New Mexico permit test: lanes, passing & merging
Lane choice, changing lanes, blind spots, passing rules and merging. 5 questions.
On a road with two or more lanes going in your direction, which lane should you normally drive in?
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Sample lanes, passing & merging questions
On a road with two or more lanes going in your direction, which lane should you normally drive in?
- A The left lane, to stay out of merging traffic
- B The right lane, except to pass
- C Any lane you like
- D The lane with the fewest vehicles
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B. The right lane, except to pass
On roads with two or more lanes going the same way, stay in the right lane except to pass. The left-most lane is intended for passing slower vehicles.
You have just passed a car. When is it safe to return to your original lane?
- A When you can see both its headlights in your rear-view mirror
- B As soon as your rear bumper clears its front bumper
- C When the other driver flashes their lights
- D After you count to two following the pass
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A. When you can see both its headlights in your rear-view mirror
Before returning to the driving lane, leave enough room. When you can see both headlights of the vehicle you passed in your rear-view mirror, it is safe to move back.
At 55 mph on a two-lane road, how large a gap in oncoming traffic do you need to pass safely?
- A About 3 seconds
- B About 10 seconds
- C About 5 seconds
- D About 20 seconds
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B. About 10 seconds
At 55 mph you need about 10 seconds to pass, so you need a 10-second gap in oncoming traffic and enough sight distance. If you are unsure, do not pass.
You should not start to pass another vehicle if you are within what distance of a hill or curve?
- A 100 feet
- B One-third of a mile
- C One-tenth of a mile
- D One mile
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B. One-third of a mile
To pass, you need to see at least one-third of a mile, about 10 seconds, ahead. Treat a hill or curve as if an oncoming car is just out of sight, so do not start a pass within one-third of a mile of one.