Written Drivers Test Study (Washington State)

• A median is when a highway is divided into two or more roadways. It is illegal to drive within, over, or across the space. This separation can be an open space, a highway divider, or a median island. It can also be formed either by 18-inch solid yellow pavement markings or by yellow crosshatchings between two solid yellow lines.
• The acronym SMOG stands for signal, mirror, over the shoulder, go. You should SMOG when making any lateral maneuver left or right.
• Two-way left turn lanes are shared center lanes reserved for vehicles making left turns in either direction from or into the roadway (or u-turns when they are permitted). These lanes cannot be used for passing and cannot be used for travel further than 300 feet. On the pavement, left turn arrows for traffic in one direction alternate with left turn arrows for traffic coming from the other direction. These lanes are marked on each side by a solid yellow and dashed yellow lines. Enter the lane only when it is safe to do so.
• When backing the car, your left hand should be on the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position. The way you move your hand is the way that the rear of the vehicle will move. Look in the direction the car is moving through the rear side windows.
• To safely exit a parallel parking space, look over your right shoulder for visibility and reverse to the end of your parking space. Then, shift your car to drive, turn your steering wheel to the left and begin to enter the traffic lane when it's clear.
• When stopped behind another car, you should be able to see the rear tires of the car to maintain a safe distance.
• You should go 25 MPH or less around 90-degree turns.
• A roundabout is an intersection control device with traffic circulating around an island. Approaching vehicles must yield to the traffic in the circle. Always yield to pedestrians and bicyclists who are legally crossing the road. Inside the circle, always drive around the circle to the right.
• The "like lane" principle dictates driving in the left lane only. It remains the same when turning onto a one-way street.
• The law says who must YIELD the right-of-way, it does not give anyone the right-of-way. Failure to yield right of way is the number one citation in city collisions. You must do everything you can to prevent striking a pedestrian, on foot or in a wheelchair, a bicyclist, or another vehicle, regardless of the circumstances.
• You should be ready to yield to pedestrians in case they step into your path. A pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than in a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection must yield the right-of-way to all vehicles on the roadway.
• Pedestrians and bicyclists have the right-of-way at crosswalks and intersections whether the crosswalk is marked or not. Drivers must yield where necessary to avoid striking pedestrians and bicyclists who are crossing the road.
• Who goes first: cars turning left, right, or straight?
• You should slow down if you identify an uncontrolled intersection.
• Having a higher center of gravity on your car increases the danger of rolling over.
• A long downhill stretch would cause you to speed up.
• The default speed limits in school zones, city streets, and highways are 20, 25, and 60.
• Distracted driving is any activity that takes a person's attention away from the primary task of driving, sometimes referred to as "intentional blindness." All distractions endanger the driver, passengers, and others who share the road, including pedestrians.
• Some distractions include:

  • Using a personal electronic device
  • Eating or drinking
  • Talking to passengers
  • Grooming
  • Reading, including maps and navigation systems
  • Watching a video while driving
  • Adjusting vehicle controls

  The minimum fine for violating one or more of these restrictions is $124 and can be more if you cause a crash. Second and all subsequent violations are subject to have the fine doubled.
• Legal reasons to talk on the phone/text while driving

  • Reporting an illegal activity
  • Summoning medical or other emergency help
  • Preventing injury to a person or property
  • Operating an authorized emergency vehicle
  • Relaying information between a transit or for-hire operator and that operator's dispatcher using a device permanently affixed to the vehicle
  • Using a voice-operated global positioning or navigation system permanently affixed to the vehicle that allows the user to send or receive messages without diverting visual attention from the road or engaging the use of either hand
  • Operating a tow truck responding to a disabled vehicle
  • Operating a citizen's band or two-way radio, or an amateur radio under a Federal Communications Commission license
• When you see other drivers around you acting or reacting in anger, distance yourself from the situation, physically and mentally. Don't make eye contact. Body movements and gestures can provoke an angry response from another driver. Slow down, move over, or do whatever you safely can, to put yourself out of danger. Your courtesy may encourage the same from other drivers.
• You must stop for a school bus that is stopped with its red lights flashing whether it is on your side of the road, the opposite side of the road, or at an intersection you are approaching. You are not required to stop for a stopped school bud with red lights flashing when the stopped school bus is traveling in the opposite direction and the roadway:

  • Has three or more marked traffic lanes
  • Is separated by a median
  • Is separated by a physical barrier

  You should never pass a stopped school bus on the right-hand side.
• Fines are doubled for anyone that passes a stopped school bus. The penalty for failing to stop for a stopped school bus may not be waived, reduced, or suspended.
• You must yield the right-of-way to a police vehicle, fire engine, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle using a siren, air horn, or a red or blue flashing light. Pull over to the right edge of the road, or as near to the right as possible, and stop when you see or hear an emergency vehicle approaching from any direction. If you are in an intersection, drive through the intersection before you pull over. If the light is red, stay where you are. Follow any instruction given over the emergency vehicle's loudspeaker.