Alabama ALEA Permit Practice Test 41

  • Questions30
  • Correct to pass24
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age15 years

30 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 24 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. When may an Alabama driver license be renewed before it expires?

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    Answer B: At any time within 180 days before the expiration date

    Alabama opens the renewal window 180 days ahead of the expiration date printed on the license.

  2. 2. Your low beams light about 250 feet of road, but at your speed you would need more than that to stop. What is that called?

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    Answer D: Overdriving your headlights

    When your stopping distance is longer than the stretch of road your headlights show, you cannot react to anything you finally see. Slow down until you can.

  3. 3. You are stopped in a shared through and right-turn lane with your right signal on, and a bicyclist rides up along your right side. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Let the bicyclist clear the intersection or move ahead before you turn

    A cyclist alongside your right side is in the path your turn will sweep across, so wait until that space is clear before turning.

  4. 4. You are about to pull out from a stop sign. Which scanning habit is correct?

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    Answer A: Look to the left, then to the right, then to the left again before moving

    Traffic from the left reaches you first, and a second look left catches anything that arrived while you were looking right.

  5. 5. Which of these does NOT affect how fast alcohol reaches the bloodstream?

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    Answer A: How confident the drinker feels

    Food, the strength of the drinks and the speed of drinking all change how fast alcohol is absorbed, but a drinker's confidence changes nothing at all.

  6. 6. A bicyclist in the bike lane ahead of you signals and starts to move left toward the turn lane. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Slow down and let the rider move across

    A bicyclist who needs to leave the bike lane to turn left is changing lanes like any driver, and following traffic should make room.

  7. 7. A pedestrian starts to cross against a Do Not Walk signal, right in front of you. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Slow or stop and let the person reach safety

    Even when a pedestrian is crossing unlawfully, a driver must take reasonable care to avoid hitting that person.

  8. 8. A small plate under a stop sign reads CROSS TRAFFIC DOES NOT STOP. What is it telling you?

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    Answer D: Traffic on the cross street is not required to stop at all

    The plate warns that the other road is uncontrolled, so you must wait for a gap instead of expecting anyone to take turns with you.

  9. 9. You are driving at night on an unlit road using low beams. How should you choose your speed?

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    Answer C: So you could stop within the distance your headlights light up

    Driving faster than you can stop within the lit area is called overdriving your headlights. Anything beyond the beam is invisible until it is too late to react.

  10. 10. Your car begins to lose power on a freeway and you must stop. Where should you try to bring it to a halt?

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    Answer A: As far off the right side of the road as you can get, beyond the edge line

    A disabled vehicle should be moved completely clear of the travel lanes, on the right, so that traffic can pass without changing course.

  11. 11. You are turning left across tracks that run along the center of the street. What should you do before crossing them?

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    Answer B: Look along the tracks in both directions and cross only when clear

    Rail vehicles running in the street can arrive from either direction and cannot stop quickly, so look along the tracks before you turn across them.

  12. 12. A yellow sign ahead of an underpass reads LOW CLEARANCE 12 FT 6 IN. What does the figure tell you?

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    Answer B: The greatest height that can pass beneath the structure

    The figure is the actual clearance available, so a vehicle taller than that must leave the road and take a marked alternative route.

  13. 13. The circular sign shape is reserved for which warning?

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    Answer C: Advance warning of a highway-rail grade crossing

    A round yellow sign with a black X and the letters RR is the grade crossing advance warning sign, and the circular outline is used for no other message.

  14. 14. You have stopped on an uphill grade close behind a large truck at a traffic signal. What is the risk?

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    Answer B: The truck may roll back into you when it starts to move

    Heavy vehicles can roll backward a short distance when the driver moves from the brake to the accelerator on a hill. Leave extra room when stopped behind a truck on a grade.

  15. 15. A driver in the leftmost lane reaches this sign at an intersection. What must the driver do?

    A white square showing an arrow turning left inside a red circle with a red diagonal line through it
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    Answer B: Go straight on or turn right, and reach the destination another way

    The restriction holds whatever the traffic or the signal is doing, so the driver has to pass the intersection and plan a different route.

  16. 16. Where must a vehicle that is required to stop at an Alabama railroad grade crossing come to a halt?

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    Answer B: Within 50 feet but not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail

    Alabama requires the driver of a vehicle covered by the rule to stop within 50 feet but not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail before crossing.

  17. 17. You park a manual transmission car facing uphill at a curb. What is the correct combination?

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    Answer A: First gear, wheels turned away from the curb, parking brake set

    Facing uphill the car would roll back, so first gear resists that, the wheels turned out let a tire catch the curb, and the parking brake holds it.

  18. 18. What is the recommended minimum distance between the driver's breastbone and the center of the steering wheel air bag cover?

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    Answer C: About 10 inches

    An air bag inflates extremely fast, and keeping that much space lets it deploy fully before it reaches the driver, which is why the seat should be moved back as far as still allows comfortable control of the pedals.

  19. 19. You are about to leave a roundabout when a pedestrian steps into the crosswalk on your exit. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Yield to the pedestrian and wait for the crosswalk to clear

    Roundabout crosswalks sit on the entries and exits, and drivers must yield to pedestrians using them.

  20. 20. You have signaled and pulled up level with the car in front of an empty curb space. What comes next?

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    Answer A: Reverse slowly while turning the wheel toward the curb

    From alongside the forward car you back in on a turn toward the curb, then straighten and swing the front in as the rear reaches the space.

  21. 21. You feel drowsy, so you open a window and turn the radio up. What does that achieve?

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    Answer B: Very little, because the drowsiness comes back

    Cold air and loud music are not sleep, so the alerting effect lasts a minute or two and the driver is soon just as sleepy and closer to a lapse.

  22. 22. Can a driver be charged with impaired driving after taking a legal over the counter medicine?

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    Answer C: Yes, if the medicine impairs the ability to drive safely

    Impaired driving laws cover any substance that affects driving, including cold remedies, allergy pills and sleep aids sold without a prescription.

  23. 23. You have a green left-turn arrow but a pedestrian is still walking in the crosswalk you must cross. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Wait until the crosswalk is clear before turning

    A green arrow protects you from other vehicles, but it never removes the duty to yield to a person already in the crosswalk.

  24. 24. Why is texting considered one of the most dangerous distractions?

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    Answer B: It combines visual, manual and cognitive distraction at the same time

    Reading or writing a message takes your eyes off the road, at least one hand off the controls and your attention off driving simultaneously.

  25. 25. You began a turn from the wrong lane and are already inside the intersection. What should you not do?

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    Answer A: Reverse in order to get back into the correct lane

    Backing up in an intersection puts you into the path of traffic that cannot expect it; finish the movement and fix your position afterwards.

  26. 26. Which action becomes clearly more risky beyond this sign?

    A yellow diamond showing two black arrows, one pointing up and one pointing down
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    Answer A: Using the left side of the roadway to overtake

    With vehicles coming the other way on the same pavement, overtaking on the left needs enough clear road to pull out, pass and return, which is often not available.

  27. 27. How far ahead of a construction zone entrance must the construction zone speed limit sign be posted in Alabama?

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    Answer A: At least 100 feet

    Alabama requires the construction zone speed limit to be posted on a standard size sign at least 100 feet in advance of the entrance to the zone.

  28. 28. You are in the right-hand of two left-turn lanes and the vehicle beside you starts to drift toward your lane during the turn. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Slow slightly, keep to your own lane and give the other vehicle room

    Drivers commonly drift wide in dual turn lanes, so hold your own line, ease off and leave space rather than racing or crowding the other vehicle.

  29. 29. How does higher speed affect the outcome of a crash?

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    Answer A: It leaves less time to react and greatly increases the force of impact

    Speed shortens the time available to avoid a hazard and raises the energy released in an impact, so both the likelihood and the severity of a crash increase.

  30. 30. What penalty does a first conviction under Alabama hands-free law carry?

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    Answer C: A 50 dollar fine and 1 point on the driving record

    Alabama hands-free law sets a first conviction penalty of a 50 dollar fine and one point, rising to 100 dollars and two points on a second conviction within 24 months.