Traffic Laws, Rules of the Road, and Safe Driving Practices
What this domain tests
This domain tests NH traffic law and safe-driving judgment: speed, right-of-way, restraints, distraction, school buses, move-over duties, and impairment thresholds.
Core rules
- Drive at a reasonable and prudent speed and obey posted limits. NH’s statutory default is 30 mph in business or residential districts and 55 mph on rural highways unless posted otherwise.
- NH is a hands-free state: handheld phone use and texting are prohibited while driving.
- Seat belts are required for front-seat occupants and all passengers under 18; child restraints are required for young children under NH’s age and height rule.
- At crosswalks, yield to pedestrians. At roundabouts, yield to traffic already circulating. A right turn on red is permitted after a full stop unless posted otherwise.
- School bus red lights: stop in both directions on an undivided road; on a divided highway, opposing traffic need not stop.
- Move Over: slow down and, if safe, change lanes for stopped emergency, tow, and maintenance vehicles displaying lights.
- DUI per se is .08 for adults and .02 for drivers under 21.
Worked example
A driver approaches a school bus stopped with red lights flashing on a two-lane road. The driver wants to pass because the bus is in the opposite lane. The correct action is to stop: red lights require traffic in both directions to stop on an undivided road. If the road had a median separating directions, opposing traffic could proceed with caution.
Traps that cost marks
Treating a right-on-red as a rolling yield; passing a school bus on the opposite side of an undivided road; using a handheld phone at a red light; forgetting Move Over; and assuming the .08 threshold applies to under-21 drivers.