New York Car / Permit practice
New York Car / Permit: Safe Driving Practices practice test
Following distance, scanning, blind spots, using your lights, and the habits that prevent crashes and keep you in control.
Content reviewed against official driver handbooks · August 12, 2026
10 questions · pass with 8 correct. You get instant feedback and an explanation after every answer.
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10 sample Safe Driving Practices questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.
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1. What is the shallowest tire tread New York law allows?
Correct answer: 2/32 of an inch
Tread thinner than 2/32 of an inch is illegal. Most tires carry molded wear bars that show across the grooves at that depth, and the penny check works too: if the top of Lincoln's head stays visible in the deepest groove, the tire is finished. A tire is also illegal once it shows bulges, bumps, or cuts deep enough to expose the cords.
2. Where must a rear-facing child safety seat never be placed?
Correct answer: In a front seat where the passenger has an air bag
An air bag inflates with enough force to badly hurt or kill an infant riding backwards directly in front of it, so a rear-facing seat belongs in the back. Children must ride facing the rear until at least age two, or until they outgrow the height or weight limit the seat maker sets.
3. When must you dim your high-beam headlights for other vehicles at night?
Correct answer: Within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle and within 200 feet of a vehicle you are following
Lower your high beams to avoid blinding others: within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle and within 200 feet when following another vehicle. Use low beams in fog, rain, or snow.
4. An angry driver is tailgating you, shouting and making gestures. What is the recommended response?
Correct answer: Stay calm, avoid eye contact, and move away from them when it is safe
Meeting a hostile driver's eyes can read as a challenge and make matters worse. Keep your composure, ignore the shouting and hand signals, and put distance between you. Never pull over or step out; if the driver follows you, head for the nearest police station and report the vehicle.
5. Under current New York law, which occupants must wear a seat belt?
Correct answer: Everyone in the vehicle, including passengers in the back seat
New York now requires every occupant to buckle up, including adult passengers in the back seat, not just those in front. Children must ride in an appropriate child-safety or booster seat.
6. New York law requires your headlights to be on:
Correct answer: From a half-hour after sunset to a half-hour before sunrise, and whenever you use your wipers for rain, snow, or fog
Turn your headlights on from half an hour after sunset until half an hour before sunrise, and any time visibility is poor. In New York, if your wipers are on for weather, your headlights must be on too.
7. When you drive in heavy fog, you should slow down and use:
Correct answer: Your low-beam headlights
High beams reflect off fog and bounce light back at you, making it harder to see. Use low beams (and fog lights if you have them), reduce your speed, and increase your following distance.
8. What should you do just before you change lanes on a highway?
Correct answer: Signal, check your mirrors, and glance over your shoulder to check the blind spot
Mirrors leave blind spots that can hide a vehicle. After signaling and checking mirrors, glance over your shoulder toward the lane you want before moving over.
9. You start to feel drowsy on a long drive. What is the safest thing to do?
Correct answer: Pull over somewhere safe and rest or sleep
The only real cure for drowsiness is sleep. Fresh air, loud music, and caffeine wear off quickly and do not make you safe to drive. Pull off at a safe place and rest, or switch drivers.
10. In New York, when should you turn on your signal before making a turn?
Correct answer: At least 100 feet before the turn
Signal continuously during the last 100 feet before a turn so drivers and pedestrians know your plan. Signal even when you think no one is around.
Source: New York State Driver's Manual — Intersections and Turns
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Every New York question is written from the official New York driver handbook and checked against its current edition. DMV Test Free is a free, independent study resource — not affiliated with any DMV or government agency. About DMV Test Free