Colorado DMV Permit Practice Test 6
Safe driving is the broadest topic on the test and this set gives it the space it deserves. Expect questions about following distance, scanning ahead, handling skids and hydroplaning, sharing the road with motorcycles and large trucks, managing distractions, and what to do when your vehicle breaks down or a tyre fails. The common thread is that the correct answer is almost always the one that buys you more time and more space, so when two options both look reasonable, pick the one that slows you down or moves you away from the conflict. Several questions here are drawn from situations that happen on Colorado roads specifically: sudden weather changes, mountain descents, and wildlife on rural highways. Take this set after the alcohol set, because fatigue and impairment questions overlap in ways worth seeing together.
What is in this set
- Questions
- 25
- same length as the real exam
- Difficulty
- 7 easy · 16 medium · 2 hard
- Topics
- Safe driving 7 · Right-of-way 4 · Speed limits 3 · Alcohol and drugs 3 · Road signs 2 · Vehicle equipment 2 · Emergencies 2 · Licence rules 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 · 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 2 · Road signs · easy
Nearly entering a ramp, a driver sees a red rectangular sign carrying white lettering and a white bar. What does it mean?
- A The road is temporarily closed further along
- B Proceed slowly, but no left turns are permitted
- C The lane ends ahead — merge to the left
- D Traffic may not enter this roadway travelling in the driver's direction
Show the answer and why
D is correct. Do not enter is among the small number of signs built for instant rejection: red in colour, rectangular in shape, and carrying a prohibition rather than...
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Question 3 · Vehicle equipment · medium
A driver ignores the tyre-pressure warning lamp for weeks. Besides uneven tread wear, what is the most significant safety consequence of running tyres significantly underinflated?
- A The ride becomes softer, which improves wet-weather grip
- B The tyre overheats and flexes excessively, raising the risk of a sudden blowout and lengthening stopping distances
- C The speedometer reads higher than the true speed
- D Fuel consumption drops because the engine works less
Show the answer and why
B is correct. An underinflated tyre flexes far more than it was designed to.
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Question 4 · Right-of-way · easy
You arrive at an uncontrolled four-way intersection at the same moment as a driver on your right. Neither street has a stop sign. Who must yield?
- A The driver on your right must yield, because the left side always has priority
- B You must yield to the driver on your right
- C Whichever driver is operating the larger vehicle
- D Whichever driver signals a turn first
Show the answer and why
B is correct. At an uncontrolled intersection where two vehicles arrive at essentially the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.
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Question 5 · Speed limits · medium
You are driving on a rural road at the posted limit when a fog bank cuts your view ahead to a few car lengths. What principle governs how fast you should now be going?
- A The posted limit, because it was set with all conditions in mind
- B Twice the distance you can see, provided your brakes are good
- C You must be able to stop within the distance you can actually see to be clear; your speed must fit your sight distance, not the sign
- D The speed of the vehicle ahead, because its driver can see better than you
Show the answer and why
C is correct. The foundational speed principle is that you must never drive faster than permits stopping within the distance you know to be clear.
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Question 6 · Safe driving · easy
You are driving on a city street when a funeral procession passes through an intersection ahead, cars following closely with headlights on and hazard flags. What is the appropriate conduct?
- A Do not cut into or break up the procession; let it pass through as a unit, and do not attempt to overtake it
- B Overtake the procession carefully whenever a gap between cars allows it
- C Sound your horn as a mark of respect as it passes
- D Follow the procession closely so as not to lose sight of it
Show the answer and why
A is correct. A funeral procession functions as a single moving unit: cars travel close together, often through signals as a group under escort, and the whole system...
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Question 7 · Emergencies · medium
During a long uphill climb in summer traffic, the temperature warning light comes on and steam begins to rise from the bonnet edges. What is the correct response?
- A Open the bonnet immediately and loosen the radiator cap to release the pressure
- B Turn off the air conditioning, pull safely off the road, stop the engine and let it cool before any inspection; never open a hot cooling system
- C Accelerate to increase airflow through the radiator and clear the temperature
- D Pour cold water over the radiator to bring the temperature down quickly
Show the answer and why
B is correct. An overheating engine needs the load removed and the heat shed: air conditioning off, heater on full if you must limp briefly, and a safe stop off the t...
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Question 8 · Speed limits · easy
You are comfortable cruising at 40 in the right lane of a 65 mph freeway on a clear day with light traffic, and cars are stacking up behind you. What does the law say about driving so slowly that you disrupt the normal flow?
- A Drivers behind must wait; slower is always safer, whatever the posted minimum
- B Driving significantly below the normal flow without cause, where a minimum speed applies, is itself a violation because it creates speed differences and forces overtaking manoeuvres
- C Only trucks are required to maintain the normal flow
- D You may drive at any speed provided your hazard lights are on
Show the answer and why
B is correct. Speed limits work in both directions: you may not exceed the maximum, and where a minimum applies — as it does on limited-access highways — you may not...
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Question 9 · Emergencies · medium
Both headlights fail while you are driving on an unlit rural road at night. What should you do?
- A Put on the hazard lights or parking lights, slow down, and steer off the road to a safe stopping place as soon as possible
- B Stop immediately where you are, in the lane, and wait for assistance
- C Continue slowly using the parking lights until you reach your destination
- D Flash the high beams repeatedly, which use a separate circuit, and continue if they work
Show the answer and why
A is correct. Total headlight loss at night is a visibility emergency in both directions: you cannot see the road, and nobody can see you.
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Question 10 · 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 11 · Vehicle equipment · medium
You are hauling bagged mulch in an open pickup with the tailgate down and the pile sitting above the bed's sides. What does the law require of you regarding the load?
- A Only loads heavier than the vehicle itself must be covered
- B Covering loads is required only on interstate highways
- C The load must be secured and covered so that no part of it can drop, sift, leak or otherwise escape onto the roadway
- D Nothing, provided the mulch is not valuable
Show the answer and why
C is correct. The law requires every load to be secured so nothing escapes from the vehicle — not just obviously dangerous cargo.
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Question 12 · Right-of-way · medium
You are approaching a single-lane roundabout and another car is already travelling around it. Who has the right of way?
- A The car already in the circle — you wait for a gap before entering
- B You do, because entering traffic always goes first at a roundabout
- C Whoever reaches the entry line first
- D Whoever is signalling to leave at the next exit
Show the answer and why
A is correct. Traffic already circulating in a roundabout keeps moving, and anyone entering must yield to it before crossing the painted line.
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Question 13 · 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 14 · Safe driving · medium
A light rain begins after two weeks of dry weather. Why do experienced drivers treat the first stretch of rainfall as unusually slippery?
- A Rain always falls hardest in the first minutes of a storm
- B Oil and dust accumulated on the pavement mix with the first water, creating a slick film before the rain washes them away
- C Cold rain lowers tyre pressure enough to reduce grip
- D Wet roads reflect headlights and blind oncoming drivers in the first minutes
Show the answer and why
B is correct. During dry weeks, the roadway collects a thin film of engine oil drips, rubber dust and general grime.
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Question 15 · Alcohol and drugs · medium
A driver finishes drinking heavily at 1 a.m., sleeps six hours, and feels alert over coffee at 7 a.m. before a morning drive. What is the risk?
- A None; six hours of sleep eliminates alcohol faster than remaining awake
- B A substantial amount of alcohol may still be in the bloodstream; feeling alert does not mean being sober, and morning-after drivers are regularly charged with driving over the limit
- C Only the risk of drowsiness, not of alcohol
- D No risk, because alcohol leaves the body entirely during sleep
Show the answer and why
B is correct. The liver's rate does not care whether the drinker is asleep, and a heavy evening's alcohol can easily outlast a night's sleep: by the arithmetic of eli...
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Question 16 · 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 17 · Licence rules · medium
Following several at-fault crashes and a family member's written concern about a driver's health, the DMV asks the driver to complete a knowledge and drive re-examination. Why does this authority exist?
- A To raise additional licence fees from drivers with poor records
- B To punish drivers for having crashes, which are always the driver's fault
- C Because driving is a conditional privilege, and the licensing agency must be able to verify that a driver still meets the physical and cognitive requirements the road demands
- D Because insurance companies require the state to re-test their customers
Show the answer and why
C is correct. Licensing is the state's mechanism for confirming, at intervals, that a driver remains competent and medically fit for the task — and some conditions of...
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Question 18 · Road signs · medium
On a rural two-lane road you come up behind a tractor displaying a fluorescent orange-red triangular emblem on its rear. What does this emblem indicate?
- A The vehicle normally travels at low speed, and you should prepare to pass only when it is safe and legal
- B The vehicle has right of way through the next intersection
- C The vehicle is a police escort travelling under emergency conditions
- D The vehicle is stopped and abandoned, and may be passed on the shoulder
Show the answer and why
A is correct. The fluorescent orange-red triangle is the slow-moving vehicle emblem, fitted to equipment designed to travel under a threshold far below normal road sp...
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Question 19 · Safe driving · medium
On dry level pavement at 55 mph, approximately how much distance does a passenger car need to stop completely?
- A About 200 feet
- B About 300 feet
- C About 100 feet
- D About 600 feet
Show the answer and why
B is correct. Total stopping distance has two parts, and only one of them is braking.
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Question 20 · 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...
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Question 21 · Safe driving · easy
You enter a stretch of dense fog on a rural highway. Which headlight setting is correct, and why?
- A High beams, to project as much light as possible into the fog ahead
- B Hazard lights flashing while driving at normal speed
- C No lights at all, to preserve your night adaptation
- D Low beams, because high beams reflect off the fog droplets and create a wall of glare that reduces your own visibility
Show the answer and why
D is correct. Fog is a cloud of water droplets, and high beams feed it: light hits the droplets and scatters straight back at the driver, producing a glowing white cu...
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Question 22 · Safe driving · hard
A car in the lane to your left is stopped, waiting to make a left turn. The pavement to its right is wide enough for another vehicle. When may you pass it on the right?
- A Never; passing on the right is prohibited in every circumstance
- B Only when the turning vehicle signals you forward with a hand gesture
- C When you can do so safely, staying on the paved roadway and without driving onto the shoulder
- D Only between sunrise and sunset
Show the answer and why
C is correct. Passing on the right is permitted when the vehicle ahead is making or waiting to make a left turn and the pavement to its right is sufficient to pass sa...
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Question 23 · Right-of-way · medium
A pedestrian has stepped into a marked crosswalk at an intersection with no traffic signal. What are you required to do?
- A Sound the horn once and pass behind the pedestrian
- B Slow to 10 mph and proceed carefully around the pedestrian
- C Stop and remain stopped until the pedestrian has cleared your lane and the lane beside it
- D Continue if the pedestrian has not yet reached the centre of the road
Show the answer and why
C is correct. Once a pedestrian has entered a marked crosswalk, the driver must yield, and yielding means stopping rather than squeezing past.
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Question 24 · Licence rules · easy
You hold a valid Colorado driver licence. What is your obligation regarding the physical licence while driving?
- A Nothing; the licence only needs to exist somewhere in your home
- B You must have the licence in your immediate possession when driving and present it to law enforcement on lawful demand
- C You must carry it only when driving outside your home county
- D A photograph of the licence on your phone fully satisfies the requirement
Show the answer and why
B is correct. The licence is both a permission and a document, and the law requires the document itself to be in the driver's immediate possession while driving — in...
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Question 25 · Alcohol and drugs · medium
A driver wants to sober up quickly after drinking. Which of the following actually reduces blood alcohol concentration?
- A Strong black coffee, which counteracts alcohol's effects on the brain
- B A cold shower and vigorous exercise, which accelerate metabolism
- C Fresh air and conversation, which restore judgement faster
- D Nothing but time; the liver processes alcohol at its own fixed rate, unaffected by coffee, showers, exercise or food
Show the answer and why
D is correct. Blood alcohol falls at the rate the liver can metabolise alcohol, and that rate is remarkably fixed from person to person and night to night — no coffee...