Washington Driver License: Vehicles, Equipment, Child Seats and Steering

30 questions with the correct answer and an explanation for each. Topic: Vehicles, Equipment, Child Seats and Steering. Free, no account needed.

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1. A person moves to Washington and becomes a new resident. Within how many days must they register their vehicle?

  1. 60 days
  2. 10 days
  3. 30 days
  4. 15 days

Answer: C — 30 days

New residents must register their vehicle within 30 days of moving to Washington.

2. A driver sells their car to a private buyer. Within how many days must they file a Vehicle Report of Sale?

  1. 10 days
  2. 15 days
  3. 30 days
  4. 5 days

Answer: D — 5 days

A Vehicle Report of Sale must be filed within five days of selling, trading, gifting or disposing of a vehicle.

3. A buyer has just purchased a used car from a private seller. Within how many days must they bring the signed title to a licensing office to avoid a penalty?

  1. 15 days
  2. 45 days
  3. 30 days
  4. 5 days

Answer: A — 15 days

Ownership transfers only when the buyer brings the signed title to a licensing office, which must happen within 15 days to avoid penalties.

4. A driver wants to install a decorative frame around their license plate. What is required for it to be legal?

  1. It must be the same color as the vehicle
  2. It must be removable without tools
  3. It may only be installed on the rear plate
  4. It must not cover any letters, numbers or tabs

Answer: D — It must not cover any letters, numbers or tabs

A license plate frame is allowed as long as it does not cover any letters, numbers or tabs.

5. What is the minimum liability insurance coverage required for the bodily injury or death of one person in a collision?

  1. $25,000
  2. $100,000
  3. $10,000
  4. $50,000

Answer: A — $25,000

The required minimum for bodily injury or death of one person is $25,000.

6. What is the minimum liability insurance coverage required for property damage in one collision?

  1. $50,000
  2. $10,000
  3. $5,000
  4. $25,000

Answer: B — $10,000

The required minimum for property damage in one collision is $10,000.

7. A vehicle's lane keeping assistance fails to prevent it from drifting into another lane. Who is responsible for avoiding the crash?

  1. The dealership that sold the vehicle
  2. No one, since the system is automated
  3. The driver, since these systems only assist good habits
  4. The manufacturer of the driver assistance system

Answer: C — The driver, since these systems only assist good habits

Driver assistance systems only assist good habits; the driver remains fully responsible for avoiding a crash.

8. A driver is merging and relies on blind spot detection to catch other vehicles. Which limitation of these systems does the guide warn about?

  1. They stop working above highway speeds
  2. They switch themselves off during a merge
  3. They detect only motorcycles and bicycles
  4. They cannot see a vehicle two lanes over that is also merging

Answer: D — They cannot see a vehicle two lanes over that is also merging

Driver assistance systems cannot see a vehicle two lanes over that is also merging, so the driver must still check.

9. Under what circumstance is it acceptable to turn off a vehicle's driver assistance alerts?

  1. When driving at night
  2. When carrying passengers
  3. When weather makes the alerts a distraction
  4. When driving on unfamiliar roads

Answer: C — When weather makes the alerts a distraction

The alerts should be left on unless weather conditions make them a distraction.

10. A driver is checking their tires before a trip. What is the minimum legal tire tread depth?

  1. 6/32 inch
  2. 2/32 inch
  3. 1/32 inch
  4. 4/32 inch

Answer: B — 2/32 inch

Tire tread must not be less than 2/32 inch.

11. A driver wants to check the correct tire pressure for their vehicle. Where should they look?

  1. The fuel filler door
  2. The Tire and Loading label on the driver's door edge
  3. The owner's manual cover
  4. The tire's sidewall

Answer: B — The Tire and Loading label on the driver's door edge

Correct tire pressure is checked against the Tire and Loading label on the driver's door edge, not the sidewall.

12. By law, headlights must be on starting how long after sunset and until how long before sunrise?

  1. A half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise
  2. Sunset to sunrise
  3. 15 minutes after sunset to 15 minutes before sunrise
  4. One hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise

Answer: A — A half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise

Headlights are legally required from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise.

13. Driving at night with high beams on, an oncoming vehicle approaches. Within how many feet should the driver switch to low beams?

  1. 1,000 feet
  2. 500 feet
  3. 100 feet
  4. 300 feet

Answer: B — 500 feet

High beams must be dimmed within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle.

14. Driving at night with high beams on behind another vehicle going the same direction, within how many feet should the driver switch to low beams?

  1. 300 feet
  2. 600 feet
  3. 500 feet
  4. 100 feet

Answer: A — 300 feet

High beams must be dimmed within 300 feet of a vehicle being followed.

15. A driver extends their left arm straight out from the driver's window. What are they signaling?

  1. Hazard
  2. Left turn
  3. Right turn
  4. Stop

Answer: B — Left turn

An arm extended straight out signals a left turn; pointing down signals stop and bent upward signals right.

16. How should a properly worn shoulder belt cross the body?

  1. Across the neck
  2. Across the middle of the chest and shoulder
  3. Behind the back
  4. Under the arm

Answer: B — Across the middle of the chest and shoulder

The shoulder belt should cross the middle of the chest and shoulder, never behind the back or under the arm.

17. Until what age should a child ride in a rear-facing seat?

  1. Age 2
  2. Age 8
  3. Age 4
  4. Age 1

Answer: A — Age 2

Children should ride rear-facing from birth to age 2.

18. What is the guidance for children riding in the front seat of a vehicle?

  1. Children under 13 should never ride in the front seat
  2. There is no age restriction as long as a belt is worn
  3. Children under 4 feet 9 inches should never ride in the front seat
  4. Children under 8 should never ride in the front seat

Answer: A — Children under 13 should never ride in the front seat

Children under 13 should never ride in the front seat.

19. A child has outgrown their harness seat at age 4. What should they use next?

  1. No restraint is needed anymore
  2. A car seat or booster until the belt fits properly
  3. An adult seat belt with no seat
  4. A rear-facing seat again

Answer: B — A car seat or booster until the belt fits properly

From age 4, a child should use a car seat or booster until a seat belt fits properly, typically between ages 8 and 12 and at 4 feet 9 inches.

20. What is the recommended default hand position on the steering wheel?

  1. 12 and 6
  2. 10 and 2
  3. 9 and 3
  4. 8 and 4

Answer: C — 9 and 3

The recommended hand position is 9 and 3, on the top half of the wheel.

21. Which steering technique is best suited for parking, low-speed turns and skid recovery?

  1. Hand-over-hand steering
  2. One-hand steering
  3. Twelve o'clock steering
  4. Hand-to-hand (push/pull) steering

Answer: A — Hand-over-hand steering

Hand-over-hand steering suits low-speed turns, limited visibility, intersections, parking and skid recovery.

22. When is the 12 o'clock hand position on the steering wheel recommended?

  1. When driving on the highway
  2. When parking parallel
  3. Only when backing up
  4. During hand-to-hand turns

Answer: C — Only when backing up

The 12 o'clock position is recommended only when backing, with the body turned to see behind.

23. What does ABS (anti-lock braking system) actually do during an emergency stop?

  1. Increases brake fluid pressure to stop faster
  2. Shortens the stopping distance
  3. Lets the driver keep steering while the pedal shakes
  4. Automatically applies the parking brake

Answer: C — Lets the driver keep steering while the pedal shakes

ABS does not shorten stopping distance but lets the driver keep steering during an emergency stop, and the pedal shakes when it engages.

24. During a left turn, a vehicle leans and its weight shifts toward the outside of the turn. What is this side-to-side lean called?

  1. Yaw
  2. Roll
  3. Drift
  4. Pitch

Answer: B — Roll

Roll is the side-to-side lean in a turn; a left turn loads the right side.

25. Braking hard causes a vehicle's weight to shift toward the front. What is this front-to-back weight shift called?

  1. Sway
  2. Yaw
  3. Pitch
  4. Roll

Answer: C — Pitch

Pitch is the front-to-back weight shift: rearward when accelerating, forward when braking hard.

26. A driver stops and notices the stop line appears to be directly under their side mirror. About how far is the vehicle from the stop line?

  1. 1 to 2 inches
  2. 3 to 6 inches
  3. 1 foot
  4. 1 to 2 feet

Answer: B — 3 to 6 inches

When the stop line lines up under the side mirror, the vehicle is about 3 to 6 inches from it.

27. What is a blind zone?

  1. The area covered by the rearview mirror
  2. The area directly in front of the vehicle's hood
  3. An area not visible from the driver's seat that can hide a whole vehicle, motorcycle or bicycle
  4. The area behind the vehicle visible only in mirrors

Answer: C — An area not visible from the driver's seat that can hide a whole vehicle, motorcycle or bicycle

Blind zones are areas not visible from the driver's seat that can hide a whole vehicle, motorcycle or bicycle.

28. Driving near a large truck, a driver cannot see the truck's side mirrors. What does this indicate?

  1. Nothing; mirror visibility does not matter
  2. The driver is following too closely
  3. The truck's mirrors are broken
  4. The truck driver cannot see the driver's vehicle either

Answer: D — The truck driver cannot see the driver's vehicle either

If you cannot see a large vehicle's mirrors, its driver cannot see you.

29. Another vehicle is driving alongside in a spot where its driver cannot see the vehicle from their mirrors. What should the driver do?

  1. Maintain that exact position
  2. Sound the horn to alert the other driver
  3. Move closer to the vehicle for better visibility
  4. Speed up or slow down to get out of the blind zone

Answer: D — Speed up or slow down to get out of the blind zone

Drivers should stay out of other vehicles' blind zones by speeding up or slowing down.

30. Which of the following should be checked outside the vehicle before starting to drive?

  1. Warning lights and clear windows
  2. Objects in the tires, glass, leaks, children, pets and weather obstacles
  3. Fuel level and tire brand
  4. Mirror and seat adjustments

Answer: B — Objects in the tires, glass, leaks, children, pets and weather obstacles

The outside check covers objects in the tires, glass, leaks, children, pets and weather obstacles.

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