Question 1

How many questions are on Connecticut's learner's permit knowledge test, and how many must you get right?

Accepted Answer

25 questions, 20 correct. The DMV test is 25 questions and the pass mark is 20, which is 80 percent. Four wrong answers still passes; the fifth does not. Official wording: "The knowledge test consists of 25 questions and you need 20 correct answers to pass. You must pass a knowledge test before you receive your learner's permit. The test is based on the information contained in this manual." (Connecticut Driver's Manual (Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Revised March 2023)).

Question 2

Two drivers reach a four-way stop at exactly the same moment, at right angles to each other. Who goes first?

Accepted Answer

The driver on the right. Connecticut's tie-breaker is the driver on the right. It only comes into play when the arrival really is simultaneous, because whoever clearly got there first goes first. Official wording: "At a four-way stop, the driver reaching the intersection first goes first (after coming to a complete stop). If more than one vehicle arrives at the same time, the vehicle on the right goes first." (Connecticut Driver's Manual (Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Revised March 2023)).

Question 3

You are on a Connecticut highway with no speed limit sign anywhere in sight and no 65 mph limit posted for that road. What is the maximum?

Accepted Answer

55 mph. Fifty-five is the statutory ceiling on any Connecticut highway that has not been signed for 65. The absence of a sign is not the absence of a limit. Official wording: "at a rate of speed greater than fifty-five miles per hour upon any highway other than a highway specified in subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of section 14-218a for which a speed limit has been established in accordance with the provisions of said subdivision" (Connecticut General Statutes (Connecticut General Assembly)).

Question 4

A school bus ahead of you stops with its red lights flashing. How far back does Connecticut law require you to stop?

Accepted Answer

At least 10 feet. Ten feet, and it applies both ways: ten feet behind if you are following the bus, ten feet in front if you are meeting it. The manual tells you to stop but never prints the distance, so this one comes from section 14-279. Official wording: "shall immediately bring such vehicle to a stop not less than ten feet from the front when approaching and not less than ten feet from the rear when overtaking or following any registered school bus" (Connecticut General Statutes (Connecticut General Assembly)).

Question 5

You are 17 with a Connecticut driver's license. Your phone is mounted on the dash and paired to the car. May you take a call?

Accepted Answer

No - drivers aged 16 and 17 may not use any phone or mobile device, hands-free included. Sixteen and seventeen year olds are banned from every kind of phone use at the wheel, hands-free included. Drivers 18 and over may use a hands-free accessory; you may not. Official wording: "However, drivers who are 16 or 17 years of age are not permitted to use any type of cell phone or mobile electronic device, including a hands-free device." (Connecticut Driver's Manual (Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Revised March 2023)).

Question 6

How far before a turn does Connecticut law require your signal to be showing?

Accepted Answer

100 feet. One hundred feet, continuously, before the vehicle turns. The manual talks about three seconds; the statute sets a fixed distance, and section 14-242(b) is what an officer measures against. Official wording: "A signal of intention to turn right or left shall be given continuously during not less than the last one hundred feet traveled by the vehicle before turning." (Connecticut General Statutes (Connecticut General Assembly)).

Question 7

An ice cream truck ahead has its lights flashing and its stop arm out. What does Connecticut require?

Accepted Answer

Stop at least 10 feet away, then pass at no more than 5 mph. Connecticut treats an ice cream truck much like a school bus. You stop at least ten feet from the front or back, and once you go you creep past at up to 5 mph, yielding to any pedestrian crossing to or from the truck. Official wording: "The state law requires drivers when approaching or overtaking an ice cream truck displaying flashing lights and extending its stop signal arm and crossing arm, to stop their vehicles at least 10 feet from the front or back of the truck." (Connecticut Driver's Manual (Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Revised March 2023)).

Question 8

A pedestrian steps to the curb at an unmarked corner and raises a hand toward the traffic. What must you do?

Accepted Answer

Slow or stop and let them cross. Connecticut has a crosswalk at every intersection whether it is painted or not, and raising a hand toward oncoming traffic is one of the ways the law says a pedestrian indicates intent to cross. You slow or stop and grant the right of way. Official wording: "Steps to the curb at the entrance to the crosswalk and indicates intent to cross the road by raising his or her hand and arm toward oncoming traffic; or" (Connecticut Driver's Manual (Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Revised March 2023)).

Question 9

You hold a Connecticut learner's permit at 16. Who is allowed to be in the car with you?

Accepted Answer

Your qualified instructor, and nobody else except a parent or guardian accompanying a driving instructor. For the entire life of the permit a 16 or 17 year old carries one qualified instructor and no one else. A licensed driving instructor may bring the people accompanying that instructor, and a parent or legal guardian may accompany them - that is the whole list. Official wording: "For the entire time a 16- or 17-year-old driver holds a learner's permit, he or she may not have any passengers except for: A licensed driving instructor giving instruction and others accompanying that instructor." (Connecticut Driver's Manual (Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Revised March 2023)).

Question 10

You are 17 and are caught doing 25 mph over the limit on a Connecticut road posted at 40. Beyond the fine, what does the DMV do?

Accepted Answer

Suspends your license, starting at 60 days for a first offense. Speeding 20 mph or more over the limit is one of the offenses that suspends a 16 or 17 year old's license. The manual's table sets a 60-day suspension for a first offense, then 90 days, then six months, with a $175 restoration fee each time. Official wording: "if such person is under eighteen years of age, upon any highway or road for which a speed limit of less than sixty-five miles per hour has been established in accordance with section 14-218a, or section 14-307a, at a rate of speed more than twenty miles per hour above such speed limit" (Connecticut General Statutes (Connecticut General Assembly)).

Question 11

You are on an undivided four-lane road. A school bus on the other side stops and puts on its red flashing lights. What must you do?

Accepted Answer

Stop, and stay stopped until the red lights go out. Extra lanes do not release you. On an undivided road every direction stops, and the stop lasts until the red lights stop flashing. Official wording: "You must stop for a school bus that is stopped with its red lights flashing whether it is on your side of the road, the opposite side of the road, or at an intersection you are approaching. You are not required to stop if the bus is traveling towards you and a median or other physical barrier separates the roadway." (Connecticut Driver's Manual (Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Revised March 2023)).

Question 12

A 16 year old has held a Connecticut driver's license for four months. Who may ride with them?

Accepted Answer

A licensed driving instructor, or a parent or legal guardian, or one qualified adult. In the first six months after the license is issued, the only passengers allowed are a licensed driving instructor, the driver's parents or legal guardian with at least one holding a license, or one person aged 20 or over who has held a license for four consecutive years without suspension. Official wording: "During the first six months the newly licensed driver may not have any passengers in the vehicle except for:" (Connecticut Driver's Manual (Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Revised March 2023)).

Question 13

A signal at a Connecticut intersection is completely dead - no lights at all. How do you treat it?

Accepted Answer

As if it were controlled by a stop sign. State law makes you stop as though the intersection were controlled by a stop sign. Every approach stops, then normal right-of-way rules sort out the order. Official wording: "State law requires a driver at an intersection with an inoperative stop light to stop as though the intersection was controlled by a stop sign." (Connecticut Driver's Manual (Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Revised March 2023)).

Question 14

A pedestrian with a white cane is standing at the curb, and you have a green light. What must you do?

Accepted Answer

Stop and stay stopped until they are out of the road. A pedestrian with a white cane or a guide dog has absolute right of way in Connecticut. At a signalized intersection you stay stopped until they are clear of the road, green light or not. Official wording: "At regulated intersections, remain stopped until the pedestrian is out of the road, even if you have a green light." (Connecticut Driver's Manual (Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Revised March 2023)).

Question 15

A 17 year old is convicted of a second graduated-license violation, such as breaking the passenger rule twice. What does the DMV do?

Accepted Answer

Suspends the license for six months, or until age 18 if that is longer. A first graduated-license violation costs 30 days. A second, and every one after, costs six months or until the driver turns 18, whichever is longer, plus a $175 restoration fee. Official wording: "The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall suspend the motor vehicle operator's license of any person who violates the provisions of subsection (a) of this section for a period of thirty days for a first violation" (Connecticut General Statutes (Connecticut General Assembly)).

Question 16

A child is 6 years old and weighs 45 pounds. What does Connecticut law require?

Accepted Answer

A five-point harness or a booster seat. Between the ages of 5 and 8, or between 40 and 60 pounds, the requirement is a five-point harness or a booster seat. Official wording: "If a child's age and weight fall in two different categories (for example, a child is less than two years old but weighs more than 30 pounds) the more restrictive requirement (rear-facing car seat in this instance) applies." (Connecticut Driver's Manual (Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Revised March 2023)).

Question 17

A 16 year old with a Connecticut learner's permit is driving with a licensed 22 year old cousin in the front seat and a 15 year old sibling in the back. Is that legal?

Accepted Answer

No - the permit allows the instructor and nobody else. Two things are wrong. The permit allows only the qualified instructor, so the sibling may not be there at all, and a 22 year old has not held a license for four consecutive years, so the cousin probably does not qualify as the instructor either. Official wording: "One person who is providing instruction and is at least 20 years old, has held a driver's license for four or more consecutive years and whose license has not been suspended during the four years prior to training. Parents or legal guardian may accompany the instructor." (Connecticut Driver's Manual (Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Revised March 2023)).

Question 18

What is the fine for a first offense of failing to stop for a Connecticut school bus displaying flashing red lights?

Accepted Answer

$450. Four hundred and fifty dollars for a first offense. Subsequent offenses run from $500 to $1,000, and can carry up to thirty days in jail. Official wording: "Any person who violates any provision of subsection (a) of this section shall be fined four hundred fifty dollars for the first offense and for each subsequent offense, not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days or both." (Connecticut General Statutes (Connecticut General Assembly)).

Question 19

A school bus is stopped with its red lights on at the mouth of the intersection you are about to turn into. May you make the turn?

Accepted Answer

No - turns toward a school bus taking on or letting off passengers are prohibited at an intersection. Section 14-279 bans vehicular turns toward a school bus that is receiving or discharging passengers at the intersection of two or more highways. The turn is off the table entirely. Official wording: "At the intersection of two or more highways vehicular turns toward a school bus receiving or discharging passengers are prohibited." (Connecticut General Statutes (Connecticut General Assembly)).

Question 20

Connecticut's statutory speed limits are 55 and 65 mph. What decides which one applies to a given road?

Accepted Answer

Whether a 65 mph limit has been established and posted for that highway. Sixty-five applies only where a 65 mph limit has actually been established under section 14-218a for that highway. Everywhere else the ceiling is 55. Official wording: "at a rate of speed greater than sixty-five miles per hour upon any highway specified in subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of section 14-218a for which a speed limit has been established in accordance with the provisions of said subdivision" (Connecticut General Statutes (Connecticut General Assembly)).

Question 21

A 17 year old is convicted of a first cell phone offense while driving in Connecticut. What is the suspension?

Accepted Answer

30 days, plus a $175 restoration fee. Thirty days for a first offense, with a $175 license restoration fee on top of the court fine. A second or subsequent offense is six months, or until the driver turns 18, whichever is longer. Official wording: "Use a cell phone (even if it is hands-free) or mobile electronic device while driving." (Connecticut Driver's Manual (Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Revised March 2023)).

Question 22

You are 19 and blow .03 percent after being arrested for DUI in Connecticut. What happens?

Accepted Answer

The police report it to the Commissioner and your license is suspended for at least 45 days. Under 21 the threshold is .02, so .03 is over the limit. The police report it to the Commissioner and the suspension is at least 45 days, with an ignition interlock device required for at least a year as a condition of reinstatement. Official wording: "If your test results are .02 percent or higher, the police will make a report to the Commissioner and your operator's license will be suspended for at least 45 days." (Connecticut Driver's Manual (Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Revised March 2023)).

Question 23

You are first in a right-turn lane at a red light and the sign beside the signal reads NO TURN ON RED. Traffic behind you starts honking. What do you do?

Accepted Answer

Stay stopped until the light turns green. You wait. Right on red is Connecticut's default, but a sign prohibiting it overrides the default, and pressure from behind changes nothing. Official wording: "You may turn right at a red light after stopping, unless it is prohibited by a traffic sign." (Connecticut Driver's Manual (Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Revised March 2023)).

Question 24

Connecticut's Vulnerable User's Law protects a list of road users. Which of these is on it?

Accepted Answer

A garbage truck crew working at the roadside. Garbage trucks are named in the list, along with pedestrians, bicyclists, wheelchair users, a person riding or driving an animal, highway workers, tank vehicles, mail vehicles and express delivery carriers. Official wording: "Vulnerable users include pedestrians, bicyclists, wheelchair users, a person riding or driving an animal, highway workers, garbage trucks, tank vehicles, vehicles authorized by the US Government to carry mail and express delivery carriers. Drivers must allow for three feet of distance when passing." (Connecticut Driver's Manual (Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Revised March 2023)).

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