South Dakota Safe Driving practice test

Practice following distance, weather, night driving and sharing the road: 73 questions based on the South Dakota Driver's License Manual, 22 of them on South Dakota's own rules.

Key South Dakota facts: Safe Driving

Sample Safe Driving questions

How much light must the windshield and front side windows let through when adhesive film or tint is added?

  • No less than 35 percent
  • No less than 20 percent
  • No less than 70 percent
  • No less than 5 percent
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No less than 35 percent

The rear windows have a lower limit of 20 percent, and both limits allow an enforcement tolerance of 9 percent.

Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual (revised 11/2024), Before You Drive, Inspecting Your Vehicle, Windshield & Windows, PDF p. 24; SDCL 32-15-2.4, SDCL 32-15-2.4

You place a penny headfirst in a tire groove and can see all of Lincoln's head. What does this tell you?

  • The tire is out of balance and needs a rotation
  • The tire is overinflated and needs air let out
  • The tread is too worn, so replace the tire
  • The tire has enough tread to drive in winter
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The tread is too worn, so replace the tire

If the tread reaches at least to the top of the head, the tire passes the test.

Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual (revised 11/2024), Before You Drive, Inspecting Your Vehicle, PDF p. 23

You drive onto a closed road during a snowstorm and get stuck. What can happen to you?

  • You may get a ticket and be charged for the cost of rescue
  • Crews will always reach you right away at no charge to you
  • The state will pay for towing your vehicle out
  • Nothing, since road closures are only advisory warnings
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You may get a ticket and be charged for the cost of rescue

Emergency services may not be able to reach you quickly in a storm.

Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual (revised 11/2024), Special Driving Situations, Winter Driving Safety Tips, PDF p. 67

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About these questions

We wrote these practice questions from the facts in the South Dakota Driver's License Manual (Driver's License Manual (English), South Dakota Department of Public Safety, Driver Licensing Program; 72 PDF pages, the last page says 'REVISED 11/2024' (PDF file metadata: created 2025-12-02, modified 2026-06-30); linked as 'Driver's License Manual - English' on the DPS page South Dakota Driver License and Motorcycle Manuals (https://www.sd.gov/dps?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0043733), read 2026-11-10. Page numbers cited are PDF pages, which equal the printed page numbers. PDF pp. 15-16 (blood stem cell and organ donor pages) and 69-70 (office lists) were not used. The manual has no speed-limit, insurance-minimum or crash-reporting-threshold sections, so those rules come from South Dakota Codified Laws read on sdlegislature.gov on 2026-11-10 (Titles 22, 32, 35 and ARSD 61:06:01:06); the section lists showed no amendment after SL 2025. Handbook statements that differ from or go beyond current law and how they were handled: (1) rural-highway parking (PDF p. 43: 15 feet of road width, visible 500 feet) differs from SDCL 32-30-2 (20 feet clear width, clear view from 200 feet); not tested, and the owner may want to note it; (2) first-offense DWI penalty text (PDF p. 20: fine $300-$1,000, 15-365 days in jail, license loss 90-365 days) differs from SDCL 32-23-2 (Class 1 misdemeanor, court must revoke at least 30 days, up to one year in jail and $2,000); questions use the statute and the 30-day minimum the manual also gives; (3) zero tolerance (PDF p. 20: 'second or subsequent' 180 days) differs from SDCL 32-23-21 (one year for a third or later offense); only first and second offenses are tested; (4) phones (PDF p. 19 lists texting, reading texts and social networking) is narrower than SDCL 32-26-47.1 (any mobile electronic device, Class 2 misdemeanor, exceptions for calls, emergencies, navigation and hands-free use); questions follow the statute; (5) the instruction permit section (PDF p. 8) omits the SDCL 32-12-11 rule that between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. a parent or guardian must sit beside the holder; a question uses the statute; (6) the restricted permit section (PDF p. 8) omits the SDCL 32-12-12.5 limit of one non-family passenger under 18 after six months; questions use the statute and the DPS teen page; (7) school buses (PDF p. 43 says always stop for red lights) omits SDCL 32-32-6 details (stop at least 15 feet away, amber lights mean 15 mph or less on roads with fewer than two lanes each way, no stop for a bus on the other side of a road with two or more lanes each way); questions use the statute; (8) following distance is a minimum of 4 seconds in the manual (PDF p. 51) but the DPS teen page tip says to teach the three-second rule, so following_seconds uses the manual and is noted; (9) large-truck stopping distance is 290 feet (PDF p. 62) and 335 feet (PDF p. 63), so it is not tested; (10) the 200-foot distance behind snowplows (PDF p. 67) and the 500-foot U-turn sight distance (PDF p. 39) were not found in the statutes read, so they are not tested; (11) the manual is silent on left turn on red, which SDCL 32-28-4.1 leaves to city ordinance for one-way-to-one-way turns; a question uses the statute. Fees (PDF p. 7), points (PDF p. 14), window tint (PDF p. 24) and move-over (PDF p. 2) match the statutes. edition) and from official sources on road signs. Every answer links to its source, so you can check it and read more.

DMV Decoded is an independent guide, not a government agency. This practice test is not connected to the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, Driver Licensing Program, and your actual test will have different questions. Study the handbook, and check the agency's website for current rules.