Georgia DMV Permit Test Safe Driving and Sharing the Road Summary

You must use headlights from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise, at any time it is raining, and whenever visibility is low.

Wrong choices

• Only after full dark, when street lights come on: Waiting for full dark is too late. The rule starts half an hour after sunset.
• Only when it is foggy: Fog is only one case. Night and rain also require headlights.
• Only on highways at night: The rule applies on every road, not only highways.

Watch the car ahead pass a fixed point, then count "one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two." If you pass the same point before you finish, you are following too closely. Leave even more space at night, in bad weather, and in heavy traffic.

Wrong choices

• You are at a safe distance: Reaching the mark before you finish counting means there is not enough space.
• The car ahead is speeding: The count tells you about your gap, not the other driver's speed.
• You are driving too slowly: The count checks the gap, not your speed compared with the speed limit.

When you pass a bicyclist, Georgia law requires at least 3 feet between your vehicle and the bicycle at all times. Move to a lane not next to the bicycle if you can.

Wrong choices

• 10 feet: 10 feet is more room, but the legal minimum is 3 feet.
• 1 foot: 1 foot is far too close and against the law.
• 2 feet: 2 feet is still less than the legal minimum.

Georgia requires a seat belt for every person in the front seat and for every rider under 18 in any seat. Georgia's belt law is primary: an officer can stop you just for this.

Wrong choices

• Only people in the back seat: Front seat riders must always wear a belt.
• Only riders under 8: Children under 8 need a child restraint, and all riders under 18 need a belt.
• Only the driver: Front seat passengers must also be belted, not only the driver.

Georgia's Hands-Free law says a driver may not hold or support a phone with any part of the body. You may talk through an earpiece, headphones, or a wireless or mounted device.

Wrong choices

• Using a phone that sits in a mounted holder for navigation: A mounted phone used for navigation is allowed.
• Talking to a passenger: Talking to a passenger is not covered by the Hands-Free law.
• Talking through a wireless earpiece: A wireless earpiece is allowed because you are not holding the phone.

The first half-hour of rain is the most dangerous time. Water mixes with oil and other chemicals on the road and makes it very slippery until more rain washes them away.

Wrong choices

• Rain does not change how slippery the road is: Rain makes roads slippery, especially at first.
• Only after the rain stops: The danger starts when the rain begins, not after it stops.
• After it has rained for several hours: After a long rain, much of the oil has been washed off.

Backing up on an expressway is never allowed. If you miss your exit, keep going to the next exit and find your way back from there.

Wrong choices

• Back up on the shoulder to the exit: Backing up on an expressway is prohibited in all cases.
• Stop on the shoulder and wait for a gap: Stopping on the shoulder is only for emergencies. A missed exit is not one.
• Make a U-turn through the median: Crossing the median is illegal except at an authorized opening.

Dim (lower) your headlights when you are within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle, so you do not blind its driver. Also use low beams on lighted roads and in rain, fog, snow, or smoke.

Wrong choices

• Only after it has passed you: Waiting until it passes would blind the other driver.
• When it is within 1,000 feet: 1,000 feet is not the rule. You must dim within 500 feet.
• When it is within 100 feet: 100 feet is too late. The other driver would already be blinded.

Leave three or four seconds of following distance behind a motorcycle. The rider needs room to move or stop in an emergency, and in dry conditions a motorcycle can stop faster than a car.

Wrong choices

• Two seconds, the same as a car: A motorcycle needs more room than the basic two-second gap.
• Half a second: Half a second gives you almost no time to react.
• One second: One second is far too close behind any vehicle.

Hydroplaning means your tires ride on a layer of water. In a typical car, partial hydroplaning can begin at about 35 mph, and by about 55 mph the tires may lose all contact with the road. Slow down when water is on the road.

Wrong choices

• Only above 55 mph: Tires may lose all contact at about 55 mph, but partial hydroplaning starts sooner.
• Only above 70 mph: Waiting until 70 mph to worry is far too late.
• As low as 15 mph: At 15 mph most tires can still channel water away.