A quiz to play together, out loud or each on your own phone
Thanksgiving road trip driving quiz
Five questions for the long drive to dinner and back, for teens with a permit and for anyone who got their license years ago. Free in your browser.
Checked against NHTSA and state driver handbooks · Report a mistake
The printout shows all five questions with the answers and reasons, for whoever reads them out. You can also use your browser’s Print command (Ctrl+P or Cmd+P).
Play the five questions
Answer one question at a time. The reason appears right after each answer, and nothing you pick is saved or sent anywhere.
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Emergencies
You slept very little, drank coffee, and now begin drifting out of your lane. A designated rest area is just ahead. What is the safest response?
- Pull into the rest area and stop to rest Right
- Keep driving because the coffee will prevent sleep
- Open the windows and continue until your destination
- Turn the music louder and increase your driving speed
The right answer is A: Pull into the rest area and stop to rest
WhyCoffee alone may not prevent microsleeps; stop in a safe place when sleepiness affects your driving.
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Seat belts and child safety
Where does NHTSA recommend children under 13 ride, when a back seat is available?
- In the back seat Right
- In the front seat with a belt
- In the front seat with an air bag
- On an adult's lap
The right answer is A: In the back seat
WhyNHTSA recommends children under 13 ride in the back seat, away from front air bags.
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Night and bad weather
Heavy snow is reducing visibility while you drive. You need your headlights to see and be seen. Which lighting choice is appropriate?
- Low-beam headlights Right
- High beams for the strongest possible light
- Parking lights without the headlights
- Daytime running lights without other lighting
The right answer is A: Low-beam headlights
WhyUse low-beam headlights when snow reduces visibility so you can see and other drivers can see you.
Source: California Driver Handbook (California DMV): Signals, Horns, and Headlights: Using Your Headlights, Texas Driver Handbook, Chapter 9: Some Special Driving Situations, Headlights, Florida Driver License Handbook (FLHSMV): Low Visibility; Night Driving
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Night and bad weather
You are using high beams on a dark two-way road. An oncoming vehicle is getting close enough that your high beams could dazzle its driver. What should you do?
- Keep high beams on until the other driver flashes theirs
- Switch to parking lights until the other vehicle passes
- Keep high beams on and aim your car toward the shoulder
- Switch to low beams Right
The right answer is D: Switch to low beams
WhyDim high beams to low beams to avoid blinding an oncoming driver.
Source: California Driver Handbook (California DMV): Signals, Horns, and Headlights: Using Your Headlights, Texas Driver Handbook, Chapter 9: Some Special Driving Situations, Headlights, Florida Driver License Handbook (FLHSMV): Low Visibility; Night Driving
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Alcohol and drugs
What happens when you mix alcohol with another drug before you drive?
- They cancel each other's effects
- Only the alcohol matters
- There is no added risk
- The effects can get stronger Right
The right answer is D: The effects can get stronger
WhyMixing alcohol with other drugs can amplify the impairing effects of each, making driving more dangerous.
Source: NHTSA: Drug-Impaired Driving, Many Substances Can Impair Driving
Topics to review
- Signs
- Traffic signals
- Pavement markings
- Intersections and turns
- Right-of-way
- Sharing the road
- Alcohol and drugs
- Speed and space
- Seat belts and child safety
- Night and bad weather
- Distraction
- Emergencies
- Lanes
- Passing
- Highways
- Regulatory signs
- Warning signs
- Guide and service signs
- Pavement markings
- Emergency vehicles and crashes
- Learner and provisional licenses
- Driver education
- Seat belts and child seats
- Alcohol and DWI
- Parking
- Speed limits
- Sharing the road
- Headlights
- Insurance
- Phones and distraction
Your topics
- SignsKnow it
- Learner and provisional licensesOn the way
- Right-of-wayStamped
In the app, questions you miss come back until you get them right. 5 questions a day are free.
45 free questions on this website and 379 in the app, checked against the MUTCD, the Uniform Vehicle Code and Texas law, with the reason for every answer. About the app
Out now on iPhone and Android.
How to play it as a family
- Pick a quizmaster to read each question and its four answers out loud.
- Everyone else says or writes down A, B, C or D. The quizmaster taps an answer and reads out the reason.
- Keep score: one point for each right answer.
- Or everyone takes the quiz on their own phone, and you compare scores at the end.
The driver should not play. Let the passengers run the quiz, or save it for the table.
Before the drive
- Coffee alone may not keep you awake. If you feel sleepy, stop somewhere safe and rest (NHTSA: drowsy driving).
- NHTSA recommends that children under 13 ride in the back seat, away from front air bags (NHTSA: air bags).
- Alcohol mixed with other drugs, including some medicines, can make each one’s effects stronger (NHTSA: drug-impaired driving).
These are practice questions, not the real permit test. Every state writes its own test. Read your state’s driver handbook too.
Common questions
Is this quiz OK for kids?
Yes. There is no sign-up and there are no ads, and the questions are about getting there safely, so kids can play along with a parent or a teen with a permit.
Are these real permit test questions?
No. They are our own practice questions, written from NHTSA guidance and state driver handbooks. We do not have access to the questions on any state’s real test.
Who wrote the questions?
Fri Vei AS. AI helps draft them, and every answer is checked against its source before we approve it. No driving instructor or state agency has reviewed them. Read how we write the questions.