New Hampshire Car / Permit practice
New Hampshire 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
17 questions · pass with 14 correct. You get instant feedback and an explanation after every answer.
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12 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. Which headlight setting does the manual call for in fog, rain or snow?
Correct answer: Low beams
High beams bounce off the moisture in the air and create glare, so low beams give the driver a clearer view in fog, rain or snow.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 5, Night Driving
2. When passing another vehicle, when may you begin steering back into your original lane?
Correct answer: Once the whole front of the passed vehicle appears in your rearview mirror
The manual tells drivers to keep going until the entire front of the vehicle they passed shows in the rearview mirror, then signal and ease back over.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 5, Passing
3. An oncoming vehicle at night has failed to dim its high beams. What should you do?
Correct answer: Shift your gaze toward the right edge of the pavement until it passes
Rather than staring into the glare, the manual advises shifting your gaze toward the right-hand side of the road until the vehicle has gone by.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 5, Night Driving
4. What is the best defense against hydroplaning on a wet New Hampshire road?
Correct answer: Slowing down, and keeping tires well treaded and properly inflated
Hydroplaning starts when the front tires ride up onto standing water, so reducing speed in the rain, along with good tread and correct pressure, is the main protection.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 5, Adjusting to Roadway Conditions
5. How should the inside rearview mirror be adjusted?
Correct answer: So the rear window fills the view in the mirror
The inside mirror is the main tool for watching traffic behind, and it is set correctly when the rear window fills the frame of the glass.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 4, Adjusting Vehicle Mirrors
6. Where does the manual say passing is not allowed or not safe?
Correct answer: At intersections and where a hill or curve blocks the view ahead
The manual rules out passing when a vehicle is coming toward you, when a curve or hill hides the road, at intersections, and just before a bridge or railroad crossing.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 5, Passing
7. How should a head restraint be set before driving?
Correct answer: So it touches the back of the head and is not below the ears
Head restraints exist to limit whiplash, so the pad should touch the back of the driver's head rather than sitting down below ear level.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 4, Adjusting Seat
8. What does the manual say about wearing tinted or colored lenses while driving?
Correct answer: They reduce vision and should not be worn at night or on gray days
Tinted and colored lenses cut down how much a driver can see, so they should be left off at night and on overcast days.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 5, Night Driving
9. How should a driver treat a back-up camera when reversing?
Correct answer: As one aid used together with mirrors and head checks
The manual warns against leaning on the camera alone; it is one aid among mirrors and head checks, never the main tool for backing safely.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 5, Backing
10. Where does the New Hampshire manual say a driver's hands belong on the steering wheel?
Correct answer: At nine and three o'clock, or at eight and four o'clock
The recommended grips are nine and three o'clock or eight and four o'clock, with knuckles and thumbs kept outside the rim of the wheel.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 5, Steering
11. How should the shoulder portion of a safety belt be worn?
Correct answer: Across the shoulder and chest, snug against the body
The shoulder belt lies across the shoulder and chest with little slack; routing it beneath an arm or behind the back can cause severe internal injuries in a crash.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 4, Using Safety Belts
12. What search pattern does the manual recommend before you drive into an intersection?
Correct answer: Left, then right, then left again
The advised habit is a glance left, then right, then left once more, since the nearest threat comes from the left side of the road.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 7, Intersections
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Every New Hampshire question is written from the official New Hampshire 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