Maine BMV Driver’s License & Permit Practice Tests

Slowing or stop – left arm extended downward, with the palm to the rear.

The law requires a court to suspend the driver’s license of a person, under 21 years of age, who is adjudicated of the offense of using false or fraudulent credentials to obtain liquor or gain entrance into a drinking establishment. The court is given discretionary authority to suspend the license for 30 days for a first offense and is required to suspend the license for 90 days for a second offense and one year for any subsequent offense. The Secretary of State is obligated to impose the suspension for second and subsequent offenses. The offense will carry six demerit points.

If the solid yellow line is on your side of the road, do not pass. Pass only if there is a dashed (broken) line on your side.

A steady red arrow means traffic making the turn indicated by the arrow must stop until the arrow changes to green.

The best thing is to avoid drinking.

Alcohol is a drug. It is the most used and abused drug in America today. Alcohol can and has ruined the lives of untold millions. If you have been drinking do not drive. If you are driving do not drink!

Check behind the car before you get in. Children or small objects are hard to see from the driver’s seat. Turn your shoulders and head to the right so that you can look directly through the rear window. Do not depend solely on your mirrors. Back slowly. Your car is much harder to control and to stop while you are backing. Back no faster than a slow walk.

Remember, it is always safest to look behind the vehicle before getting in and not become overly reliant on backup cameras and sensors.

Many times worse than alcohol or drugs used alone is the use of alcohol and drugs at the same time. The combined influence of these two substances can produce dangerous effects on the mind and body, often resulting in death.

Never put an infant less than one year old in the front seat of a car with a passenger side airbag.

A child in a rear-facing child-restraint system may only be placed in the front seat if the front passenger airbag is deactivated.

People cannot see you unless they are looking your way. The horn can get their attention. Use it whenever it will help prevent an accident. If danger is near, do not be afraid to sound a sharp blast.

Horns can be wrongly used. You should NOT use them without cause or to make an unreasonably loud noise.

Tap the horn lightly, well in advance, to warn others you are there. Try to avoid using the horn around bicycles or horses because the riders may lose control if startled.

Whenever you park and leave your vehicle, you must make sure your car cannot move. Set your parking brake and shift gears to park (first or reverse in a manual shift car). Turn off the engine and remove the key when you leave a car. If the car will be out of your sight, lock it.

Traveling for long distances on straight roads may make you drowsy or unaware of what is happening around you. This is an hazardous situation. Concentration is vitally important whenever you are behind the wheel.

Schedule a break every two hours or 100 miles. And, of course, stop sooner if you are experiencing any of the danger signs and take a short 15-to-20-minute nap.

Check your mirror often for traffic behind you – every 6 to 8 seconds. This way you will find out if someone is following too closely or coming up too fast, and you will still have time to do something about it. Additionally, you will know how much space you have behind the car.

You need to look behind you whenever you slow down quickly, back up, or drive down a long or steep hill.

Remember to avoid a fixed, straight-ahead stare.

Good driving skills require good perception. Drinking severely diminishes good perception.

Good perception is the ability to see clearly and be visually aware of what is going on around you while driving. The ability to see well becomes even more important at night since normal vision is reduced by 50% because there is not enough light for your eyes to function properly.

In avoiding a collision, a driver basically has three options: (1) stop quickly, (2) turn quickly, and (3) speed up quickly.

If your gas pedal becomes stuck or jammed:

• Keep your eyes on the road.
• Shift to neutral.
• Put on the brakes.
• Find a safe place to pull off the road.
• As you bring your car to a stop, turn off the engine.
• If you cannot free the pedal so that it does not get stuck again, call for assistance and do not try to drive the car.

Cars coming out of driveway or alley must stop before the crosswalk, and wait for pedestrians and traffic.

Having a driver’s license and driving a motor vehicle on public highways in Maine is a privilege and a serious responsibility.

It is important for Maine drivers to remember that a driver’s license is not a basic right guaranteed under our Constitution. It is a privilege that is issued and may be withdrawn at the discretion of the State.

Unless otherwise posted, the legal speed limit is 25 mph in a business, or residential district, or built-up area of the state.

You may find red with white signs at exit ramps and the beginning of one-way streets. The Wrong Way sign tells you that you are going in the wrong direction. It supplements the Do Not Enter sign. It is placed along the exit ramp or the one-way roadway farther from the crossroad.

Be alert for buses, school buses, tank trucks, etc. that must stop at all railroad crossings.

Buses transporting passengers, including school buses, and tank trucks carrying flammable liquids must always stop at railroad crossings. So expect the stops and slow down early to allow plenty of room.

Remember that bicycles are less visible and quieter. They have smaller profiles and sometimes are not noticed in traffic.

Because of the size of large vehicles, at highway speed the vehicle will push a cushion of air to the side and rear. When a large vehicle is passing or approaching you from the opposite direction, stay as far to the right of your lane as possible until the vehicle is clear. You will avoid being sideswiped or shaken by air turbulence.

Remember, the law only says who must yield the right-of-way. Even though right-of-way rules have the force of law, a good driver never depends exclusively on them for safety. A driver who should have the right-of-way should use it sensibly, never insist on it.

You must exercise special care to avoid colliding with pedestrians or bicyclists.

Never stop in the middle of an intersection. If you are at an intersection, get out of it before you pull over.

Most warning signs are black on yellow and most are diamond-shaped. They warn you to slow down and be prepared to stop if necessary. A special situation or hazard is ahead.

School Zone.

A five-sided sign means you are in a school zone. Be alert for school crossings in the country as well as in town. You must stop when the school crossing guard directs you, and remember to always yield the right-of-way to any schoolchildren crossing the street.

Pedestrian crossing.

Crosswalks are special areas set aside for people to cross the street. They are often marked with yellow or white lines. Slow down and watch for people crossing the street on foot. Pedestrians in crosswalks must be given the right-of-way at all times.

You may not stop or suddenly decrease a vehicle’s speed without first giving an appropriate signal to the operator of a vehicle immediately to the rear.

Your brake lights let people know that you are slowing down. If you are going to stop or slow down at a place where another driver does not expect it, tap your brake pedal three or four times quickly.

Use hand signals if the signal lights are not working or are hard to see.

You may NOT exceed the speed limit when passing.

Certain people are exempt from the seat belt law. They include a rural mail carrier of the United States Postal Service. He or she is not required to be secured in a seat belt while engaged in the delivery of mail.