Card 1 · Instruction permits
A first-time car applicant is 15 years and four months old. What minimum age must the applicant reach before applying for a Hawaii instruction permit?
- 16 years.
- 15 years and three months.
- 15 years and six months.
- 17 years.
Show answer for card 1
Correct answer: 15 years and six months.
The statewide minimum instruction-permit age is 15 years and six months. The applicant must also satisfy the other eligibility and examination requirements.
Source: Current Hawaii Revised Statutes — §286-110(a) ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 2 · Instruction permits
An adult holds a car instruction permit. Which accompanying person satisfies the ordinary supervision requirement?
- A person at least 21, licensed for that vehicle category, sitting beside the permit holder.
- A licensed 19-year-old sitting beside the permit holder.
- A qualified adult following in another car.
- A person at least 21 who holds only a motorcycle license.
Show answer for card 2
Correct answer: A person at least 21, licensed for that vehicle category, sitting beside the permit holder.
A car permit does not authorize solo driving merely because the learner is an adult. The qualified licensed supervisor must occupy the passenger seat beside the learner.
Source: Current Hawaii Revised Statutes — §286-110(e) ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 3 · Instruction permits
A non-emancipated 16-year-old permit holder plans to drive at midnight. Who must occupy the seat beside the driver?
- Any licensed friend who is at least 21.
- Any family member who holds an instruction permit.
- No supervisor if the trip is directly home.
- A parent or guardian licensed for the same vehicle category.
Show answer for card 3
Correct answer: A parent or guardian licensed for the same vehicle category.
Between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., a minor car permit holder must have the licensed parent or guardian beside them. The ordinary daytime adult-supervisor rule is not enough.
Source: Current Hawaii Revised Statutes — §286-110(e)(1)–(3) ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 4 · Provisional licenses
A teen has just turned 16 but has held an instruction permit for only 90 days. What prevents an immediate provisional license?
- A provisional license cannot be issued before age 18.
- The permit must have been held for at least 180 days.
- The teen must hold a permit for two full years.
- Turning 16 automatically removes the permit-holding requirement.
Show answer for card 4
Correct answer: The permit must have been held for at least 180 days.
A provisional applicant must be at least 16 and under 18 and have held the permit for at least 180 days, with the other requirements satisfied.
Source: Current Hawaii Revised Statutes — §286-102.6(a) ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 5 · Test preparation
Before an applicant under 18 can be examined for a provisional license, what training proof is required?
- A parent's statement that the applicant has driven often.
- Completion of certified driver education and behind-the-wheel training.
- A passing score on a commercial practice website alone.
- Enrollment in a future course, without completing it.
Show answer for card 5
Correct answer: Completion of certified driver education and behind-the-wheel training.
The examiner must require proof of the certified driver education program and behind-the-wheel course. Informal practice does not replace those certificates.
Source: Current Hawaii Revised Statutes — §286-108(b) ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 6 · Provisional licenses
A provisional driver wants to carry two unrelated 17-year-old friends who are not household members or household members' foster or hanai children. What is required?
- No adult is needed if both friends sit in back.
- Any licensed 18-year-old friend may supervise instead.
- The restriction ends after the first month of the provisional license.
- A licensed parent or guardian must accompany and supervise the driver.
Show answer for card 6
Correct answer: A licensed parent or guardian must accompany and supervise the driver.
Without the licensed parent or guardian, the ordinary limit is one passenger under 18 outside the listed household-related exceptions.
Source: Current Hawaii Revised Statutes — §286-102.6(b)(3) ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 7 · Provisional licenses
A provisional driver must drive home from work after 11 p.m. without a parent. What documentation supports the work exception?
- A signed employer statement verifying employment and work hours, with the employer's contact details.
- Only the driver's verbal explanation that the trip is work-related.
- A note from a friend who works at a different business.
- Any school identification card, regardless of the trip's purpose.
Show answer for card 7
Correct answer: A signed employer statement verifying employment and work hours, with the employer's contact details.
Necessary work travel is a limited nighttime exception. The driver must carry the employer's signed statement with name, address, telephone number and verification of employment and hours.
Source: Current Hawaii Revised Statutes — §286-102.6(c)(1) ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 8 · Provisional licenses
A 17-year-old has satisfactorily held a provisional license for six months, has no pending suspension or revocation proceeding and meets all other requirements. What may the driver apply for?
- Only another six-month instruction permit.
- A regular license only after turning 21.
- A regular driver's license.
- A regular license only after two years on the provisional license.
Show answer for card 8
Correct answer: A regular driver's license.
For a driver still under 18, eligibility includes being at least 17, satisfactorily holding the provisional license for six months, no disqualifying pending proceeding and compliance with the other requirements.
Source: Current Hawaii Revised Statutes — §286-102.6(f) ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 9 · Test preparation
You arrive for the car road test in a vehicle with defective brakes. Its registration and insurance are current. What should happen?
- Take the test because current paperwork substitutes for mechanical condition.
- Take the test if you promise to drive below 20 mph.
- Correct the safety defect before taking the test.
- Take the test because the examiner's vehicle-safety check is only advisory.
Show answer for card 9
Correct answer: Correct the safety defect before taking the test.
The test vehicle must be safe and have current registration, safety inspection and insurance identification. Safety defects must be corrected before testing.
Source: Hawaii Driver's Manual, HMG 5/2023, current HDOT-linked PDF; printed/PDF p. 15 — Driver Performance Test · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 10 · Licensing
Your Hawaii license expired yesterday. Does the period allowed for renewal give you permission to keep driving?
- No; an expired license is not valid driving authority.
- Yes, for 30 days after expiration.
- Yes, while any renewal appointment is pending.
- Yes, if the vehicle registration has not expired.
Show answer for card 10
Correct answer: No; an expired license is not valid driving authority.
A Hawaii license is void once its expiration date passes, and there is no grace period for driving. Renew first; until the new license is issued you are not licensed to drive.
Source: Hawaii Driver's Manual, HMG 5/2023, current HDOT-linked PDF; printed/PDF p. 15 — License Renewal · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 11 · Licensing
You change your residence address. What does the handbook direct you to do about your Hawaii driver's license record?
- Wait until the license expires.
- Notify only your insurance company.
- Report the change only if you move to another island.
- Notify the county examiner of drivers in writing within 30 days.
Show answer for card 11
Correct answer: Notify the county examiner of drivers in writing within 30 days.
Give the county examiner the old and new addresses, your name and driver's license number within 30 days. REAL ID address evidence is a separate documentation requirement.
Source: Hawaii Driver's Manual, HMG 5/2023, current HDOT-linked PDF; printed/PDF p. 16 — Change of Address or Name on Driver's License · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 12 · License restrictions
Your license requires corrective lenses. You are making a short daytime drive. What must you do?
- Wear them only when driving after dark.
- Wear the required corrective lenses.
- Ignore the restriction if you know the route.
- Use them only for the next license examination.
Show answer for card 12
Correct answer: Wear the required corrective lenses.
A corrective-lens restriction applies while driving; a short or familiar trip does not remove it.
Source: Hawaii Driver's Manual, HMG 5/2023, current HDOT-linked PDF; printed/PDF p. 16 — Restricted License — code B · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 13 · Licensing
You are planning a Class 3 test after moving to a different Hawaii county. Where should you confirm the applicable appointments and test-document procedures?
- Assume every county accepts every other county's online test certificate.
- With the driver licensing agency for that county.
- Use another county's appointment confirmation at any office.
- Treat a practice-site completion certificate as statewide test approval.
Show answer for card 13
Correct answer: With the driver licensing agency for that county.
Hawaii driver licensing is administered by county agencies. Confirm the relevant county's procedures instead of assuming that test certificates or appointments transfer statewide.
Source: HDOT, Hawaii State Driver's License Program — county driver licensing contacts; read September 29, 2026 ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 14 · Distracted driving
You are stopped at a red light with the engine running. May you hold your phone to read a routine message?
- Yes, because the wheels are not moving.
- Yes, if you hold the phone below the steering wheel.
- Yes, until the light turns green.
- No; the prohibition also applies while temporarily stopped for traffic.
Show answer for card 14
Correct answer: No; the prohibition also applies while temporarily stopped for traffic.
Operating includes temporary stops at a signal or in traffic. The roadside exception requires a complete stop, engine off and a safe location out of traffic.
Source: Current Hawaii Revised Statutes — §291C-137(a), (d)(4), (e) ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 15 · Distracted driving
A 17-year-old driver wants to make an ordinary hands-free phone call while driving. What does Hawaii law require?
- Do not make the call while operating the vehicle.
- Use hands-free mode and keep the call short.
- Have a passenger dial, then continue hands-free.
- Wait until the car is stopped at a traffic light.
Show answer for card 15
Correct answer: Do not make the call while operating the vehicle.
Drivers under 18 may not use even a hands-free mobile electronic device while operating. The statutory exception is solely for a 911 emergency communication.
Source: Current Hawaii Revised Statutes — §291C-137(c) ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 16 · Child safety
An adult plans to leave an 8-year-old in a parked car with a 11-year-old for ten minutes. How does Hawaii's unattended-child rule apply?
- It is allowed because another child is in the vehicle.
- It is allowed whenever a window is partly open.
- This is prohibited; the 8-year-old is considered unattended with a child under 12.
- It is prohibited only after 30 minutes.
Show answer for card 16
Correct answer: This is prohibited; the 8-year-old is considered unattended with a child under 12.
The law covers children under nine left for five minutes or longer. A companion under 12 does not prevent the child from being considered unattended. Never treat a shorter period as a safe childcare plan.
Source: Current Hawaii Revised Statutes — §291C-121.5(a), (d) ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 17 · DUI
For an ordinary adult car driver, what blood alcohol concentration itself meets Hawaii's alcohol-concentration offense threshold?
- 0.10% or higher.
- 0.15% or higher.
- 0.08% or higher.
- 0.20% or higher.
Show answer for card 17
Correct answer: 0.08% or higher.
A blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or more is an offense threshold. It is not a safe-drinking target: impairment can make driving unlawful below it.
Source: Current Hawaii Revised Statutes — §291E-61(a)(3)–(4) ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 18 · DUI
A 20-year-old drives with a measured BAC of 0.03% and says the adult 0.08% threshold makes it legal. Is that correct?
- No; the under-21 rule prohibits this measurable amount of alcohol.
- Yes, unless the driver caused a crash.
- Yes, if the driver holds a full license rather than a permit.
- Yes, if the alcohol was consumed with a meal.
Show answer for card 18
Correct answer: No; the under-21 rule prohibits this measurable amount of alcohol.
For the under-21 offense, a measurable amount starts at 0.02% and is below 0.08%. Higher concentrations can implicate the separate impaired-driving offense.
Source: Current Hawaii Revised Statutes — §291E-1 — measurable amount of alcohol; §291E-64(a) under-21 prohibition ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 19 · Alcohol and drugs
A medicine significantly impairs your ability to drive carefully, but you have consumed no alcohol. What is the correct decision?
- Drive because the law applies only to alcoholic beverages.
- Drive if the medicine was lawfully prescribed.
- Drive as long as your BAC is below 0.08%.
- Do not drive; drug impairment can violate the impaired-driving law.
Show answer for card 19
Correct answer: Do not drive; drug impairment can violate the impaired-driving law.
The law separately prohibits operating under a drug that impairs careful and prudent driving. A prescription or zero BAC does not make impaired driving safe or lawful.
Source: Current Hawaii Revised Statutes — §291E-61(a)(1)–(2) ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 20 · Alcohol
After drinking, a driver takes a cold shower and drinks coffee. What has this accomplished for the alcohol already in the blood?
- It has reduced the alcohol level enough for a short trip.
- It has not removed the alcohol or made the driver sober.
- It has cancelled the alcohol's effects if the driver feels awake.
- It has made additional drinking safe before driving.
Show answer for card 20
Correct answer: It has not removed the alcohol or made the driver sober.
Coffee or a cold shower may make someone feel more awake but do not sober the person. The body needs time to eliminate alcohol; arrange a sober ride.
Source: Hawaii Driver's Manual, HMG 5/2023, current HDOT-linked PDF; printed/PDF p. 55 — Alcohol — elimination from the body · Original question review: 2026-09-29
