Passing illegal places — Iowa Permit Test
Passing illegal places on the Iowa permit test — 7 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
Do not pass within 100 feet of an intersection.
A car may turn or pull out at a crossroad right when you are in its path in the wrong lane.
Do not pass within 100 feet of an intersection.
Do not pass within 100 feet of a railroad crossing.
You may need to stop for a train, and you cannot do that safely while in the wrong lane.
Do not pass within 100 feet of a railroad crossing.
Do not pass within 100 feet of a narrow bridge, viaduct or tunnel that has a sign posted to warn you it is there.
A narrow bridge or tunnel leaves no room for two cars side by side, so a pass can end head-on.
Do not pass within 100 feet of a narrow bridge, viaduct, or tunnel that has a sign posted to let you know it is there.
Do not pass when approaching the top of a hill.
You cannot see over a hill, so a car could be coming toward you in the lane you are using.
Do not pass when approaching the top of a hill.
Do not pass going around a curve when your view along the road is blocked.
On a blind curve, an oncoming car can appear with no time for either of you to stop.
Do not pass going around a curve when your view along the roadway is obstructed.
Do not pass on the right.
The driver you pass does not expect you on that side and may move right into your path.
Do not pass on the right.
Do not pass when oncoming traffic is so close it would be dangerous to get around the vehicle you are passing.
If you misjudge the gap, you meet the oncoming car head-on in its own lane.
Do not pass when oncoming traffic is so close it would be dangerous to try to make it around the vehicle you are passing.
On the test
How close to an intersection is passing illegal?
Within 100 feet. A car may turn or pull out at a crossroad right when you are in its path in the wrong lane. Iowa Driver's License Manual, p.46: “Do not pass within 100 feet of an intersection.”
How this works
Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.
You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.
Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.
What it costs
- One payment, once — not a subscription. Nothing renews and there is nothing to cancel, for an exam you sit one time.
- Free to start: a 10-question test and the first section of cards. No sign-up and no account.
- Paying opens the rest of the cards, unlimited full-length practice tests, and retests built from exactly the questions you got wrong.
- Every level up to Prepared — 3 tests passed in a row.
- Do the work, fail the real exam, and we refund you.
Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against Iowa Driver's License Manual, published by the Iowa Department of Transportation, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-10-04.
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/IA.pdf (Iowa Driver's License Manual, edition M1170 07/23/2026, Iowa Department of Transportation, retrieved 2026-09-14; sha256 pinned in SOURCES.json)
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/IA.pages.txt (the plain pdftotext fixture every citation here was cut from and verified against; sha256 pinned in SOURCES.json)
- https://iowadot.gov/drivers-licenses-ids/driver-education/manuals-practice-tests/drivers-manual
- https://iowadot.gov/drivers-licenses-ids/driver-education/online-permit-test-skip-trip (read 2026-10-04; states no count or mark)
- https://iowadot.gov/drivers-licenses-ids/get-or-renew-drivers-licenses-ids-permits/under-18-permit-license-or-id/instruction-permit-under-age-18 (read 2026-10-04; states no count or mark)
- https://iowadot.gov/drivers-licenses-ids/driver-education/manuals-practice-tests/take-practice-test (read 2026-10-04; its 25 questions and 80% describe the practice test and are not used)
- https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/iac/chapter/761.604.pdf (IAC 10/1/25; 761-604.9(1): "will declare the minimum passing score for each test")
- docs/plans/iowa-exam-shape.md (every official source checked for the exam's shape, and what each gave)