Georgia Driver License: Safe Driving, Weather and Expressways

28 questions with the correct answer and an explanation for each. Topic: Safe Driving, Weather and Expressways. Free, no account needed.

1. A driver checks a tire's tread by placing a penny into the shallowest groove with Lincoln's head down, and part of the head is covered by the tread. What does this indicate?

The tread is legal and safe
The tread has worn to the dangerous limit
The tire is due for rotation
The tire pressure is too low

Answer: A — The tread is legal and safe

Covering any part of Lincoln's head means the groove is still deep enough to be legal and safe.

2. Before a long trip, a driver wants to set correct tire pressure with a gauge. Where is the recommended psi for the vehicle listed?

The door jamb
The rear bumper sticker
The tire sidewall
The dashboard warning light

Answer: A — The door jamb

Recommended pressure is checked against the psi listed on the door jamb, not the tire sidewall.

3. A car's manufacturer recommends a lower steering-wheel hand position to work safely with the air bag. Which position is that?

8 and 4 o'clock
9 and 3 o'clock
7 and 5 o'clock
10 and 2 o'clock

Answer: A — 8 and 4 o'clock

8 and 4 o'clock is the lower hand position used when the manufacturer recommends it for air-bag safety.

4. Driving through fog, a driver finds it hard to judge the distance to an oncoming car's lights. Which headlight setting should be used?

Hazard lights
Parking lights
High beams, for maximum visibility
Low beams

Answer: D — Low beams

Low beams should be used in fog because high beams glare back at the driver.

5. A car's tires begin riding up on standing water at highway speed and steering feels loose. What should the driver do?

Ease off the accelerator and let the car slow
Turn the wheel sharply to break the water's grip
Accelerate to push through the water layer
Brake hard to force the tires back down

Answer: A — Ease off the accelerator and let the car slow

Easing off the accelerator lets the car slow on its own until the tires regain contact.

6. At what speed can a car's tires lose all contact with a wet road, leaving no grip to brake, steer or accelerate?

55 mph
65 mph
35 mph
45 mph

Answer: A — 55 mph

Complete loss of contact can occur at 55 mph, beyond the 35 mph point where partial hydroplaning can begin.

7. Hard braking on a slick road causes a car's tires to lose grip and the car begins to skid. What is the correct response?

Brake hard and steer away from the skid
Ease off the accelerator and steer in the direction of the skid
Accelerate to regain traction
Turn off the engine immediately

Answer: B — Ease off the accelerator and steer in the direction of the skid

Easing off the gas and steering into the skid is the correct way to regain control before braking lightly.

8. A driver realizes they entered a curve faster than the advisory speed sign suggested. What should they do?

Accelerate slightly to stabilize the car
Turn the wheel sharply toward the inside of the curve
Brake hard to slow down immediately
Ease off the gas, brake carefully, and keep steering through the lane

Answer: D — Ease off the gas, brake carefully, and keep steering through the lane

Hard braking in a curve can cause a skid, so the driver should ease off the gas, brake carefully, and keep steering through the lane.

9. A car's right wheels drop off the edge of the pavement onto the shoulder. What should the driver do?

Brake hard to stop as quickly as possible
Accelerate to climb back onto the pavement
Jerk the wheel back onto the pavement right away
Ease off the gas, grip the wheel firmly, and avoid jerking it back onto the pavement

Answer: D — Ease off the gas, grip the wheel firmly, and avoid jerking it back onto the pavement

Jerking the wheel back onto the pavement can overcorrect and cause a skid or flip, so the driver should ease off the gas and grip the wheel firmly instead.

10. A tire suddenly blows out while a car is driving at speed. What is the correct response?

Brake hard immediately to stop
Apply the brakes lightly, grip the wheel firmly, and let the car roll down before moving to the shoulder
Steer quickly onto the shoulder
Accelerate briefly to maintain control

Answer: B — Apply the brakes lightly, grip the wheel firmly, and let the car roll down before moving to the shoulder

Light braking and letting the car roll down keeps control; moving to the shoulder should wait until the car has slowed greatly.

11. Before driving after a snowfall, how much of a vehicle's windows should be cleared of snow and ice?

The windshield and side mirrors only
Only the windows on the driver's side
Just the windshield
All of them

Answer: D — All of them

Every window needs to be cleared, not just the windshield or driver's side.

12. Roads are icy, and a driver wants to gauge how much traction is available before reaching the next intersection. What should they do?

Accelerate quickly, then brake hard to test the tires
Brake hard once to test the grip
Turn the wheel sharply back and forth
Test the brakes gently and make slight steering inputs

Answer: D — Test the brakes gently and make slight steering inputs

Gentle brake tests and slight steering inputs let a driver feel out the road without risking a skid.

13. A driver sitting in a parked car with the engine running and windows closed suddenly feels weary, yawns repeatedly, and grows dizzy and nauseous. What is a likely cause?

Carbon monoxide exposure
Ground-level ozone from vehicle emissions
The effects of a stimulant "stay awake" drug
Highway hypnosis

Answer: A — Carbon monoxide exposure

Sudden weariness, yawning, dizziness and nausea are signs of carbon monoxide poisoning, a risk of running an engine in an enclosed space.

14. A car's ignition key is turned to the lock position while the car is still moving. What happens?

The brakes lock up
The steering locks and becomes disabled
The headlights shut off automatically
The engine shuts off but steering stays normal

Answer: B — The steering locks and becomes disabled

The anti-theft steering lock disables steering if the key is turned to lock while the car is moving.

15. Using the two-second following-distance rule, a driver reaches the fixed point the car ahead just passed before finishing counting "one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two." What does this indicate?

The driver's speed is too slow
The following distance is ideal
The following distance is only a concern at night
The driver is following too closely

Answer: D — The driver is following too closely

Reaching the fixed point before finishing the two-second count means the following distance is too short.

16. A car strikes a fixed object at 60 mph. The force of that impact compares to a fall from which height?

A four-story building
A nine-story building
A one-story building
A twenty-story building

Answer: B — A nine-story building

A 60 mph impact with a fixed object is compared to a fall from a nine-story building.

17. A driver enters an expressway from an on-ramp and reaches the lane running alongside the roadway before the merge point. What should they do there?

Slow down below the ramp's speed
Stop and wait for a gap in traffic
Merge immediately at the ramp's speed
Match the expressway's speed before merging

Answer: D — Match the expressway's speed before merging

The acceleration lane exists so a driver can match expressway speed before merging when safe.

18. A car is merging from an acceleration lane onto an expressway. Which traffic has the right-of-way?

The merging vehicle
The expressway traffic already on the road
Whichever vehicle signals first
Whichever vehicle is larger

Answer: B — The expressway traffic already on the road

Traffic already on the expressway has the right-of-way over a merging vehicle.

19. A driver merging onto an expressway sees a triangular area bordered by solid white lines between the acceleration lane and the travel lane. What must they do?

Cross it quickly to merge sooner
Use it as a passing lane
Straddle it while looking for a gap
Stay in the acceleration lane and not cross it

Answer: D — Stay in the acceleration lane and not cross it

That triangular area is the gore, and entering drivers must stay in the acceleration lane and not cross it until the solid line ends.

20. On a divided expressway, which side of the median should a driver keep to, unless directed otherwise?

Whichever side has less traffic
Right of the median
Left of the median
Directly along the median

Answer: B — Right of the median

Drivers keep right of the median on divided highways unless otherwise directed.

21. A driver is alone in a vehicle, with no other occupants, and wants to use a lane marked with a diamond symbol during its posted hours. Is this allowed?

No, unless the vehicle is a bus, motorcycle, or alternative-fuel-plate vehicle
No, HOV lanes are for buses only
Yes, as long as the driver has a valid license
Yes, any vehicle may use it at any time

Answer: A — No, unless the vehicle is a bus, motorcycle, or alternative-fuel-plate vehicle

HOV lanes require more than one occupant during posted hours, with exceptions only for buses, motorcycles and alternative-fuel-plate vehicles.

22. A driver is caught improperly using an HOV lane for the second time. Up to what amount is the fine?

$100
$150 plus one point
$150
$75

Answer: A — $100

The fine schedule rises from $75 for a first offense to $100 for a second offense.

23. A carpool of three people wants to use the I-85 Express Lanes for free. Are they eligible?

No, only registered transit vehicles ride free
Yes, but only during off-peak hours
No, only motorcycles ride free
Yes, carpools of three or more ride free

Answer: D — Yes, carpools of three or more ride free

The I-85 Express Lanes are free to carpools of three or more, along with registered transit, motorcycles, emergency vehicles and alternative-fuel vehicles.

24. A car breaks down on the expressway. What should the driver do?

Back up carefully to the last exit
Avoid stopping unless necessary; if forced to stop, raise the hood, turn on the hazards, and avoid walking along the road
Pull over and switch drivers if tired
Stop briefly to stretch before continuing

Answer: B — Avoid stopping unless necessary; if forced to stop, raise the hood, turn on the hazards, and avoid walking along the road

Stopping on the expressway should be avoided except in a real emergency, and if it happens the driver should raise the hood, use hazards, and not walk along the road.

25. An accelerator pedal sticks to the floor while a car is moving. What is the correct response?

Pump the accelerator repeatedly
Slap the pedal with your foot, shift to neutral, and use the brakes
Turn the ignition to lock immediately
Shift into park while moving

Answer: B — Slap the pedal with your foot, shift to neutral, and use the brakes

Slapping the pedal, shifting to neutral and braking regains control without locking the steering by turning the key to lock.

26. After driving through deep water, a driver notices the brakes feel weak and may pull to one side. How should the brakes be dried out?

Drive slowly in low gear with light brake pressure
Apply the parking brake and coast to a stop
Drive at highway speed to dry them with airflow
Pump the brakes hard repeatedly while stopped

Answer: A — Drive slowly in low gear with light brake pressure

Wet brakes are dried by driving slowly in low gear while applying light brake pressure.

27. A gasoline-powered light truck is 20 model years old and registered in the thirteen-county metro Atlanta area. Must it pass an annual emissions inspection before registration?

Yes, but only if registered in Fulton County alone
Yes, because it is under 25 model years old
No, because it is over 20 model years old
No, because light trucks are exempt

Answer: B — Yes, because it is under 25 model years old

Gasoline cars and light trucks under 25 model years old must pass the annual inspection, and a 20-year-old truck falls within that range.

28. A driver expects to wait at a stop for about a minute. Is idling the engine or turning it off and restarting more fuel-efficient?

It makes no difference either way
Turning it off, since idling ten seconds burns more fuel than restarting
Idling is always more efficient than restarting
Idling is more efficient only if the wait is under five minutes

Answer: B — Turning it off, since idling ten seconds burns more fuel than restarting

Idling for as little as ten seconds burns more fuel than shutting off and restarting the engine.