Michigan DMV Permit Test Concept Review

Overview

Michigan's knowledge test includes a road sign test, and the fastest way to read a sign is by its shape and color. The handbook lists nine basic shapes. Some shapes belong to only one sign, so you can recognize them by shape alone.

Regulatory signs tell you about specific laws that control the speed and movement of traffic. They are usually rectangles in white and black, red and white, or red, white, and black. Red on a sign means stop, prohibited, or forbidden, so a red circle with a slash over a symbol tells you that the action shown is not allowed.

At a STOP sign you must stop completely every time, at the stop line or crosswalk, or where you can see cross traffic without pulling into the intersection. At a YIELD sign you slow down, check traffic, and stop only if needed. DO NOT ENTER and WRONG WAY signs keep drivers from going up freeway exit ramps against traffic.

Overview

Warning signs tell you about a hazard or a change in the road ahead. Most are yellow diamonds with black letters or symbols, because the diamond shape means warning and yellow means caution. Other colors add detail: orange is for construction and maintenance, fluorescent yellow-green is for schools, pedestrians, and bicycles, and fluorescent pink marks an incident or emergency.

Railroad crossings have their own signs. The round yellow advance warning sign tells you a crossing is ahead, and the white crossbuck stands at the tracks. If a train is coming, stop between the distances given below, because trains overhang the rails. A crossing with a STOP sign requires a stop even when no train is in sight.

Work zones are marked with orange signs and may lower the speed limit while workers are present. Fines for moving violations are doubled there and speeding adds more points. Construction workers may direct traffic, and you must follow them even when a signal says otherwise. The pentagon marks a school area, and the yellow pennant on the left side of the road warns of a no-passing zone.

Overview

Guide signs help you find your way and the services you need. Their color tells you what kind of information they carry: green for directions and guidance, blue for services and hospitality, and brown for recreation and cultural places such as parks.

Route markers identify federal, state, and county roads. There are separate markers for Interstate freeways, U.S. highways, Michigan state highways, and county roads. Michigan state highways carry the letter M, as in M-32.

On freeways, exit signs show which lane to use when leaving. Slow down only after you are fully in the deceleration lane, and obey the posted exit ramp speed because many ramps curve sharply. If you miss an exit, drive to the next one; never back up or use a median crossover.

Overview

In Michigan the red light is at the top of a traffic signal. A steady yellow light means red is coming and you must stop if you can do so safely. A flashing red light works like a STOP sign, and a flashing yellow light means go ahead carefully. If a signal is not working, stop completely and yield to vehicles already at the intersection.

Left turns are often controlled by arrows. A steady green arrow gives a protected turn because oncoming traffic is stopped. A flashing yellow arrow lets you turn only after yielding to oncoming traffic and people crossing. A solid yellow arrow warns that the turn signal is about to turn red.

Pavement markings are white or yellow. White lines separate lanes going the same way and mark the right edge of the road, while yellow lines separate traffic going in opposite directions. You may pass across a broken yellow line when it is safe, but not across a solid yellow line on your side. A center lane marked with solid and broken yellow lines is only for left turns.

A Michigan Left replaces the normal left turn at some divided highways. Instead of turning left at the intersection, you go straight through and turn left into a median crossover, or turn right and then make a U-turn at a crossover.

Overview

Right of way rules decide who goes first. Drivers turning left yield to oncoming traffic, and drivers turning right yield too, including on a red light. At a four-way stop, the first vehicle to stop goes first; if two arrive together, the vehicle on the left yields to the one on its right. At a T-intersection, traffic on the through road goes first.

Pedestrians in a crosswalk have the right of way even when your light is green. Yield to a person with a white cane or guide dog, to people crossing from a driveway or alley, and to anyone who started across before the signal changed. In a roundabout, entering traffic yields to vehicles already circling, which come from the left.

Emergency vehicles and school buses need special care. Pull to the right edge and stop for an approaching emergency vehicle with lights and siren. Slow down and move over for one that is stopped. Stop well back from a school bus with flashing red lights unless it is on the other side of a divided highway.

At railroad crossings, stop for flashing lights, bells, or lowered gates, and never go around them. Do not start across unless there is room to clear the tracks. If your car stalls on the tracks, get everyone out and away first.

Overview

Michigan's Basic Speed Law requires a careful and prudent speed that lets you stop within the clear distance ahead, never faster than the posted limit. When no limit is posted, standard limits apply, from mobile home parks and subdivisions up to freeways. Freeways also have a minimum speed, and trucks and school buses have lower top speeds.

Pass only when you can see the left lane clearly and have enough distance. Do not pass near intersections, railroad crossings, bridges, or tunnels, on hills or curves, or where a solid yellow line is on your side. Return to your lane well before oncoming traffic, and when someone passes you, do not speed up.

Passing on the right is allowed only in certain cases and never on the shoulder. When parking, turn off the engine, set the parking brake, and turn your wheels so the car cannot roll into traffic. Keep the distances from hydrants, crosswalks, signs, signals, and railroad tracks shown below.

Overview

Safe driving starts with space and time. Keep a following distance of at least three to four seconds and add more at higher speeds and in bad weather. Look well down the road so you can spot problems early instead of reacting at the last second.

Weather and darkness change how you drive. Roads are most slippery when rain first begins, fog calls for low beams and a slow speed, and bridges freeze before the road. At night, use headlights from a half hour after sunset and dim your high beams for oncoming drivers. If you skid, ease off the accelerator and steer where you want to go.

Share the road with care. Large trucks need far more distance to stop and have blind spots, so never cut in front of them. Give bicyclists plenty of room when passing, never share a lane with a motorcycle, and slow down near horse-drawn buggies. Deer are most active at dawn and dusk; if a crash cannot be avoided, brake firmly and stay in your lane.

Overview

Michigan teens under 18 earn a license through Graduated Driver Licensing. They complete two segments of driver education and move through three license levels, gaining privileges as they gain experience. Graduated licensing ends at age 18.

The Level 1 Learner's License allows driving only with a licensed parent, guardian, or designated adult who is at least 21 and sits in the front seat. Before the driving skills test, a teen must log supervised hours, including night driving, and hold the Level 1 license for a set time. The Level 2 Intermediate License adds limits on late-night driving and on young passengers, with exceptions for work and authorized activities.

Adults who have never been licensed get a temporary instruction permit after passing the vision, knowledge, and road sign tests, then practice with a licensed adult before the skills test. All new drivers are on probation for at least three years, and Kelsey's Law bars Level 1 and Level 2 drivers from non-emergency phone calls.

Overview

Alcohol affects judgment and reaction time, and the effect is the same whether you drink beer, wine, or liquor. A standard can of beer, glass of wine, and shot of whiskey hold the same amount of alcohol. Coffee, cold showers, and fresh air do not help; only time sobers you up. Plan a designated driver before you drink.

Michigan sets clear limits. At the adult limit a driver is operating while intoxicated, a much higher level brings tougher high-BAC penalties, and drivers under 21 may have no alcohol in their body at all. Under implied consent, every licensed driver has already agreed to a chemical test, and refusing leads to a suspension. Driving while impaired by marijuana carries the same penalties as alcohol.

Distraction and safety equipment are covered by law too. Michigan's hands-free law bans holding or manually using a phone while driving, except to report an emergency. Everyone in the front seat and all passengers under 16 must buckle up, and young children ride in a car seat or booster.

Points are added to your driving record when you are convicted of a moving violation. They stay for two years, and too many points within that time can lead to a driver reexamination.