DMV Practice Lab · Car practice sample
Washington printable driving practice
20 questions · Choose one answer for each question. Check your choices against the answer key after you finish.
A short sample of car driving questions. Read the handbook to cover the other topics you need.
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Practice questions
1. You borrow a car whose lights and wiper controls differ from yours. When should you learn how those controls work?
- While moving slowly through the first intersection
- Only when darkness or rain makes a control necessary
- While parked, before joining traffic
- After asking a passenger to operate unfamiliar controls
My answer:
2. A new warning indicator appears before a trip, but the car still seems to drive normally. What is the sensible next step?
- Ignore it until the car becomes difficult to control
- Identify the warning using the vehicle instructions and address it appropriately
- Cover the indicator so it does not distract you during the trip
- Assume it is harmless unless the same light appeared in your previous car
My answer:
3. Before departure, you clear a small opening in the windshield but leave frost on the side and rear windows. What is still needed?
- Begin driving and let road speed remove the frost
- Use the small opening because mirrors replace side visibility
- Wait to clear a window until you need to look through it
- Clear the obstructed windows before driving
My answer:
4. An adult passenger has placed the shoulder belt behind their back while leaving the lap belt buckled. Is that the intended use of the belt?
- Yes; the buckle alone provides the intended upper-body protection
- Yes; this is the recommended way to avoid contact with the shoulder
- No; the shoulder portion should lie properly across the shoulder and chest
- No, but placing the shoulder strap under the arm is the correct alternative
My answer:
5. During a strong forward-moving slowdown, where does the vehicle's load tend to shift?
- Toward the rear
- Toward the front
- Only toward the driver's side
- Away from every tire equally
My answer:
6. Before entering a parked car, you notice that children have been playing nearby. What should be part of your departure preparation?
- Assume the area is clear if no child appears in the rearview mirror
- Start moving slowly to encourage anyone nearby to step away
- Check only the side where you enter the car
- Check around the vehicle for children and other obstructions
My answer:
7. An allergy medicine is sold without a prescription. Does that fact alone establish that it cannot impair driving?
- Yes; only prescription medicines can affect driving
- Yes; retail sale means it has no effects on alertness
- No; check its warnings and effects before driving
- No, but its package color tells you whether driving is safe
My answer:
8. Two routes take similar driving time, but only one plan includes realistic rest opportunities. Which preparation better supports a long trip?
- Remove rest stops to make the arrival time more certain
- Allow time for rest and suitable stopping places
- Assume a full fuel tank removes the need for driver breaks
- Plan to stop only after you have already drifted from your lane
My answer:
9. You keep looking at an animated roadside advertisement and miss a change in traffic ahead. What does this show about distraction?
- Distraction occurs only when a driver touches an object
- A roadside display cannot affect a driver with both hands on the wheel
- Looking away is harmless when the vehicle remains in its lane
- Something outside the car can distract you from driving
My answer:
10. Before turning across a bicycle lane, you have checked traffic ahead. What still needs attention?
- Only the width of the street you will enter
- Only the vehicle directly behind in your own lane
- Cyclists who may be beside or behind your vehicle
- Whether the car's turn signal makes cyclists stop
My answer:
11. After a drive, you remember braking abruptly for a hazard you noticed late. What is a useful way to learn from it?
- Dismiss it because no collision occurred
- Review what you missed and how to recognize the situation earlier
- Assume the same approach is safe whenever other drivers react in time
- Repeat the maneuver deliberately in traffic to become used to it
My answer:
12. A proposed freeway merge would force the car already in the lane to brake sharply. What does that indicate?
- The gap is adequate whenever your signal is operating
- The other driver is required to create the entire gap instantly
- Your front bumper entering first makes the maneuver safe
- The gap is not suitable for a smooth, safe merge
My answer:
13. While following a curve at an appropriate speed, a driver makes sudden steering and accelerator changes without any new hazard. Why is that undesirable?
- Jerky movement always gives the tires more grip
- Repeated acceleration removes the effects of the curve
- Abrupt inputs can disturb the vehicle's balance and traction
- Sudden inputs are needed to keep the vehicle stable on every bend
My answer:
14. Vehicle trouble requires a stop, and a safe off-road area is reachable without losing control. Why prefer a place visible to approaching drivers over a spot just beyond a blind curve?
- A hidden location makes warning lights unnecessary
- Approaching drivers have a better chance to notice the stopped vehicle
- Being out of sight prevents other drivers from approaching
- Any location beyond a curve is safer than a visible refuge
My answer:
15. From a safe place, you call for help after a crash but do not know the street address. Which information is most useful?
- Only the address you were driving toward
- A guessed address so the dispatcher has a complete number
- Only the model of your vehicle, without describing the location
- The road, direction and nearby landmarks or mile markers you can identify
My answer:
16. After another person drives your car, you can no longer press the pedals comfortably while sitting upright. What should you do before moving?
- Adjust the seat and controls for safe reach and visibility
- Keep that position and lean forward whenever braking
- Move closer only after testing the brakes in traffic
- Rely on cruise control to reduce the need to reach the pedals
My answer:
17. The pressure molded on a tire differs from the car's recommended cold inflation pressure. Which reference should you use for the car's specified inflation?
- The highest pressure printed anywhere on that tire
- The pressure used by a neighbor with a similar-size car
- The reading that makes the tire look most rounded
- The vehicle's tire-information label or owner instructions
My answer:
18. A hanging decoration blocks part of your view near the windshield, although the glass itself is clean. What is the appropriate correction?
- Leave it because a clean windshield is the only visibility requirement
- Move your head around it only when entering an intersection
- Remove or reposition it so it cannot obstruct the driving view
- Keep it if the blocked area is on the passenger side
My answer:
19. A passenger says the car's airbags make wearing a seat belt unnecessary. Which response is correct?
- Airbags supplement properly worn seat belts; they do not replace them
- An airbag provides the same restraint even before it inflates
- Seat belts matter only in cars without front airbags
- An airbag makes belt fit irrelevant for anyone in the front seat
My answer:
20. A parking reference that worked in your old car gives a different apparent position in a taller vehicle. What is the sound conclusion?
- Every hood and mirror reference marks the same fixed distance
- The old reference remains exact if both vehicles have four doors
- A different seating position cannot change an apparent reference
- Learn the reference points for the vehicle you are actually using
My answer:
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Answer key & explanations
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Washington · 20-question sample · Mark one correct answer for each question.
1. C — While parked, before joining traffic
Learn the borrowed vehicle's controls and consult its owner instructions before driving. Searching for them in traffic divides attention when conditions may already be demanding.
Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; physical PDF page 44; Section 2.4 Know Your Vehicle—Functions. · page 44
2. B — Identify the warning using the vehicle instructions and address it appropriately
Vehicle warnings can identify trouble before obvious handling changes occur. Use the actual car's instructions to understand the warning rather than assuming every indicator has the same urgency or meaning.
Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; physical PDF page 47; Section 2.5 Vehicle Maintenance. · page 47
3. D — Clear the obstructed windows before driving
The guide calls for clearing snow, ice and frost from all windows before departure. A narrow forward opening does not provide the view needed for traffic checks.
Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; physical PDF page 48; Section 2.5 Vehicle Maintenance—Glass Surfaces. · page 48
4. C — No; the shoulder portion should lie properly across the shoulder and chest
The shoulder portion is intended to restrain the upper body across the shoulder and chest. Routing it behind the back or under the arm defeats its intended fit.
Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; physical PDF page 52; Section 2.6 Occupant Protection—Seat Belts. · page 52
5. B — Toward the front
Braking transfers load toward the front, while acceleration tends to transfer load toward the rear. Smooth control helps maintain the vehicle's balance.
Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; physical PDF page 60; Section 2.10 Balanced Weight—Pitch. · page 60
6. D — Check around the vehicle for children and other obstructions
An outside check can reveal people, pets and objects that are difficult to see once seated. Do not rely on a limited mirror view to establish that the area is clear.
Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; physical PDF page 66; Section 2.14 Before You Go. · page 66
7. C — No; check its warnings and effects before driving
Some nonprescription medicines affect attention or reactions. Read the label and ask a pharmacist or clinician about driving precautions.
8. B — Allow time for rest and suitable stopping places
Adequate sleep and planned breaks support alertness. A fuel range or tight schedule does not measure how long a driver can safely stay attentive.
Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; physical PDF page 76; Section 3.1 Impaired Driving—Fatigue and Drowsy Driving, Before a Trip. · page 76
9. D — Something outside the car can distract you from driving
Attention can be diverted by objects outside the vehicle as well as by things in the cabin. Keeping your hands on the wheel alone does not establish attentive driving.
Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; physical PDF page 84; Section 3.4 Avoiding Distracted Driving. · page 84
10. C — Cyclists who may be beside or behind your vehicle
Check mirrors and the relevant blind area for cyclists before crossing their path. A signal communicates intent; it does not establish that the path is clear.
Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; physical PDF page 88; Section 3.5 Smart Drivers—Scan to the Side and Behind. · page 88
11. B — Review what you missed and how to recognize the situation earlier
Reflecting on surprises and abrupt decisions can identify habits to improve. Avoiding a collision once does not establish that the approach was sound.
Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; physical PDF page 91; Section 3.6 Respect and Responsibility—Self-Evaluation. · page 91
12. D — The gap is not suitable for a smooth, safe merge
Choose space that permits merging without forcing abrupt avoidance by others. Signaling does not create a suitable gap.
Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; physical PDF page 160; Section 5.3 Merging. · page 160
13. C — Abrupt inputs can disturb the vehicle's balance and traction
Smooth steering and speed control help maintain balance in a curve. Avoid unnecessary abrupt inputs while remaining prepared to respond to changing conditions.
Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; physical PDF page 168; Section 5.6 Road and Driving Conditions—In the Curve. · page 168
14. B — Approaching drivers have a better chance to notice the stopped vehicle
When you can do so safely, stop away from traffic where approaching drivers can see the vehicle in time.
Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; physical PDF page 173; Section 5.7 Vehicle Failures. · page 173
15. D — The road, direction and nearby landmarks or mile markers you can identify
Give accurate location details and nearby identifiable references, then answer the dispatcher's questions. Do not replace uncertainty with an invented address.
Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; physical PDF page 177; Section 5.9 Collisions—Calling 911. · page 177
16. A — Adjust the seat and controls for safe reach and visibility
Set up the driving position before departure so you can see clearly and operate the pedals comfortably. Another driver's adjustment is not necessarily suitable for you.
Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; physical PDF page 51; Section 2.5 Vehicle Maintenance—Driver's Seat. · page 51
17. D — The vehicle's tire-information label or owner instructions
Use the vehicle manufacturer's specified cold pressure, not the figure on the tire sidewall. The source also notes that front and rear specifications can differ.
18. C — Remove or reposition it so it cannot obstruct the driving view
Objects and decals can obstruct vision even on clean glass. Keep the driver's necessary view clear instead of planning to look around a preventable obstruction.
Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; physical PDF page 48; Section 2.5 Vehicle Maintenance—Glass Surfaces. · page 48
19. A — Airbags supplement properly worn seat belts; they do not replace them
Airbags and belts are designed to work together. The presence of an airbag does not remove the need for correct belt use.
Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; physical PDF page 54; Section 2.6 Occupant Protection—Airbags. · page 54
20. D — Learn the reference points for the vehicle you are actually using
Reference points depend on the vehicle and viewing position. Learn the references for the vehicle you are driving instead of assuming another car's references give the same clearance.
Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; physical PDF page 62; Section 2.11 Vehicle Reference Points. · page 62
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