Distracted driving — Minnesota Permit Test

Distracted driving on the Minnesota permit test — 6 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

Driver distraction or inattention is behind at least 25 percent of Minnesota crashes each year.

A quarter of them come from something in the car rather than something on the road.

Driver distraction or inattention is a leading factor in crashes in Minnesota, accounting for at least 25 percent of all crashes annually.

Minnesota Driver’s Manual, p.77

Distracted drivers miss hazards and react more slowly, which cuts into their margin of safety.

The car is still moving the whole time the driver is somewhere else.

Distracted drivers fail to recognize potential hazards on the road and react more slowly to traffic conditions, decreasing their margin of safety.

Minnesota Driver’s Manual, p.77

Visual distraction is looking away from the road, mechanical distraction is taking your hands off the wheel, and cognitive distraction is being lost in thought.

Three ways to be distracted, and a phone call manages all three at once.

Cognitive: Being “lost in thought.”

Minnesota Driver’s Manual, p.77

Looking at a crash scene or daydreaming takes attention from driving even while you are watching the road.

Your eyes are pointed at the road and your attention is on the ditch, which is the whole problem.

Even when you are watching the road, behaviors such as looking at a crash scene or daydreaming can divert attention from your driving responsibilities.

Minnesota Driver’s Manual, p.77

Drivers under 18 with a permit or provisional license may not use a cell phone at all, except to call 911 in an emergency.

For a beginner even a hands-free call is one job too many, so the rule takes it away entirely.

Drivers under age 18 with an instruction permit or provisional license are prohibited from using a cell phone, whether handheld or hands-free, except to call 911 in an emergency.

Minnesota Driver’s Manual, p.77

It is illegal to wear headphones or earphones in both ears while driving.

Sirens, horns and a train whistle all reach a driver by ear before anything reaches them by eye.

It is also illegal to wear headphones or earphones in both ears simultaneously to listen to a radio or other sound-producing device.

Minnesota Driver’s Manual, p.77

On the test

What share of Minnesota crashes involve distraction or inattention?

At least 25 percent. A quarter of them come from something in the car rather than something on the road. Minnesota Driver’s Manual, p.77: “Driver distraction or inattention is a leading factor in crashes in Minnesota, accounting for at least 25 percent of all crashes annually.”

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.

All Minnesota permit topics

Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against Minnesota Driver’s Manual, published by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-22.