Alabama ALEA Permit Practice Test 32
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. The steering suddenly becomes very heavy while you are driving. What has happened and what should you do?
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Answer C: The power steering has failed, so steer with more effort and pull over
Loss of power assistance leaves the steering usable but very heavy. Keep both hands on the wheel, slow gradually and pull off the road to check it.
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2. How do extra passengers affect a driver, especially a new one?
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Answer A: They increase the chance of distraction and of crashes
Conversation, laughter and horseplay pull a driver's attention away from the road. Crash risk for young drivers rises with each additional passenger.
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3. Traffic safety experts describe three kinds of driver distraction. Which set is correct?
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Answer A: Visual, manual and cognitive
Distraction takes the eyes off the road, the hands off the controls or the mind off driving, and many activities do more than one of those at once.
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4. An orange sign reads RIGHT LANE CLOSED AHEAD. What is the correct response?
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Answer A: Move left in good time and keep a steady pace
The sign is placed well before the taper so that drivers can merge smoothly rather than braking hard where the lane actually closes.
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5. What is the safest way to leave a perpendicular parking space in a busy lot?
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Answer B: Back out slowly, checking both ways and yielding
Backing out gives you the poorest view of any maneuver, so it must be done slowly, with checks in both directions and with yielding to whoever is already there.
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6. A pedestrian is crossing at a corner where no crosswalk is painted on the pavement. What is your duty?
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Answer A: Yield, because a legal crosswalk exists at the corner even without paint
Every intersection has a crosswalk whether or not it is marked, and drivers must yield to pedestrians crossing there.
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7. You pull onto a soft grass verge to park. What is the main risk?
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Answer A: The wheels can sink and the car can slide toward the ditch
Soft ground gives way under the weight of a vehicle, and a car that settles or slides sideways can end up stuck or in the ditch.
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8. A vehicle in the lane beside you has stopped at a crosswalk. What should you do?
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Answer C: Stop as well, because that driver may be yielding to a pedestrian you cannot see
The stopped vehicle hides the crosswalk from you, and passing it is a leading cause of collisions with pedestrians who are already crossing.
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9. At an intersection the signal flashes red toward you and flashes yellow toward the cross street. Who must yield?
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Answer D: You must, because the flashing red faces your road
A flashing red means stop and yield like a stop sign, while a flashing yellow lets the other road proceed with caution.
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10. What do zero tolerance laws mean for a driver who is under 21?
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Answer B: They commit a violation at an alcohol level far below the adult limit
Drivers under 21 may not legally drink, so every state sets a limit far below the adult one and treats even a trace reading as a violation. The exact figure is set by each state, and the penalty usually includes losing the license.
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11. What are painted curb markings mainly used for?
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Answer D: Conveying parking and stopping regulations
Colored curbs tell drivers where waiting or parking is restricted, and because the exact color meanings are set locally a driver should also read the posted signs.
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12. You cannot avoid a wide puddle that covers only the right half of your lane. What should you expect?
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Answer D: The water can tug the vehicle toward that side, so slow before it and grip the wheel
Water dragging on the tires of one side only pulls the vehicle that way. Reduce speed before you reach it and hold the wheel firmly.
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13. The street you are turning right onto has a bike lane along its right edge. Where should your vehicle end up?
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Answer B: In the first traffic lane to the left of the bike lane
A bike lane is not a travel lane for motor vehicles, so the nearest lane you may finish a right turn in is the first general traffic lane beside it.
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14. You have a green arrow to turn left. What still applies?
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Answer D: You must yield to any pedestrian or vehicle still inside the intersection
A green arrow protects your turn from conflicting traffic, but you must still let anyone already in the intersection get clear before you move.
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15. Your vehicle has a backup camera. What is the right way to use it?
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Answer C: Use it as an aid, but still turn and look behind you
A camera has a limited field of view and can be dirty or wet, so it supplements looking over your shoulder and using the mirrors rather than replacing them.
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16. Under the Alabama Move Over Act, what must you do on a highway with two or more lanes in your direction when you approach a stopped police car with its lights flashing?
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Answer A: Vacate the lane closest to the stopped vehicle as soon as it is safe
Alabama requires drivers on roads with two or more lanes in their direction to leave the lane next to the stopped emergency vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
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17. At a four-way stop you and an opposing driver arrive together. You are going straight and the other driver is turning left across your path. Who goes first?
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Answer B: You do, because the left turn crosses your path
When two opposing drivers arrive together, the one going straight goes first and the left-turning driver yields.
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18. The added lane warning sign tells a driver that
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Answer A: an extra lane begins ahead, so entering traffic does not have to merge into an existing lane
Where a lane is added, traffic entering the roadway gets a lane of its own, so merging is not required, although drivers should still watch the vehicles beside them.
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19. At an intersection where every approach carries this sign, two drivers arrive at exactly the same instant. Which of them goes first?
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Answer C: The driver on the right
Order of arrival decides who goes first, and when two vehicles arrive together the driver on the right proceeds while the other gives way.
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20. What penalty does a third conviction under Alabama's hands free law carry within a 24 month period?
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Answer C: 150 dollars and 3 points
A third or subsequent Alabama hands free conviction within 24 months carries a fine of 150 dollars and 3 points.
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21. On a wet road, how should a driver adjust after passing this sign?
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Answer B: Start braking earlier, because a slippery surface lengthens the stopping distance
A wet surface lengthens stopping distance, so the extra warning distance should be spent braking gently and early instead of late and hard.
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22. Where should your hands normally rest on the steering wheel?
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Answer C: On opposite sides of the wheel, near the 9 and 3 positions
Hands placed opposite each other near the middle of the wheel give smooth, balanced control and keep the arms clear of a deploying air bag.
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23. A driver ahead brakes for no reason you can see, again and again. What should you do?
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Answer B: Increase your following distance and be ready for yet another stop
Unexplained braking tells you the driver is unsure or distracted, so the safe answer is more room, not less.
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24. Which of these is part of preparing a vehicle for winter driving?
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Answer A: Fitting good tires and using washer fluid that will not freeze
Winter readiness means tread, battery, wipers, antifreeze and washer fluid rated for the cold, plus a reasonable amount of fuel in the tank.
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25. You need to reverse direction on a busy street. Which choice is usually safest?
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Answer D: Driving around the block and using the intersections instead
Going around the block uses normal turns at controlled intersections instead of stopping across live traffic lanes.
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26. A person using a wheelchair is waiting to cross at a corner ahead. How should you treat that person?
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Answer B: As a pedestrian with the right of way at the crossing
A wheelchair or a mobility scooter user has the rights of a pedestrian, so yield the whole crossing and wait until the crossing is finished.
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27. You have just had bad news and you feel very upset. What should you do?
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Answer B: Wait until you have calmed down, or else let somebody else drive
Strong emotion takes attention away from the road as surely as alcohol or fatigue, so it is a reason not to drive yet.
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28. You make eye contact with a driver waiting to pull out of a side street. What should you assume?
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Answer D: The driver may still not have seen you, so stay ready to slow or stop
Drivers can look directly at you and still not register your vehicle, especially a small one. Eye contact helps, but never rely on it.
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29. Small green signs with white numerals posted at regular intervals along a highway are used to
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Answer B: show distance along the route and give a reference point for reporting a location
Reference location signs, commonly called mileposts, carry white numerals on green and let a driver describe exactly where a breakdown or crash has occurred.
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30. When should you move into the lane you need for a turn?
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Answer D: Well before the intersection, as soon as you know your route
Getting into the correct lane early lets other drivers read your intentions and keeps you from making a sudden lane change at the corner.