40 practice questions with answers

At a yellow light, you may keep going even if you can stop safely before the stop position.

Answer: × Yellow means stop: a vehicle must not go past the stop position. Only if the light turns yellow when you are already so close that you cannot stop safely may you continue.

If the light turns yellow when you are already close to the stop position and cannot stop safely, you may continue through.

Answer: ○ Even at a yellow light you may continue, as an exception, if you are already close to the stop position and cannot stop safely. This avoids a sudden hard stop that could cause a rear-end collision.

Where a 'no entry for vehicles' sign (a white horizontal bar on a red background) is posted, vehicles must not enter the road from the side where the sign stands.

Answer: ○ This sign prohibits vehicles from entering from the side where it stands. It is often placed at the exit end of a one-way road to stop vehicles entering against the flow.

On a road with a 'no vehicles' sign, pedestrians must not pass either.

Answer: × The 'no vehicles' sign closes the road to vehicles only; pedestrians may still pass. The plain 'closed to traffic' sign also stops pedestrians.

When there are two lanes in the same direction, you must use the left lane.

Answer: ○ With two lanes in one direction, the left lane is the basic lane; the right lane is for overtaking.

When there are three or more lanes in one direction and no lane designation, you need not leave the rightmost lane free for overtaking and may keep driving in it.

Answer: × With three or more lanes, the rightmost lane should be kept free for overtaking and the other lanes used.

At an intersection with no signal or other traffic control, where you are not on a priority road and the view to left and right is blocked, you must slow down (jokō).

Answer: ○ Jokō, a speed at which you can stop immediately, is required at such blind intersections.

After stopping at a 'stop' sign, you have the right of way over vehicles on the crossing road.

Answer: × Even after stopping, you must not obstruct vehicles on the crossing road.

When turning right at an intersection, you must move as close as possible to the centre of the road beforehand and drive slowly just inside the centre of the intersection.

Answer: ○ Turn through the area just inside the centre of the intersection.

When turning right, if your car has entered the intersection first, oncoming straight-ahead vehicles must give way.

Answer: × A right-turning car must not obstruct oncoming straight or left-turning vehicles, even if it entered first.

You must not change lanes or pass alongside another vehicle in order to overtake it on a pedestrian crossing or within 30 metres before it.

Answer: ○ A pedestrian crossing (and a cycle crossing) and the 30 metres before it are no-overtaking zones, so that drivers do not miss pedestrians.

You may overtake the vehicle ahead even when it is about to move to the right in order to turn right.

Answer: × You must not overtake a vehicle ahead that is about to move to the right to turn right.

"Jokō" (slow driving) means driving at a speed at which you can stop immediately.

Answer: ○ Driving slowly (徐行) means going at a speed at which the vehicle can stop at once.

On an ordinary road with no speed sign, no centre line, no lane markings and no physical separation of the two directions, the legal maximum speed for a car is 60 km/h.

Answer: × Since 1 September 2026 the legal speed for cars on such roads is 30 km/h. The 60 km/h limit applies to roads with a centre line or lane markings, and similar roads.

When a driver is tired, it takes longer to notice danger and decide, so the reaction distance gets longer.

Answer: ○ Fatigue slows reactions, so the car travels farther before the brakes begin to work.

If speed doubles, braking distance also doubles.

Answer: × Braking distance increases with the square of the speed, so doubling the speed makes it four times longer.

When approaching a pedestrian crossing, unless it is clear that nobody is going to cross, you must slow down so that you can stop before it.

Answer: ○ Unless it is clear that no pedestrian will cross, reduce speed to one at which you can stop before the crossing.

Within 30 metres before a pedestrian crossing and at the crossing you must not overtake, but passing another vehicle is permitted.

Answer: × Within 30 metres before a pedestrian crossing (or cycle crossing), and at the crossing, both overtaking and passing another vehicle are prohibited.

At a flashing red light, a vehicle must stop at the stopping position.

Answer: ○ A flashing red light means stop at the stopping position, and do not obstruct vehicles on the crossing road.

At a flashing yellow light, a vehicle must stop at the stopping position.

Answer: × A flashing yellow light means you may proceed while paying attention to other traffic. A stop is required at a flashing red light.

Within 5 metres before and after a pedestrian crossing, parking is prohibited but a short stop is allowed.

Answer: × Not only parking but also stopping is prohibited at a pedestrian crossing and within 5 metres before and after it. Even a short stop is not allowed.

If the driver has left the vehicle and cannot drive it away immediately, the vehicle is parked, even if only for a short time.

Answer: ○ A vehicle whose driver has left it and cannot drive off at once is parked. It does not depend only on how long it stays.

At a railway crossing with a traffic light, you must still stop even when the light is green.

Answer: × At a crossing with a traffic light, you may cross by following the light. If it is green, you may go without stopping, but you must still check that it is safe.

If there is a stop line before a railway crossing, you must stop just before that line.

Answer: ○ When there is a stop line, stop just before it. Do not stop past the line.

On a one-way road, you must always move to the left, even if doing so would obstruct an emergency vehicle.

Answer: × On a one-way road, if moving left would obstruct the emergency vehicle, you must move to the right.

When a route bus stopped at a bus stop signals with its indicator that it is about to pull out, vehicles behind it must not obstruct it.

Answer: ○ The exception is when you would have to brake or swerve suddenly to avoid it.

When vehicles merge onto the main carriageway, the vehicles already on it must give way to the merging vehicle.

Answer: × A vehicle entering the main carriageway must not obstruct vehicles already travelling on it.

On the main carriageway of an expressway with no minimum speed sign, you must not normally drive slower than 50 km/h.

Answer: ○ The minimum speed on the main carriageway of an expressway without a sign is 50 km/h. The exceptions are when the law requires you to slow down, or when it is unavoidable to prevent danger.

Even in the daytime, you must turn on your headlights when driving through a tunnel or dense fog where you cannot see 50 metres ahead.

Answer: ○ On expressways, the figure is 200 metres.

At night, keep your headlights on high beam even when passing an oncoming vehicle, so that you can see pedestrians earlier.

Answer: × When passing an oncoming vehicle, or when following directly behind another vehicle, you must dim your headlights or switch to low beam.

When a child under 6 rides in your car, you must have the child use a child seat suited to the child's stage of growth, unless there is an unavoidable reason such as illness.

Answer: ○ A driver carrying a young child (under 6) must have the child use a child seat of a shape that suits the child's development.

If a parent or guardian holds the young child in their arms, the child does not need to use a child seat.

Answer: × A young child must be secured with a child seat that takes the place of the seat belt. Holding the child in your arms is not a substitute.

If nobody was hurt and only property was damaged, you do not have to report the accident to the police.

Answer: × You must report to the police not only the number of casualties and their injuries but also the extent of damage to property. Reporting is required even for property-damage-only accidents.

After an accident you must report the place, the number of casualties and their injuries, the extent of property damage and the cargo carried to the police, and follow their instructions.

Answer: ○ The report covers the date and place of the accident, the number of casualties and the degree of injuries, the extent of property damage, the cargo, and the measures taken.

A driver whose licence carries the condition "glasses etc. required" may drive without glasses for short distances.

Answer: × You must observe the conditions written on your licence, such as wearing glasses, regardless of the distance you drive.

A novice driver who has held an ordinary licence for less than one year must display the beginner driver mark at the specified places on the front and rear of the car.

Answer: ○ A novice driver whose ordinary licence is less than one year old puts the beginner driver mark at the specified positions on the front and rear of the car.

A child under 13 riding a normal bicycle may use the part of the sidewalk nearer to the roadway.

Answer: ○ Children under 13, people aged 70 or over, and people with physical disabilities may ride a normal bicycle on the roadway side of the sidewalk.

Even when a bicycle crossing is nearby, a bicycle may cross at the crosswalk without dismounting.

Answer: × When a cyclist wants to cross a road and there is a bicycle crossing nearby, the cyclist must use that bicycle crossing.

It is fine to load so that the turn signals or number plate are hard to see from outside, as long as driving is not affected.

Answer: × You must not load in a way that interferes with driving, makes the car unstable, or makes the turn signals, number plate, brake lights or tail lights hard to see from outside.

Before moving off, you must close the doors firmly so that nobody falls out of the car.

Answer: ○ The driver must close the doors securely and take the necessary measures so that nobody riding in the car falls out.