Colorado DMV Permit Practice Test 4
Speed is tested in two different ways and this set covers both. The first is the numeric kind: the statutory limits that apply when no sign is posted, the limits inside school zones and business districts, and the reductions that apply in work zones and on mountain grades. The second is the judgement kind, where no number appears at all and you have to decide what is safe given wet pavement, darkness, traffic, or a curve you cannot see through. The exam prefers the second kind because it cannot be memorised. When an answer choice gives a specific number and the question never mentions a sign or a zone, be suspicious: the basic speed rule usually beats any fixed figure. Work slowly here and read the explanation even when you got the question right, because the reasoning transfers to questions you have not seen.
What is in this set
- Questions
- 25
- same length as the real exam
- Difficulty
- 7 easy · 15 medium · 3 hard
- Topics
- Speed limits 6 · Safe driving 4 · Right-of-way 4 · Alcohol and drugs 3 · Vehicle equipment 2 · Licence rules 2 · Emergencies 2 · Road signs 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 · 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 2 · Right-of-way · medium
A city bus pulls away from a stop intending to merge into your lane and signals that intention. How should you respond?
- A Slow down and let it in, because a bus re-entering traffic from a designated stop has the right of way
- B Accelerate to get past before it reaches you
- C Hold your position and sound the horn so the operator knows you are there
- D Nothing changes — whichever vehicle is ahead owns the lane
Show the answer and why
A is correct. Transit could not function if a bus lost its place every time it stopped, and most states therefore give a bus signalling its intention to re-enter traf...
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Question 3 · Vehicle equipment · medium
A red brake warning lamp stays lit after the engine starts and the parking brake has been fully released. What should the driver do?
- A Drive cautiously as far as the nearest motorway services
- B Clear the lamp by pumping the pedal several times
- C Do not drive — have the brake system examined, since the lamp indicates low fluid or unequal pressure
- D Continue driving; those lamps often stick in cold weather
Show the answer and why
C is correct. Very few warning lights are less appropriate to ignore than this one.
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Question 4 · Licence rules · hard
A parent who signed the application for a minor's licence later withdraws that consent. What happens to the minor's driving privilege?
- A It converts automatically into a probationary licence for a set period
- B Nothing, because only the DMV can withdraw a licence
- C The minor's licence and driving privilege may be withdrawn, and the signatory is relieved of further liability from that point
- D It stays valid, because the signatory's obligation ends once the licence is issued
Show the answer and why
C is correct. Consent for a minor's licence is not a formality that expires at issue.
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Question 5 · 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 6 · Speed limits · medium
Why do Colorado work zones carry special consequences for speeding beyond those of ordinary roads?
- A Because fines collected there fund the construction project itself
- B Because workers are present at body height beside moving traffic, and the state applies enhanced penalties in marked work zones to protect them
- C Because speed limits in work zones are set by the contractor rather than by law
- D Because insurance is void for crashes inside work zones
Show the answer and why
B is correct. A work zone puts people — flaggers, labourers, equipment operators — within metres of live traffic at eye and torso height, protected by cones rather th...
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Question 7 · Emergencies · medium
A deer steps into your headlight beam on a dark two-lane road. What gives you the best chance of avoiding a serious crash?
- A Flash the headlights repeatedly to freeze it where it stands
- B Brake firmly in a straight line and sound the horn; do not swerve into opposing lanes or off the road
- C Swerve hard toward whichever side the animal came from
- D Accelerate to clear the animal before it reaches your lane
Show the answer and why
B is correct. Swerving is the reflex and it is the wrong answer, because every alternative the road offers beside you is worse than the animal: opposing traffic, a tr...
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Question 8 · Speed limits · hard
Transportation agencies post speed limits after studying a road's design, its crash history and the speeds most drivers already choose. What does that process imply about the number on the sign?
- A The limit is a promise that the posted speed is always safe in all conditions
- B The limit is a minimum standard you are expected to approach whenever possible
- C The limit is set primarily to generate enforcement revenue
- D The limit reflects the road's engineering for ordinary conditions, and remains subject to the basic rule that you must slow for whatever conditions actually exist
Show the answer and why
D is correct. A posted limit is the product of engineering judgement about a road under normal conditions — alignment, sight lines, intersections, how traffic actuall...
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Question 9 · Speed limits · medium
Some freeway stretches post a minimum speed as well as a maximum. What is the purpose of a minimum speed limit?
- A To guarantee that emergency vehicles can always exceed it
- B To make space for overtaking by discouraging slow vehicles from the left lane
- C To keep traffic that cannot maintain the normal flow off roads where large speed differences are dangerous, such as limited-access highways
- D To ensure drivers save fuel by keeping speeds uniform
Show the answer and why
C is correct. Crash energy on high-speed roads depends heavily on speed differences, and a vehicle crawling at half the prevailing flow forces every vehicle behind to...
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Question 10 · Right-of-way · hard
Which driver has to bring the vehicle to a stop at every railroad crossing regardless of whether a train is coming or the signals are active?
- A Every driver, at every crossing, on every occasion
- B Only school buses carrying children
- C Nobody, provided the crossing has been fitted with automatic gates
- D Any bus carrying passengers and any vehicle placarded for hazardous materials, alongside school buses
Show the answer and why
D is correct. The duty to stop unconditionally is narrow, attaching to specific vehicle categories rather than to everyone.
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Question 11 · Alcohol and drugs · easy
What standard applies to a driver under the age of 21 with respect to alcohol before driving in Colorado?
- A The same limit as adult drivers applies from age 18 onward
- B Under-21 drivers are held to an essentially zero-tolerance standard: any measurable amount of alcohol can cost them their driving privileges
- C Under-21 drivers may consume alcohol if a parent is in the vehicle
- D No alcohol standard applies until a driver holds a full licence
Show the answer and why
B is correct. Because the drinking age and the driving age do not overlap, Colorado applies a zero-tolerance rule to drivers under 21: rather than the adult per-se th...
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Question 12 · 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 13 · Licence rules · medium
A driver has served the full period of their suspension and wants to drive again. What stands between the end of that period and holding a valid licence?
- A Nothing — the privilege returns automatically once the term expires
- B The reinstatement conditions must be met first, including fees and any required proof of insurance or retesting
- C A letter from the court that imposed the suspension
- D A further period of clean driving on the existing record
Show the answer and why
B is correct. A suspension period and a valid licence are two different things.
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Question 14 · Safe driving · medium
You are approaching a signal that has been green the entire time you have been able to see it. What is the defensive habit for this situation?
- A Cover the brake and be prepared to stop, since a green of unknown age may turn yellow at any moment
- B Accelerate to cross before the signal phase changes
- C Sound the horn and proceed at constant speed
- D Ignore the signal and rely on cross traffic to obey their red
Show the answer and why
A is correct. A green light you did not see turn green is a stale green: its age is unknown, and signals do not announce how much phase remains.
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Question 15 · Vehicle equipment · easy
On a frosty morning a driver clears only a hand-sized patch of the windscreen and drives off. Why is this unsafe and likely unlawful?
- A It is acceptable provided the side windows are clear
- B The driver cannot see hazards outside that narrow field, and the law requires an unobstructed view through the glass
- C It is acceptable as long as the driver keeps their head aligned with the clear area
- D It is acceptable below 25 mph
Show the answer and why
B is correct. Driving through a slot turns every hazard outside it into something that arrives without warning: the pedestrian stepping out on your left, the cyclist...
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Question 16 · Right-of-way · medium
You are waiting to turn left at a signalised intersection showing a solid green light, with no green arrow. Oncoming traffic is moving through steadily. What does the green light mean for your turn?
- A You may turn whenever a gap opens, and oncoming traffic must slow to let you complete it
- B You must yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians, and turn only when it can be done without interfering
- C You must wait for the light to turn red before starting the turn
- D The solid green gives turning traffic the same priority as a green arrow
Show the answer and why
B is correct. A solid green is a permission to enter the intersection, not a protected permission to turn.
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Question 17 · Safe driving · medium
You are overtaking a motorcycle travelling in the centre of its lane on a two-lane road. How should the pass be executed?
- A Pass on the shoulder to shorten the time alongside the rider
- B Sound your horn continuously during the pass to alert the rider
- C Use a full lane's width for the pass, exactly as you would when passing a car
- D Squeeze past within the same lane, because motorcycles are narrow enough to share it
Show the answer and why
C is correct. A motorcycle occupies a full lane and is entitled to all of it, and the pass should give the rider the same full-lane clearance you would give a car.
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Question 18 · Alcohol and drugs · medium
Your passenger, an adult of legal drinking age, opens a bottle of beer in the front seat of your car while you are driving on a public road. What does the law say?
- A Only the driver is restricted; passengers may drink lawfully
- B Passengers may drink provided the bottle is resealed afterwards
- C Open containers of alcohol are prohibited in the passenger area of a vehicle on a public road, regardless of whose hand holds them
- D The rule applies only to the driver of a commercial vehicle
Show the answer and why
C is correct. Open-container law targets the vehicle, not the individual: alcohol in the passenger area of a car on a public road must be in its original unopened sea...
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Question 19 · 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 20 · Alcohol and drugs · easy
A group of friends is heading to an evening event where alcohol will certainly be served. What is the most reliable way to make sure nobody drives impaired afterwards?
- A Plan to drink coffee and water in the final hour before driving home
- B Rely on everyone monitoring their own condition and stopping at two drinks each
- C Agree that whoever feels least affected at the end of the night will drive
- D Decide before the first drink who is the designated driver, and make sure that person genuinely abstains for the night
Show the answer and why
D is correct. Impaired judgement is the defining product of alcohol, which is why the decision about driving cannot be delegated to the end of the evening, when judge...
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Question 21 · Speed limits · medium
Crash research repeatedly links highway collisions to speed differences between vehicles rather than to absolute speed. What practical choice follows from that?
- A Match the fastest vehicle so nobody needs to overtake you
- B Ignore the flow entirely and rely on the posted figures alone
- C Avoid large differences from the prevailing flow, while staying legal and keeping enough distance to stop within what you can see
- D Always travel well below surrounding traffic whatever the flow
Show the answer and why
C is correct. Wide speed differentials manufacture conflicts: somebody overtaking you generates lane changes and closing events, somebody approaching a slow car from...
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Question 22 · Speed limits · easy
You turn into a residential street in a Colorado town where no speed limit sign is posted. What limit applies?
- A Whatever speed feels safe to you, provided you can stop for children
- B There is no limit where no sign is posted
- C Half the limit of the road you came from
- D The statutory default for residential streets applies, the same figure posted in most signed residential zones in town
Show the answer and why
D is correct. Where no limit is posted, the law supplies one: the statutory speed for that class of road applies, and residential streets carry the same default figur...
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Question 23 · Road signs · medium
The signal on your approach to a junction is showing a flashing yellow light. What behaviour does this display call for?
- A Stop fully, then proceed when clear, as with a flashing red
- B Proceed with caution; the flashing yellow does not require a stop
- C Stop and wait for a steady green before entering the junction
- D Increase speed to clear the junction before the display changes
Show the answer and why
B is correct. A flashing yellow means the junction is live but not stopping you: proceed, while yielding to pedestrians and to any conflicting traffic the flashing mo...
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Question 24 · Road signs · easy
You are stopping at a stop sign but no stop line has been painted on the pavement. Where must your vehicle come to rest?
- A Before the crosswalk if one is marked, and otherwise before entering the roadway being crossed
- B With the front wheels resting on the near edge of the travelled lane
- C With the front bumper just over the crosswalk, so you can see traffic coming
- D Anywhere within a vehicle length of the sign itself
Show the answer and why
A is correct. The painted line is a convenience rather than the legal boundary.
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Question 25 · Speed limits · easy
You are stuck behind a slow vehicle on a two-lane road and a passing zone opens. May you exceed the posted limit briefly to complete the pass?
- A No; the posted limit is a maximum even while passing
- B No; passing is prohibited on all two-lane roads
- C Yes, provided the pass is completed within a reasonable time
- D Yes, if you flash your headlights at the vehicle being passed
Show the answer and why
A is correct. Speed limits are ceilings, not baseline speeds with a passing allowance on top.