DMV Permit · Highway Driving

When entering a highway from an on-ramp, you should:

Correct answer

Accelerate to match the speed of highway traffic and merge into a gap

  1. A Use the shoulder until traffic clears
  2. B Accelerate to match the speed of highway traffic and merge into a gap
  3. C Stop at the end of the on-ramp before merging
  4. D Drive slowly until you reach the right lane

Why this is the answer

When entering a highway, use the on-ramp's acceleration lane to bring your speed up to match prevailing highway traffic speed before merging. Look for a gap, signal, and merge smoothly. Stopping at the end of an on-ramp is dangerous — you must then accelerate from zero into fast-moving traffic, which is much harder and more likely to cause a collision. Highway traffic does not have a duty to slow for you; merging vehicles must yield to vehicles already on the highway. Practice judging traffic flow during the ramp and matching speed by the time you reach the end of the acceleration lane. The on-ramp may seem short on busy highways, but the technique works at any merge length with practice.
Source: Standard state driver handbook, Entering a Highway

Practice more questions

This question is from our DMV Permit Practice Tests practice test. Take the full practice test to test your knowledge across all Highway Driving and other topics.

Take the DMV Permit practice test →

About this topic: Highway Driving

Merging, exiting, lane discipline, and what to do when you miss an exit. Highways look easy but produce most of the fatal crashes because of speed. This is one of 5 DMV Permit questions on highway driving, each with a full explanation on a single study page.

New to this exam? Our DMV Permit exam guide explains the format, scoring, and how to prepare.

Related questions

State-specific guides

Need information for your state? Our state guides cover local requirements, fees, and what to expect on exam day.