Maryland DMV Practice Test 2026

1. No-fault insurance, where a driver's own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) pays for injuries regardless of fault
2. Zero-liability insurance, a system where no driver is ever held financially responsible for any damages caused
3. Shared-fault insurance, where both drivers always split all costs equally
4. Federal insurance, a national auto policy provided directly by the U.S. government instead of any private insurance companies

Correct answer: No-fault insurance, where a driver's own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) pays for injuries regardless of fault. Florida requires drivers to carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP), a no-fault coverage that pays for the policyholder's own injuries no matter who caused the crash, unlike the fault-based (tort) systems used in most other states.

Source: Florida Driver Handbook, Financial Responsibility-Insurance p.31 - 'have a minimum of $10,000 in PIP AND a minimum of $10,000 in PDL coverage...No-Fault Law.'

1. Because signs at red lights are purely decorative
2. Because only trucks need to check for signs
3. Because local signs at specific intersections (or, in some cities, area-wide) can override the default rule and prohibit that turn
4. Because the rule changes every night at midnight

Correct answer: Because local signs at specific intersections (or, in some cities, area-wide) can override the default rule and prohibit that turn. Local signs can override the general state rule at specific intersections, and in some places (like New York City) an entire area bans the turn by default - so a posted sign always takes priority over the default rule.

1. Yank the steering wheel back onto the pavement immediately
2. Accelerate hard to pop the tires back onto the pavement
3. Ease off the gas, brake lightly, then steer back gently
4. Slam on the brakes the moment the wheels leave the pavement

Correct answer: Ease off the gas, brake lightly, then steer back gently. If the wheels drift off the pavement, a driver should ease off the gas, hold the steering wheel firmly, and brake lightly. Jerking the wheel back onto the road suddenly can send the vehicle into oncoming traffic, so the driver should wait until it's safe and steer back gently at a slow speed.

Source: California Driver Handbook, Handling Emergencies-Driving Off the Pavement, p.106 (2020 handbook PDF)

1. A special-use lane is ending soon
2. A toll booth is directly ahead
3. A bridge with strict weight restrictions is located just ahead
4. A special-use lane, such as an HOV lane, begins ahead

Correct answer: A special-use lane, such as an HOV lane, begins ahead. This sign gives advance notice that a lane restricted to certain vehicles, like carpools or buses, will begin shortly.

Source: MUTCD 2009 Part 2B

1. Wait until you reach the exit ramp to signal and change lanes
2. Slow down while still in a middle or left lane
3. Signal and move into the proper exit lane well before reaching the exit
4. Exit lanes don't require signaling since everyone expects you to exit

Correct answer: Signal and move into the proper exit lane well before reaching the exit. Move into the proper lane and signal well in advance of your exit, giving other drivers time to react to your lane change.

Source: California Driver Handbook, Vehicle Positioning-Space to Exit, p.80 (2020 handbook PDF)

1. Any vehicle at all, as long as it only parks there for a short time
2. Delivery vehicles making deliveries
3. Only vehicles with more than one occupant
4. Only vehicles displaying a valid disability parking permit or plate

Correct answer: Only vehicles displaying a valid disability parking permit or plate. This sign reserves the parking space for vehicles displaying a valid disability placard or plate; parking there without one can result in a fine.

Source: MUTCD 2009 Sec. 2B.46

1. Bicycles are banned from that road entirely
2. A bike lane begins immediately ahead
3. A bicyclist may occupy the entire width of the travel lane, not just the edge
4. Bicyclists must always ride on the shoulder instead of the travel lane

Correct answer: A bicyclist may occupy the entire width of the travel lane, not just the edge. This sign reminds motorists that, on a lane too narrow to share safely side by side, a bicyclist has the right to use the full lane rather than ride at the edge.

Source: MUTCD 2009 Part 9

1. Flash your own high beams repeatedly and stare directly at their headlights
2. Look toward the right edge of the road or lane markings, and slow down if needed
3. Close your eyes briefly
4. Speed up to pass the glare quickly

Correct answer: Look toward the right edge of the road or lane markings, and slow down if needed. Looking directly at oncoming high beams temporarily ruins your night vision. Instead, look toward the right edge of the roadway or the lane markings to keep your bearings, and slow down if you need more time to react.

Source: California Driver Handbook, Driving Hazards-Driving in Darkness, p.99 (2020 handbook PDF)

1. Any open lane, even one used by oncoming traffic
2. The far-side lane no matter where you started
3. The lane that matches the lane you turned from
4. The shoulder, until it is safe to merge in

Correct answer: The lane that matches the lane you turned from. Finishing a turn in the corresponding lane avoids cutting across other lanes and keeps your path predictable to nearby drivers.

Source: California Driver Handbook, Turns-Examples of Right and Left Turns p.62 (avoid cutting the corner)

1. Only slow down if you have time
2. Proceed if your light is green, regardless of the pedestrian
3. Honk to tell the pedestrian to hurry
4. Yield the right-of-way to the pedestrian

Correct answer: Yield the right-of-way to the pedestrian. Drivers must always yield to pedestrians who are legally in a crosswalk, whether it is marked with paint or not.

Source: California Driver Handbook, PDF p.36, drivers are required to yield to pedestrians within any crosswalk, marked or unmarked

1. An employer reference letter confirming steady part-time work hours
2. A notarized copy of their most recent report card
3. A signed lease agreement proving their home address
4. A completed Learner's Permit School Attendance Certification form

Correct answer: A completed Learner's Permit School Attendance Certification form. Applicants under 16 must provide the DL-300 School Attendance Certification form.

Source: Maryland Driver Handbook, p.9, Learner's Instructional Permit

1. When there is a broken white line on your side
2. When you are on a two-lane road with any yellow line
3. Pavement markings never restrict your ability to pass
4. When there is a solid yellow line on your side

Correct answer: When there is a solid yellow line on your side. If the yellow center line on your side is solid, you are in a no-passing zone. A broken line on your side means you may pass when it is safe.

Source: Texas Driver Handbook, Ch5 Pavement Markings p.33 (solid yellow = no-passing zone)

1. Left turns on red are never allowed under any circumstances
2. Only during daytime hours
3. Only when turning from a one-way street onto another one-way street, after stopping
4. At any intersection, as long as no cars are coming

Correct answer: Only when turning from a one-way street onto another one-way street, after stopping. A left turn on red is a narrow exception in Maryland: it only applies where both the street you're on and the street you're entering are one-way, and only after a full stop and yielding right-of-way.

1. It stays the same no matter what happens
2. It is completely waived by the court
3. It drops down to just a warning notice
4. It rises to a $750 fine and three points

Correct answer: It rises to a $750 fine and three points. The penalty rises sharply to a $750 fine and three points when death or serious injury results.

Source: Maryland Driver Handbook, p.45, Move Over Law

1. Continue driving normally since it is not in your lane
2. Move to the right and stop, same as if from behind
3. Speed up to clear the area quickly
4. Move into the center turn lane instead

Correct answer: Move to the right and stop, same as if from behind. You must yield to an emergency vehicle regardless of which direction it is coming from, including oncoming traffic on a two-way road.

Source: New York Driver Handbook, Ch3-Emergency Vehicles, p.35: "must pull over and stop for an emergency vehicle even if it is headed toward you in the opposite lane"

1. 1:00 a.m.
2. 10:00 p.m.
3. 12:00 a.m.
4. 8:00 p.m.

Correct answer: 12:00 a.m.. Maryland's GDL nighttime restriction generally starts at 12:00 a.m., though exceptions such as work or school activities may apply.

1. 40 hours
2. 60 hours
3. 25 hours
4. 30 hours

Correct answer: 60 hours. Maryland generally requires 60 total hours of supervised practice before a young driver can advance past the permit stage.

1. 60 hours
2. 30 hours
3. 10 hours
4. 25 hours

Correct answer: 60 hours. Maryland generally requires 60 total supervised hours logged before a young driver can take the road test.

1. To mark a regulatory rule that drivers must obey
2. To warn of a hazard or changing road conditions
3. To show the remaining distance to the nearest city
4. To mark only one designated school zone area

Correct answer: To warn of a hazard or changing road conditions. The diamond shape in yellow is the standard warning sign shape, used to alert drivers to hazards or unusual conditions ahead, such as curves or crossings.

Source: Texas Driver Handbook, PDF p.36, Diamond: exclusively to warn of existing or possible hazards

1. Any vehicle at all, regardless of time of day
2. Only large commercial trucks and delivery vans
3. Only vehicles traveling at the posted maximum speed
4. Only vehicles carrying enough occupants, as posted

Correct answer: Only vehicles carrying enough occupants, as posted. HOV lanes are reserved for vehicles meeting a minimum occupancy requirement (or other qualifying condition), as posted on nearby signs.

Source: Texas Driver Handbook, Ch6 Turning p.39 (HOV Preferential Lane)

1. Speed up so that the pass finishes more quickly
2. Maintain your speed and let them complete the pass
3. Move left closer toward the center line
4. Flash your high beams on and off repeatedly

Correct answer: Maintain your speed and let them complete the pass. Speeding up while being passed makes the maneuver longer and more dangerous for the passing driver; holding your speed helps them finish safely.

Source: California Driver Handbook, Vehicle Positioning-Passing/Being Passed p.78

1. It has absolutely no effect at all on driving until a BAC reaches the full legal limit
2. It slows reaction time and makes judging the speed and distance of vehicles harder
3. It only affects a driver's night vision and has no real impact on daytime driving at all
4. It actually improves reaction time by making the driver feel more alert

Correct answer: It slows reaction time and makes judging the speed and distance of vehicles harder. Alcohol is a depressant that slows the brain's processing speed, so a driver reacts later to hazards and misjudges how fast other vehicles are approaching.

Source: California Driver Handbook, Alcohol and Drugs-Alcohol/Drugs and Driving Is Dangerous p.100 - 'Impaired judgment...affects how you react to sounds and what you see.'

1. Park there anyway if it's only for a few minutes.
2. Park there if no one else is around.
3. Look for a different, unrestricted parking spot.
4. It's fine as long as you leave your hazard lights on.

Correct answer: Look for a different, unrestricted parking spot.. A marked accessible parking space is reserved for vehicles with the required placard or plate; without one, a driver should park in a different, unrestricted spot.

Source: California Driver Handbook, Parking-Illegal Parking p.68-77

1. Until reaching the height or weight limit set by the seat's manufacturer
2. Until their first birthday has fully passed, according to Maryland's own law
3. Until they are old enough to talk in full clear sentences
4. Until they weigh at least 50 pounds, per state law requirements

Correct answer: Until reaching the height or weight limit set by the seat's manufacturer. The rear-facing requirement lasts until the child reaches the manufacturer's stated height or weight limit.

Source: Maryland Driver Handbook, p.52, Child Safety Seats

1. To make room for street cleaning equipment
2. Because it is required on every road with more than two lanes
3. To separate cars from bicycles during rush hour
4. To give more lanes to the direction with heavier traffic at that time of day

Correct answer: To give more lanes to the direction with heavier traffic at that time of day. Reversible lanes let a road allocate more capacity to whichever direction has heavier traffic during morning or evening rush hour.

Source: Florida Driver Handbook, PDF p.54, Reversible Lanes: direction of traffic is normally reversed at set times