes before it rises, and also whenever rain, fog, or other bad weather makes seeing difficult. They light the road ahead and help other drivers notice your vehicle.

A full stop is required at a stop sign, at a red signal, and whenever a traffic officer tells you to stop. Ignoring any one of them is a violation and a common cause of serious crashes.

The headlight requirement begins 30 minutes after sunset, when fading daylight makes it harder for others to see you. Also turn them on at any hour when rain, snow, or fog limits visibility.

You must not pass or go around a vehicle that has stopped for people at a crosswalk, because it may be hiding a child who is stepping into the road. Obeying the school speed limit and letting children cross first are things you must do, not things you must avoid.

To indicate a right turn, stick your left arm through the driver's window and bend it up at the elbow so your hand points toward the sky. A straight, extended arm signals a left turn, while an arm bent downward signals that you are slowing down or stopping.

A road test may be refused by the examiner if the vehicle is unsafe, has no seat belts, or contains equipment, for example a center console, that keeps the examiner from reaching the brake pedal. Check your vehicle ahead of test day so you don't forfeit the appointment.

Passing must always be done on the paved, main part of the road. Pulling onto the shoulder or dirt edge to get by is never allowed, even next to a vehicle that is turning left.

South Carolina does not set one statewide school zone speed. Each zone has its own reduced limit shown on its signs, and you must obey it during school hours or whenever children are present.

Flashing red lights mean children are getting on or off, so you must come to a full stop at least 20 feet behind the bus. Do not move again until the lights go off and the stop arm has been pulled back in.

Set the front wheels so that the curb would stop the car if it started to roll: angle them toward the curb if the car points downhill and away from it if the car points uphill. Apply the parking brake every time.

Tip Downhill means wheels toward the curb; uphill with a curb means wheels away from it.

South Carolina's guideline is a gap of no less than 3 seconds behind the vehicle ahead, often paired with the older rule of one car length for each 10 mph. Leave extra room when rain, fog, or ice makes stopping harder.

Highway traffic moves fast, so situations change in seconds. Paying full attention, scanning constantly, and being ready for hazards such as debris, stalled cars, or sudden braking all help you avoid a crash.

When vehicles arrive together and nothing else assigns the right-of-way, each driver yields to the vehicle on the right, and a driver turning left also yields to oncoming traffic going straight. The yellow car has no one on its right, so it goes first; the blue car has the yellow car on its right and goes second; the truck, turning left, yields to both.

When a crash cannot be avoided, the goal is to reduce the force of the impact. Something that yields absorbs energy better than a rigid object, a stationary object is less violent to hit than an oncoming vehicle, and a glancing contact is far less dangerous than a direct, head-on hit.

When the wipers fail in rain or snow, ease off your speed at once, open the driver's window and look out of it if that is the only way to see, and then brake and leave the road at a safe spot. Wait there with your hazard flashers on until the weather clears or the wipers are fixed.

Alcohol makes it hard to hold a lane, judge speed, and react smoothly, so impaired drivers often weave, drive unusually slowly, and brake or stop without warning. If you notice these signs, keep well back and report the driver to police when it is safe.

A beginner's permit lets you practice from 6 a.m. until midnight when a licensed driver age 21 or older, with at least one year of driving experience, sits beside you, so a 10 or 11 p.m. cutoff is too early. After midnight, only certain people, such as a parent or guardian, may supervise you.

All three situations call for a lower speed: narrow or curving roads leave little room for error, intersections and railroad crossings bring cross traffic and trains, and slick pavement makes stopping take longer. Driving slower buys you extra time to react.