Utah permit practice test

Sharing the road

Cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists, road crews and wheelchair users all have legal standing on Utah roads. These are the rules most licensed adults get wrong.

1. How much clearance must a Utah driver give when passing a person on a bicycle?

   1. At least 3 feet
   2. At least 1 foot
   3. Whatever seems safe at the time
   4. A full lane change is always required

   Answer: At least 3 feet

   Utah Code 41-6a-706.5 makes it an offense to knowingly, intentionally or recklessly operate a motor vehicle within three feet of a vulnerable user of a highway. Note there is no "unless it seems safe" exception in the statute — some widely-cited summaries add one, but the current text does not.

   Utah Code 41-6a-706.5 · effective 2026-05-06

2. Utah's three-foot passing law protects a "vulnerable user of a highway." Which of these is NOT covered?

   1. A person in a manual wheelchair
   2. A road construction worker in the right-of-way
   3. A motorcyclist
   4. A driver in an enclosed pickup truck

   Answer: A driver in an enclosed pickup truck

   The statute lists fifteen categories, including pedestrians, road workers and emergency responders within the right-of-way, people riding animals, skateboards, bicycles, e-bikes, mopeds, scooters, motorcycles, manual wheelchairs and golf carts. This is not only a bicycle law — an enclosed motor vehicle is the one thing on this list it does not cover.

   Utah Code 41-6a-706.5(1) · effective 2026-05-06

3. Passing too closely to a vulnerable user is normally an infraction. What does it become if it causes bodily injury?

   1. It stays an infraction
   2. A felony
   3. A class C misdemeanor
   4. A written warning only

   Answer: A class C misdemeanor

   Subsection (3) makes a violation an infraction in general, but a class C misdemeanor when it results in bodily injury to the vulnerable user.

   Utah Code 41-6a-706.5(3) · effective 2026-05-06

4. Utah's vulnerable user law prohibits more than just passing too closely. Which of these is also a violation?

   1. Revving an engine to blow exhaust at a cyclist
   2. Sounding your horn once to signal you are approaching
   3. Crossing into the opposite lane to pass when it is clear
   4. Staying behind a cyclist instead of passing

   Answer: Revving an engine to blow exhaust at a cyclist

   Subsection (2) also prohibits distracting or attempting to distract a vulnerable user for the purpose of causing violence or injury, forcing or attempting to force one off the roadway for a purpose unrelated to public safety, and causing a vehicle to emit an excessive amount of exhaust in a manner that distracts or endangers them. The other three options describe lawful, and in most cases courteous, driving.

   Utah Code 41-6a-706.5(2) · effective 2026-05-06

5. A cyclist ahead of you is riding in the middle of a narrow lane instead of hugging the curb. Is that legal?

   1. No — cyclists must always stay as far right as possible
   2. Yes — a cyclist may leave the right edge when the lane is too narrow to share safely
   3. Only if there is no bike lane anywhere in the city
   4. Only between sunrise and sunset

   Answer: Yes — a cyclist may leave the right edge when the lane is too narrow to share safely

   41-6a-1105(1) requires riding as near as practicable to the right-hand edge, but lists explicit exceptions: passing, preparing to turn left, going straight where a right-turn-only lane conflicts, and avoiding hazards — expressly including "a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side." Taking the lane in that situation is the cyclist following the law, not breaking it.

   Utah Code 41-6a-1105(1) · effective 2021-05-05

6. Two cyclists are riding side by side in the same lane. Under Utah law, this is:

   1. Always illegal on a public roadway
   2. Legal only on roads posted under 25 mph
   3. Legal, as long as they stay within a single lane and don't impede traffic
   4. Legal only if both are wearing helmets

   Answer: Legal, as long as they stay within a single lane and don't impede traffic

   41-6a-1105(3) permits riding two abreast. Riders may not go more than two abreast, must stay within a single lane, and may not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic — but two side by side is lawful.

   Utah Code 41-6a-1105(3) · effective 2021-05-05

7. You watch a cyclist slow at a stop sign, yield to cross traffic, then roll through without a full stop. Under Utah law:

   1. That is always a citable violation
   2. It is legal only for riders under 18
   3. It is legal only in a marked bike lane
   4. That is legal — Utah allows a cyclist to treat a stop sign as a yield

   Answer: That is legal — Utah allows a cyclist to treat a stop sign as a yield

   Utah has a stop-as-yield rule for bicycles. A rider approaching a stop sign may proceed without stopping if they slow to a reasonable speed and yield to pedestrians in the intersection or crosswalk, other traffic in the intersection, and oncoming traffic close enough to be an immediate hazard. It does not apply at an active railroad grade crossing — and it does not apply to you in a car.

   Utah Code 41-6a-1105(5) · effective 2021-05-05

8. Which direction must a person riding a bicycle on a Utah highway travel?

   1. Against traffic, so they can see oncoming cars
   2. With traffic, in the designated direction
   3. Either direction, at the rider's discretion
   4. Against traffic only when there is no shoulder

   Answer: With traffic, in the designated direction

   41-6a-1105(2) requires a bicycle or moped on a highway to operate in the designated direction of traffic. Riding against traffic is a common misconception carried over from the rule for pedestrians walking on a road without a sidewalk.

   Utah Code 41-6a-1105(2) · effective 2021-05-05

Teen driver restrictions

Utah's Graduated Driver License rules for licensed 16- and 17-year-olds — the curfew, the passenger limit, and the exceptions families miss.

Read the full guide: Utah teen driver restrictions

1. A licensed 17-year-old in Utah generally may not drive between which hours?

   1. 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
   2. Midnight and 5 a.m.
   3. 11 p.m. and 4 a.m.
   4. There is no time restriction once licensed

   Answer: Midnight and 5 a.m.

   Utah's Graduated Driver License program bars licensed drivers aged 16 and 17 from driving between midnight and 5 a.m., with five exceptions: accompanied by a licensed driver 21 or older, going to or from work, an emergency, agricultural operations, or a school-sponsored activity.

   Utah DLD — Teen Driver Restrictions

2. A 16-year-old was licensed last week. Who may ride with them?

   1. Any two passengers under 18
   2. Anyone, as long as it is daytime
   3. Immediate family only, with narrow exceptions
   4. One friend, plus family

   Answer: Immediate family only, with narrow exceptions

   For the first 6 months of licensure or until age 18, whichever comes first, passengers are limited to immediate family. The exceptions are a licensed driver 21 or older in the passenger seat, agricultural operations, or responding to an emergency. Friends are the specific thing this rule excludes.

   Utah DLD — Teen Driver Restrictions

3. The passenger restriction lasts for the first six months of licensure — or until what?

   1. Until age 18
   2. Until age 19
   3. Until age 21
   4. It always lasts a full six months

   Answer: Until age 18

   Whichever comes first. A teen licensed a month before turning 18 is out from under the restriction on their birthday, not six months later.

   Utah DLD — Teen Driver Restrictions

4. Which of these does NOT excuse a 16-year-old from Utah's nighttime driving restriction?

   1. Driving home from a shift at work
   2. Driving home from a friend's house
   3. Driving to a school-sponsored activity
   4. Responding to an emergency

   Answer: Driving home from a friend's house

   Work, school-sponsored activities, emergencies, agricultural operations, and being accompanied by a licensed driver 21 or older are the listed exceptions. Social driving is not among them — which is precisely the situation the curfew exists to address.

   Utah DLD — Teen Driver Restrictions

5. Both teen restrictions can be lifted by having a supervising adult in the car. How old must that person be?

   1. 18 or older
   2. A licensed driver 21 or older
   3. 25 or older
   4. Any licensed adult

   Answer: A licensed driver 21 or older

   Both the curfew and the passenger rule name a licensed driver 21 or older. For the passenger restriction that person must be in the passenger seat specifically, not anywhere in the vehicle.

   Utah DLD — Teen Driver Restrictions

School zones

The 20 mph limit is real, but it does not apply all day — and when it does apply is the part most licensed drivers have wrong.

1. What is the maximum speed in a Utah reduced speed school zone?

   1. 25 miles per hour
   2. 20 miles per hour
   3. 15 miles per hour
   4. 30 miles per hour

   Answer: 20 miles per hour

   Utah Code 41-6a-604 sets 20 miles per hour as the maximum in a reduced speed school zone.

   Utah Code 41-6a-604 · effective 2018-05-08

2. You drive past a school at 9 p.m. The school zone sign's warning lights are dark. Does the reduced limit apply?

   1. No — a reduced speed school zone exists only while the warning lights are operating
   2. Yes — it applies twenty-four hours a day
   3. Yes — it applies any time school is in session that year
   4. Only on weekdays, regardless of the lights

   Answer: No — a reduced speed school zone exists only while the warning lights are operating

   The statute defines a reduced speed school zone as the stretch running from a school zone speed limit sign with warning lights operating to an end school zone sign. No operating lights, no reduced speed zone. Ordinary care near a school still applies.

   Utah Code 41-6a-303(1) · effective 2018-05-08

3. When are the warning lights on a school zone sign permitted to operate?

   1. Whenever the school district chooses
   2. Continuously through the school year
   3. While children are going to or leaving school during opening and closing hours
   4. Only during standardized testing weeks

   Answer: While children are going to or leaving school during opening and closing hours

   Subsection (4) requires the lights to operate while children are going to or leaving school during opening and closing hours, and subsection (5) forbids operating them at any other time. The lights are meant to mark the actual risk window.

   Utah Code 41-6a-303(4)-(5) · effective 2018-05-08

4. An active reduced speed school zone at an elementary school must also have what?

   1. A speed camera
   2. A police vehicle parked nearby
   3. A school crossing guard present
   4. A temporary barrier

   Answer: A school crossing guard present

   For an elementary school, the law requires a school crossing guard to be present whenever the reduced speed school zone is active. Local highway authorities may instead provide shuttle service across the highway.

   Utah Code 41-6a-303(4)(b) · effective 2018-05-08

5. Where a school crosswalk is established at a signalized intersection, a local highway authority may do what?

   1. Close the intersection during school hours
   2. Reduce the speed limit at that intersection to 20 miles per hour
   3. Require all drivers to stop regardless of the signal
   4. Ban left turns permanently

   Answer: Reduce the speed limit at that intersection to 20 miles per hour

   Subsection (6)(b) lets a local highway authority reduce the limit to 20 miles per hour at a signalized intersection with an established school crosswalk, on a highway under its jurisdiction.

   Utah Code 41-6a-303(6)(b) · effective 2018-05-08

Phones and distraction

Utah is not a full hands-free state, and the line between what is allowed and what is not surprises almost everyone.

1. Is holding a phone to your ear for a voice call legal while driving in Utah?

   1. No — Utah is a full hands-free state
   2. Yes — the statute expressly excepts voice communication
   3. Only on roads posted under 35 miles per hour
   4. Only for drivers over 21

   Answer: Yes — the statute expressly excepts voice communication

   This is the most commonly misstated fact about Utah driving law. 41-6a-1716(3)(a) expressly permits using a wireless communication device for voice communication. Utah restricts manual manipulation of the device, not talking on it.

   Utah Code 41-6a-1716(3)(a) · effective 2022-05-04

2. Voice calls are allowed. What about manually dialing the number while the car is moving?

   1. Also allowed, since the call itself is legal
   2. Allowed only while stopped at a red light
   3. Allowed if it takes under three seconds
   4. Prohibited — dialing a phone number is listed as a banned manual action

   Answer: Prohibited — dialing a phone number is listed as a banned manual action

   The statute bans manually dialing a phone number alongside texting, emailing, accessing the internet, recording video, taking photographs and entering data. Talking is fine; getting the call started by hand is not. Voice-operated and vehicle-integrated systems are excepted.

   Utah Code 41-6a-1716(2)(a)(ii) · effective 2022-05-04

3. Can you look at a navigation app on your phone while driving in Utah?

   1. Yes — viewing a navigation device or application is an express exception
   2. No — any screen use is banned
   3. Only if the phone is mounted
   4. Only outside city limits

   Answer: Yes — viewing a navigation device or application is an express exception

   Subsection (3)(b) expressly permits viewing a global positioning or navigation device or application. Note the limit: viewing is excepted, but entering a destination by hand is still data entry under subsection (2).

   Utah Code 41-6a-1716(3)(b) · effective 2022-05-04

4. Utah's law covers a "wireless communication device." Which of these is NOT one under the statute?

   1. A tablet or laptop computer
   2. A two-way radio of the kind licensed under federal rules
   3. A device used to display a video
   4. A cellular phone

   Answer: A two-way radio of the kind licensed under federal rules

   The definition sweeps in phones, tablets, laptops, GPS receivers and video display devices, but expressly excludes two-way radio devices described in 47 C.F.R. Part 90, 95 or 97 and their functional equivalents.

   Utah Code 41-6a-1716(1)(a) · effective 2022-05-04

5. Which of these is an express exception to Utah's device restrictions?

   1. Changing a song on a streaming app
   2. Checking a message at a stop sign
   3. Reporting a safety hazard or requesting assistance for one
   4. Any use lasting under five seconds

   Answer: Reporting a safety hazard or requesting assistance for one

   The listed exceptions are a medical emergency, reporting a safety hazard or requesting assistance for one, reporting criminal activity or requesting assistance for it, use by law enforcement or emergency personnel on duty, and hands-free or vehicle-integrated systems. There is no general short-duration exception.

   Utah Code 41-6a-1716(3)(c)-(e) · effective 2022-05-04

6. A first offense under Utah's device law is normally a class C misdemeanor. What makes it a class B?

   1. Causing serious bodily injury, or a prior conviction within three years
   2. Driving over the speed limit at the same time
   3. Being under 18
   4. Refusing to hand over the phone

   Answer: Causing serious bodily injury, or a prior conviction within three years

   The offense rises to a class B misdemeanor if the driver inflicted serious bodily injury as a proximate result, or has a prior conviction under the section within three years.

   Utah Code 41-6a-1716(4) · effective 2022-05-04

School buses

Red means stop, amber means slow — and there are three situations where you may legally keep going. Utah's penalties here are among the heaviest for a non-DUI traffic offense.

1. A school bus ahead of you switches on alternating flashing red lights. What must you do?

   1. Slow to 20 miles per hour and continue
   2. Stop immediately before reaching the bus and wait until the red lights stop
   3. Change lanes and pass carefully
   4. Sound your horn and proceed

   Answer: Stop immediately before reaching the bus and wait until the red lights stop

   Flashing red means stop immediately before reaching the bus, and you may not proceed until the red signals cease operating. The bus driver is only allowed to run them while loading or unloading children, or in an emergency.

   Utah Code 41-6a-1302(2)(b) · effective 2024-05-01

2. The bus is displaying flashing amber lights, not red. What does the law require?

   1. A full stop, the same as red
   2. Nothing — amber has no legal meaning
   3. Slow down; you may pass with due care at no more than the school zone speed
   4. Stop only if children are visible

   Answer: Slow down; you may pass with due care at no more than the school zone speed

   Amber is the warning phase. You must slow the vehicle and may proceed past the bus using due care and caution, at a speed no greater than the school zone limit.

   Utah Code 41-6a-1302(2)(a) · effective 2024-05-01

3. You are travelling the opposite direction from a stopped school bus with red lights flashing, on a road with five lanes including a centre turn lane. Must you stop?

   1. No — on a highway of five or more lanes, opposing traffic need not stop
   2. Yes — opposing traffic always stops
   3. Only if you can see children crossing
   4. Only during school hours

   Answer: No — on a highway of five or more lanes, opposing traffic need not stop

   One of three exceptions for traffic travelling the opposite direction: a divided highway, a bus stopped at an intersection controlled by a traffic signal or peace officer, or a highway of five or more lanes — which may include a left-turn or two-way left-turn lane. Traffic behind the bus stops regardless.

   Utah Code 41-6a-1302(3)(c) · effective 2024-05-01

4. Which of these does NOT excuse you from stopping for a bus with flashing red lights?

   1. You are on a divided highway going the other way
   2. You are directly behind the bus in the same direction
   3. The bus is stopped at an intersection controlled by a peace officer
   4. The bus is stopped at a signal-controlled intersection and you are going the other way

   Answer: You are directly behind the bus in the same direction

   Every exception in the statute applies only to a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction. If you are behind the bus, going the same way, you stop — no exception applies.

   Utah Code 41-6a-1302(3) · effective 2024-05-01

5. What is the minimum penalty for a first offense of illegally passing a stopped school bus in Utah?

   1. A warning for a first offense
   2. A fine of 250 dollars
   3. A fine of 1,000 dollars and 10 hours of compensatory service
   4. Immediate license suspension

   Answer: A fine of 1,000 dollars and 10 hours of compensatory service

   It is a class C misdemeanor with a minimum of a 1,000 dollar fine and 10 hours of compensatory service for a first offense, rising to 2,000 dollars and 20 hours for a second within five years, and 3,000 dollars and 40 hours for a third.

   Utah Code 41-6a-1302(6)(a) · effective 2024-05-01

6. What does Utah law require of a school bus itself whenever it is being operated on a highway?

   1. Its hazard lights must be on
   2. Its headlights must be lighted
   3. It must travel below 45 miles per hour
   4. It must stop at every railroad crossing regardless of signals

   Answer: Its headlights must be lighted

   Subsection (5) requires the headlights of a school bus to be lighted whenever it is operated on a highway. Violating it is an infraction with a fifty dollar fine.

   Utah Code 41-6a-1302(5) · effective 2024-05-01

Parking and stopping

Utah Code 41-6a-1401 sets four different distances for four different things in the same subsection — a fire hydrant, a crosswalk, a signal, a railroad crossing. Mixing them up is the single most common way this category gets missed.

1. How close to a stop sign, yield sign, or flashing signal at the side of the road may you stand or park?

   1. Not within 30 feet upon the approach to it
   2. Not within 10 feet
   3. Not within 50 feet
   4. Anywhere, as long as the engine is off

   Answer: Not within 30 feet upon the approach to it

   41-6a-1401(1)(b) bars standing or parking within 30 feet upon the approach to any flashing signal, stop sign, yield sign, or traffic-control signal located at the side of a roadway. The same subsection sets different distances for different things nearby: 15 feet from a fire hydrant, 20 feet from a crosswalk, and — under a separate paragraph — 50 feet from the nearest rail of a railroad crossing.

   Utah Code 41-6a-1401(1)(b)(iv) · effective 2025-05-07

2. How close to a fire hydrant may you stand or park, other than momentarily to pick up or drop off a passenger?

   1. Within 15 feet
   2. Not within 15 feet
   3. Not within 30 feet
   4. There is no set distance

   Answer: Not within 15 feet

   41-6a-1401(1)(b)(ii) bars standing or parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, except momentarily to pick up or discharge a passenger. Thirty feet is the distance for a different thing entirely — the approach to a flashing signal or stop sign.

   Utah Code 41-6a-1401(1)(b)(ii) · effective 2025-05-07

3. You need to load or unload cargo near a railroad crossing. How close to the nearest rail may you park to do it?

   1. Not within 50 feet
   2. Not within 20 feet
   3. Not within 15 feet
   4. Loading is never allowed near a crossing

   Answer: Not within 50 feet

   41-6a-1401(1)(c)(i) allows parking to load or unload only outside 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing. Standing or parking on the tracks themselves is separately prohibited outright under Subsection (1)(a)(viii), with no loading exception.

   Utah Code 41-6a-1401(1)(c)(i) · effective 2025-05-07

Right-of-way

Who goes first at an intersection with no signal, and what to do when an emergency vehicle approaches — two situations every new driver meets long before a test.

1. Two vehicles reach an intersection with no traffic-control device from different roads at approximately the same time. Who yields?

   1. The vehicle on the left yields to the vehicle on the right
   2. The vehicle on the right yields to the vehicle on the left
   3. Whichever vehicle is larger has the right-of-way
   4. Whoever arrived first, even by a moment, always has the right-of-way

   Answer: The vehicle on the left yields to the vehicle on the right

   41-6a-901(2) puts the duty on the operator of the vehicle on the left to yield to the vehicle on the right, when vehicles arrive at approximately the same time at an intersection that has no traffic-control device, has an inoperative signal, or is stop-controlled from all directions. Subsection (3) adds two more rules for an unregulated intersection: a road that does not continue beyond the intersection yields to the through road, and an unpaved road yields to a paved one.

   Utah Code 41-6a-901(2) · effective 2015-05-12

2. An emergency vehicle approaches from behind with lights and siren on. What must you do?

   1. Move as close as possible to the right-hand edge or curb, clear of any intersection, and stop
   2. Speed up to clear the intersection before it arrives
   3. Stop immediately wherever you are
   4. Continue at the same speed if you are already in the right lane

   Answer: Move as close as possible to the right-hand edge or curb, clear of any intersection, and stop

   41-6a-904(1) requires yielding the right-of-way and moving to a position parallel to, and as close as possible to, the right-hand edge or curb, clear of any intersection, then stopping and remaining stopped until the emergency vehicle has passed. Stopping in place, mid-intersection or mid-lane, is exactly what the statute tells you not to do.

   Utah Code 41-6a-904(1) · effective 2023-05-03

Speed limits

Utah's default speed limits when no sign is posted, and the one rule that overrides all of them regardless of the number.

1. No speed limit sign is posted on a city street in Utah. What is the lawful speed?

   1. 25 miles per hour in any urban district
   2. 20 miles per hour
   3. 35 miles per hour
   4. There is no limit without a posted sign

   Answer: 25 miles per hour in any urban district

   41-6a-601(2) sets three prima facie limits when no sign is posted: 20 miles per hour in a reduced speed school zone, 25 miles per hour in any urban district, and 55 miles per hour in other locations. Subsection (1) still separately requires a speed that is reasonable and prudent for the conditions, regardless of which of these applies.

   Utah Code 41-6a-601(2)(b) · effective 2022-05-04

2. The posted speed limit is 55. Heavy snow is falling and visibility is poor. What speed does Utah law require?

   1. Whatever is reasonable and prudent for the actual conditions, which may be well under 55
   2. Exactly 55, since that is the posted limit
   3. At least 45, to keep pace with traffic
   4. There is no requirement beyond the posted sign

   Answer: Whatever is reasonable and prudent for the actual conditions, which may be well under 55

   41-6a-601(1) makes the posted or prima facie limit a ceiling, not a target: a driver may not operate at a speed greater than reasonable and prudent under existing conditions, and Subsection (3) makes any speed above the posted limit prima facie evidence of an unlawful speed — but driving at the limit itself can still be unlawful if conditions call for slower.

   Utah Code 41-6a-601(1) · effective 2022-05-04