Colorado DMV Permit Practice Test 11
This set is ordered by handbook chapter rather than shuffled, so the questions arrive in roughly the sequence the manual introduces them: signs first, then signals and markings, then right-of-way, then speed, then the rest. That makes it the best set to take alongside the handbook itself if you are working through it in order, because each block of questions lands right after the chapter that explains it. It is also the set to use if you learn by structure rather than by repetition, since the progression is visible as you go. The difficulty is mixed and the topic proportions still match the real exam, so the only thing that differs from the other sets is the order. Take it before the exam simulator, then use the simulator to break the chapter order again.
What is in this set
- Questions
- 25
- same length as the real exam
- Difficulty
- 7 easy · 15 medium · 3 hard
- Topics
- Road signs 5 · Right-of-way 4 · Safe driving 4 · Speed limits 3 · Alcohol and drugs 3 · Vehicle equipment 2 · Licence rules 2 · Emergencies 2
Take this set as a quiz
One question at a time, immediate feedback, and a review page that sends you to the rule you missed. Your answers are saved in this browser only, so you can close the tab and come back.
Study mode — all 25 questions, answers shown
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Question 1 · Right-of-way · medium
You are waiting in the middle of an intersection to turn left when the light turns yellow. Oncoming cars are still moving through at speed. What should you do?
- A Back up into the lane you came from
- B Turn right instead so you are out of the way
- C Complete the turn at once, because hesitation is what makes it dangerous
- D Hold your position with the wheels straight, then turn once oncoming traffic has cleared
Show the answer and why
D is correct. A driver who entered the intersection on a green light already owns that space.
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Question 2 · Speed limits · medium
You are merging onto an interstate using the acceleration lane. What should you be doing along that lane?
- A Build speed to match the traffic flow, then merge into the first safe gap
- B Signal and push into the lane to make a gap appear
- C Stop at the end of it and wait for a gap to open
- D Merge at the speed you arrived with, whatever that is
Show the answer and why
A is correct. An acceleration lane has exactly one job: to let you reach the merge point already travelling near the speed of the traffic you are joining.
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Question 3 · Vehicle equipment · easy
Before moving into the lane to your left on a multi-lane road, what is the most reliable way to confirm the lane is clear?
- A Check the inside rear-view mirror only
- B Rely on the vehicle's blind-spot warning light if it has one
- C Signal for three seconds and then move over
- D Glance over your left shoulder to check the blind spot after using the mirrors
Show the answer and why
D is correct. Mirrors leave a wedge of road beside and slightly behind the car that no lens can reach, and that wedge is large enough to swallow a motorcycle or a sma...
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Question 4 · Safe driving · medium
Another driver cuts you off, gestures angrily, and then begins following you closely. What is the safest response?
- A Slow slightly and gesture back, so they know you are not intimidated
- B Do not respond, avoid eye contact, and head for a public place or police station if they keep following
- C Brake firmly to discourage the tailgating
- D Pull over immediately and settle it verbally
Show the answer and why
B is correct. Nothing you can do by way of reply improves this situation, and several available replies make it worse.
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Question 5 · Licence rules · easy
You move from Colorado to another state and become a resident there. What must you do about your driver licence?
- A Keep both licences so you can drive in either state
- B Wait until the Colorado licence expires and then renew it by mail
- C Surrender it and apply for a licence in your new home state within that state's deadline
- D Nothing, provided the Colorado licence is still valid
Show the answer and why
C is correct. A driver licence belongs to the state where you actually live, not simply to the state that issued it.
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Question 6 · Speed limits · medium
On a long descent, a driver shifts into neutral to coast and save fuel. Why is this regarded as poor and unsafe practice?
- A Because with the drivetrain disengaged, engine braking is lost, speed builds quickly and the driver has less immediate control if something goes wrong
- B Because neutral damages the transmission on modern vehicles
- C Because neutral disables the power steering on most cars
- D Because coasting is illegal only for vehicles over a certain weight
Show the answer and why
A is correct. In neutral, the engine contributes nothing to slowing the vehicle, so gravity accelerates you down the grade unopposed except by the friction brakes — t...
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Question 7 · Road signs · easy
Two solid yellow lines are painted down the centre of a two-lane road. What do they mean?
- A Passing is not allowed from your side of the road only
- B The lane ahead ends and traffic must merge
- C A bicycle lane begins at this point
- D Passing is not allowed from either direction
Show the answer and why
D is correct. Centre line markings are read like this.
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Question 8 · Alcohol and drugs · medium
Two friends drink the same amount at the same pace; one ate a full meal beforehand, the other drank on an empty stomach. How does the meal actually affect their blood alcohol levels?
- A Food converts alcohol into water and speeds its elimination
- B Food neutralises alcohol, so the driver who ate has no alcohol in their system
- C Food slows the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream, producing a lower peak level reached more gradually — but all the alcohol consumed still enters the blood
- D Food has no measurable effect on blood alcohol at all
Show the answer and why
C is correct. Food in the stomach slows the passage of alcohol into the small intestine, where most absorption occurs.
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Question 9 · Right-of-way · easy
You are reversing out of a perpendicular parking space in a busy supermarket car park and a car drives past behind you along the aisle. Who is required to yield?
- A The moving car, because you signalled your intention to reverse
- B Neither, because private car parks are not governed by right-of-way rules
- C You, because a reversing vehicle must yield to traffic using the travel lane
- D Whoever moves first establishes the right of way
Show the answer and why
C is correct. A driver moving in reverse is responsible for the safety of the manoeuvre and must yield to traffic using the aisle as a travel lane.
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Question 10 · Right-of-way · medium
You are travelling in the right lane of a busy urban freeway and traffic is merging from a busy on-ramp directly ahead. What is the most helpful and safe response?
- A Brake steadily so merging traffic can enter wherever it likes
- B Speed up to pass the merge area before any merging vehicle can reach your position
- C Hold your speed and lane exactly, because merging traffic must always yield to you
- D Adjust your speed to open a clear gap for a merging vehicle, or move left if it is safe and practical
Show the answer and why
D is correct. Legally, merging traffic is expected to fit into the flow, but the flow that makes room merges better than the flow that does not, and predictability is...
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Question 11 · Emergencies · medium
You are the driver in a collision in which another motorist appears to be injured. What does the law require of you at the scene?
- A Stop immediately, remain at the scene, and call for emergency help; do not move a seriously injured person unless leaving them creates a greater danger such as fire
- B Drive to the nearest police station to report the crash in person
- C Leave your details on the other vehicle's windscreen and drive on
- D Move the injured person to the roadside first, then call for help
Show the answer and why
A is correct. A crash with injuries carries three absolute duties: stop, stay, and summon aid.
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Question 12 · Speed limits · medium
Why must you drive well below the posted limit when the road surface is wet or icy?
- A Because posted limits stop applying in poor weather
- B Because headlights are more effective at lower speeds
- C Because other drivers will expect everyone to slow down
- D Because reduced grip lengthens stopping distance and ordinary inputs can break traction
Show the answer and why
D is correct. A posted limit is calculated for ideal conditions and states the maximum permitted rather than the speed that is actually safe today.
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Question 13 · Road signs · easy
You pass a round yellow sign carrying a black X and the letters RR. What does it warn you about, and what should you do?
- A A pedestrian crossing lies ahead — slow and watch for people
- B A railroad crossing lies ahead — slow, look both ways and listen, and be ready to stop even with no train visible
- C A road junction is ahead — signal your intended turn
- D A no-passing zone begins here — stay in your lane
Show the answer and why
B is correct. The circular yellow advance warning sign is unique in the whole sign system, and that uniqueness is deliberate: the hazard it describes is the one most...
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Question 14 · Road signs · hard
Driving along a two-lane highway you pass a narrow wordless triangular sign mounted on the left-hand side and pointing to the right. What does it mark?
- A A hiker crossing ahead
- B The beginning of a no-passing zone — from here you may not overtake
- C A side road joining from the left
- D A lane ends ahead and you must merge right
Show the answer and why
B is correct. The pennant-shaped no-passing zone marker is one of the few signs whose meaning is carried entirely by shape and placement, with no text at all.
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Question 15 · Right-of-way · medium
An ambulance with lights and siren is approaching on the opposite side of a divided highway, separated from you by a raised median. What is required of you?
- A You must slow to half the posted limit and switch on your hazard lights
- B You must immediately move into the rightmost lane in every case
- C You should continue in your lane while staying alert, since the median separates the flows and the ambulance is not crossing it
- D You must pull over and stop, because emergency vehicles always claim the whole highway
Show the answer and why
C is correct. On a divided highway with a physical median, an emergency vehicle operating on the opposite carriageway is not on your roadway, and drivers on your side...
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Question 16 · Vehicle equipment · medium
A driver places a young child on their lap in the front passenger seat for a short trip and fastens only their own belt. What is wrong with this?
- A A lap-held passenger is unrestrained — crash forces tear them from the adult's arms and a front airbag adds serious injury risk
- B It is acceptable for trips entirely within city limits
- C It is acceptable provided the airbag has been deactivated
- D Nothing, provided the driver is belted and drives carefully
Show the answer and why
A is correct. The physics are unforgiving and they operate at city speeds.
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Question 17 · Road signs · hard
Beneath a railroad crossbuck at a crossing, a small rectangular plate displays the number 2. What does this supplementary plate tell the driver?
- A Trains here travel at two times normal speed
- B The crossing was inspected two years ago
- C The crossing is two miles from the nearest town
- D There are two tracks at this crossing, and a train on one can hide a train on the other
Show the answer and why
D is correct. The number plate under a crossbuck states how many tracks cross the roadway.
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Question 18 · Licence rules · medium
Under Colorado's distracted-driving law, what is the general rule about holding and using a mobile phone while driving?
- A Phones are prohibited only on interstate highways
- B Texting is prohibited but holding the phone for calls is permitted
- C Phones may be used freely at any speed provided the driver keeps one hand on the wheel
- D Holding and manually using a phone while driving is prohibited; use is limited to hands-free operation, and holding the phone even at a red light counts as driving
Show the answer and why
D is correct. Colorado's distracted-driving rules draw the line at the hand: a phone in the driver's hand is a violation in itself, and the operating definition of 'd...
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Question 19 · Alcohol and drugs · medium
A friend argues that because cannabis is legal to purchase and use in Colorado, and they hold a medical cannabis card, driving after using it at home is lawful. What is the actual legal position on cannabis-impaired driving?
- A Driving while impaired by cannabis is unlawful, and a medical card changes nothing about the driving prohibition
- B Legal if the passenger in the vehicle is not using cannabis
- C Legal, provided the cannabis was purchased in Colorado and used at a private residence
- D Legal below a specific high-quantity purchase limit
Show the answer and why
A is correct. Legal retail and medical cannabis in Colorado changes the law of possession and use in private, not the law of the road: driving while under the influen...
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Question 20 · Safe driving · easy
Before reversing out of a driveway onto a street with foot traffic, what is the safest way to establish what is behind your vehicle?
- A Reverse quickly so the vehicle spends the least possible time in motion
- B Sound the horn for several seconds before beginning to move
- C Trust the reversing camera and parking sensors to cover the whole area
- D Turn your body and look directly through the rear window, using mirrors and camera only as supplements
Show the answer and why
D is correct. Direct vision beats every sensor, which is why the core backing technique is to turn and look through the rear window while the car moves, letting mirro...
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Question 21 · Emergencies · medium
You clip the wing mirror of a parked car in a car park and drive off because you are running late. What has happened legally?
- A You have left the scene of an accident involving property damage, which carries penalties of its own
- B Nothing, because no officer attended at the time
- C Nothing, since the damage was trivial and nobody was hurt
- D Nothing, provided you notify your insurer within the month
Show the answer and why
A is correct. Leaving the scene is a separate wrong from whatever caused the contact, so the smallness of the damage does not make the departure lawful.
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Question 22 · Road signs · medium
The red lights at a railway crossing begin flashing and the gates start lowering as you approach. You cannot see a train. What should you do?
- A Stop short of the gate and wait until the signals stop and the arms rise
- B Accelerate to clear the tracks before the gate finishes lowering
- C Cross the tracks slowly if you cannot hear a train coming
- D Stop on the tracks and look both ways before proceeding
Show the answer and why
A is correct. Active crossing signals are conclusive, and their verdict replaces your own judgement about whether the track looks empty.
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Question 23 · Safe driving · medium
A vehicle is following you so closely that its bonnet fills your mirror. You are already at the posted limit on a two-lane road. What is the safest way to manage the situation?
- A Brake firmly to teach the follower a lesson about safe distance
- B Increase your own following distance from the vehicle ahead, and move over or let the tailgater pass at the first safe opportunity
- C Accelerate above the limit to open the gap quickly
- D Switch on your hazard lights until the vehicle drops back
Show the answer and why
B is correct. You cannot control the space behind your car, but you control the space in front of it, and a tailgater destroys your front margin: if you brake hard, t...
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Question 24 · Alcohol and drugs · hard
A driver has had two drinks and also used cannabis earlier in the evening, believing the substances offset each other — one stimulating alertness, one calming. What does research show about combining alcohol and cannabis before driving?
- A Their impairments compound: the combination degrades driving-related skills more than either substance alone, while the user perceives less impairment
- B The combination's effects are identical to the effects of the alcohol alone
- C The combination is lawful as long as each substance individually was used legally
- D They counteract each other, so the combination is safer than either alone
Show the answer and why
A is correct. Alcohol and cannabis impair through different mechanisms, and 'offsetting' is a folk theory with no support in the driving data: the combination impairs...
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Question 25 · Safe driving · easy
A sharp curve ahead carries an advisory speed plaque below the warning sign. When should you slow to that speed?
- A Only if another vehicle is coming the other way
- B In the middle of the curve, once you can judge how sharp it is
- C Before you enter the curve
- D As you exit, to steady the car
Show the answer and why
C is correct. Braking shifts weight onto the front tyres and eats grip that the steering needs, which is exactly the trade you cannot afford once the car is already t...