Washington permit-test flashcards

Card 1 · Vehicle familiarization

You borrow a car whose lights and wiper controls differ from yours. When should you learn how those controls work?

1. While moving slowly through the first intersection
2. Only when darkness or rain makes a control necessary
3. While parked, before joining traffic
4. After asking a passenger to operate unfamiliar controls

Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 2.4 Know Your Vehicle—Functions. · Original question review: 2026-09-13

Card 2 · Vehicle warnings

A new warning indicator appears before a trip, but the car still seems to drive normally. What is the sensible next step?

1. Ignore it until the car becomes difficult to control
2. Identify the warning using the vehicle instructions and address it appropriately
3. Cover the indicator so it does not distract you during the trip
4. Assume it is harmless unless the same light appeared in your previous car

Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 2.5 Vehicle Maintenance. · Original question review: 2026-09-13

Card 3 · Winter visibility

Before departure, you clear a small opening in the windshield but leave frost on the side and rear windows. What is still needed?

1. Begin driving and let road speed remove the frost
2. Use the small opening because mirrors replace side visibility
3. Wait to clear a window until you need to look through it
4. Clear the obstructed windows before driving

Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 2.5 Vehicle Maintenance—Glass Surfaces. · Original question review: 2026-09-13

Card 4 · Shoulder-belt position

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?

1. Yes; the buckle alone provides the intended upper-body protection
2. Yes; this is the recommended way to avoid contact with the shoulder
3. No; the shoulder portion should lie properly across the shoulder and chest
4. No, but placing the shoulder strap under the arm is the correct alternative

Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 2.6 Occupant Protection—Seat Belts. · Original question review: 2026-09-13

Card 5 · Braking and weight transfer

During a strong forward-moving slowdown, where does the vehicle's load tend to shift?

1. Toward the rear
2. Toward the front
3. Only toward the driver's side
4. Away from every tire equally

Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 2.10 Balanced Weight—Pitch. · Original question review: 2026-09-13

Card 6 · Outside departure check

Before entering a parked car, you notice that children have been playing nearby. What should be part of your departure preparation?

1. Assume the area is clear if no child appears in the rearview mirror
2. Start moving slowly to encourage anyone nearby to step away
3. Check only the side where you enter the car
4. Check around the vehicle for children and other obstructions

Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 2.14 Before You Go. · Original question review: 2026-09-13

Card 7 · Nonprescription medicine warnings

An allergy medicine is sold without a prescription. Does that fact alone establish that it cannot impair driving?

1. Yes; only prescription medicines can affect driving
2. Yes; retail sale means it has no effects on alertness
3. No; check its warnings and effects before driving
4. No, but its package color tells you whether driving is safe

Source: FDA, Medicines That Might Affect Driving; How to Avoid Impaired Driving; full current reader body read September 13, 2026. Handbook context: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 3.1 Impaired Driving—Medications and Driving. https://dol.wa.gov/media/pdf/4745/driver-guidepdf#page=74 · Original question review: 2026-09-13

Card 8 · Planning for alertness

Two routes take similar driving time, but only one plan includes realistic rest opportunities. Which preparation better supports a long trip?

1. Remove rest stops to make the arrival time more certain
2. Allow time for rest and suitable stopping places
3. Assume a full fuel tank removes the need for driver breaks
4. Plan to stop only after you have already drifted from your lane

Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 3.1 Impaired Driving—Fatigue and Drowsy Driving, Before a Trip. · Original question review: 2026-09-13

Card 9 · Distractions outside the car

You keep looking at an animated roadside advertisement and miss a change in traffic ahead. What does this show about distraction?

1. Distraction occurs only when a driver touches an object
2. A roadside display cannot affect a driver with both hands on the wheel
3. Looking away is harmless when the vehicle remains in its lane
4. Something outside the car can distract you from driving

Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 3.4 Avoiding Distracted Driving. · Original question review: 2026-09-13

Card 10 · Checking beside a turn

Before turning across a bicycle lane, you have checked traffic ahead. What still needs attention?

1. Only the width of the street you will enter
2. Only the vehicle directly behind in your own lane
3. Cyclists who may be beside or behind your vehicle
4. Whether the car's turn signal makes cyclists stop

Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 3.5 Smart Drivers—Scan to the Side and Behind. · Original question review: 2026-09-13

Card 11 · Learning after a drive

After a drive, you remember braking abruptly for a hazard you noticed late. What is a useful way to learn from it?

1. Dismiss it because no collision occurred
2. Review what you missed and how to recognize the situation earlier
3. Assume the same approach is safe whenever other drivers react in time
4. Repeat the maneuver deliberately in traffic to become used to it

Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 3.6 Respect and Responsibility—Self-Evaluation. · Original question review: 2026-09-13

Card 12 · Selecting a merge gap

A proposed freeway merge would force the car already in the lane to brake sharply. What does that indicate?

1. The gap is adequate whenever your signal is operating
2. The other driver is required to create the entire gap instantly
3. Your front bumper entering first makes the maneuver safe
4. The gap is not suitable for a smooth, safe merge

Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 5.3 Merging. · Original question review: 2026-09-13

Card 13 · Smooth control through a curve

While following a curve at an appropriate speed, a driver makes sudden steering and accelerator changes without any new hazard. Why is that undesirable?

1. Jerky movement always gives the tires more grip
2. Repeated acceleration removes the effects of the curve
3. Abrupt inputs can disturb the vehicle's balance and traction
4. Sudden inputs are needed to keep the vehicle stable on every bend

Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 5.6 Road and Driving Conditions—In the Curve. · Original question review: 2026-09-13

Card 14 · A visible breakdown location

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?

1. A hidden location makes warning lights unnecessary
2. Approaching drivers have a better chance to notice the stopped vehicle
3. Being out of sight prevents other drivers from approaching
4. Any location beyond a curve is safer than a visible refuge

Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 5.7 Vehicle Failures. · Original question review: 2026-09-13

Card 15 · Helping responders locate a crash

From a safe place, you call for help after a crash but do not know the street address. Which information is most useful?

1. Only the address you were driving toward
2. A guessed address so the dispatcher has a complete number
3. Only the model of your vehicle, without describing the location
4. The road, direction and nearby landmarks or mile markers you can identify

Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 5.9 Collisions—Calling 911. · Original question review: 2026-09-13

Card 16 · Driving position

After another person drives your car, you can no longer press the pedals comfortably while sitting upright. What should you do before moving?

1. Adjust the seat and controls for safe reach and visibility
2. Keep that position and lean forward whenever braking
3. Move closer only after testing the brakes in traffic
4. Rely on cruise control to reduce the need to reach the pedals

Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 2.5 Vehicle Maintenance—Driver's Seat. · Original question review: 2026-09-13

Card 17 · Recommended tire pressure

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?

1. The highest pressure printed anywhere on that tire
2. The pressure used by a neighbor with a similar-size car
3. The reading that makes the tire look most rounded
4. The vehicle's tire-information label or owner instructions

Source: NHTSA, Maintenance—Tire Pressure; Maintaining Proper Tire Pressure; full current reader body read September 13, 2026. Handbook context: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 2.5 Vehicle Maintenance—Tire Pressure. https://dol.wa.gov/media/pdf/4745/driver-guidepdf#page=48 · Original question review: 2026-09-13

Card 18 · Unobstructed view

A hanging decoration blocks part of your view near the windshield, although the glass itself is clean. What is the appropriate correction?

1. Leave it because a clean windshield is the only visibility requirement
2. Move your head around it only when entering an intersection
3. Remove or reposition it so it cannot obstruct the driving view
4. Keep it if the blocked area is on the passenger side

Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 2.5 Vehicle Maintenance—Glass Surfaces. · Original question review: 2026-09-13

Card 19 · Airbags and seat belts

A passenger says the car's airbags make wearing a seat belt unnecessary. Which response is correct?

1. Airbags supplement properly worn seat belts; they do not replace them
2. An airbag provides the same restraint even before it inflates
3. Seat belts matter only in cars without front airbags
4. An airbag makes belt fit irrelevant for anyone in the front seat

Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 2.6 Occupant Protection—Airbags. · Original question review: 2026-09-13

Card 20 · Vehicle-specific reference points

A parking reference that worked in your old car gives a different apparent position in a taller vehicle. What is the sound conclusion?

1. Every hood and mirror reference marks the same fixed distance
2. The old reference remains exact if both vehicles have four doors
3. A different seating position cannot change an apparent reference
4. Learn the reference points for the vehicle you are actually using

Source: Washington Driver Guide, 520-400 (R/4/25) English; Section 2.11 Vehicle Reference Points. · Original question review: 2026-09-13