Signals and horn — New Jersey Permit Test
Signals and horn on the New Jersey permit test — 6 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
A driver signals at least 100 feet before turning and cancels the signal after the turn.
A signal left blinking tells the next driver you are turning when you are not, which is worse than none.
A motorist should put on the turn signal at least 100 feet before turning and be sure to cancel the signal after making a turn.
The hand signal for stopping or slowing is the hand and arm downward with the palm facing to the rear.
It is the signal the driver behind can read, and it works when a bulb has gone.
Stop or slowing down: hand and arm downward, palm facing to the rear.
The hand signal for a right turn is the hand and arm upward.
The arm points the way the car is about to go, once you know which bend to read.
Right turn: hand and arm upward.
The hand signal for a left turn is the hand and arm straight out.
It is the plainest of the three, and it points where the car is going.
Left turn: hand and arm straight out.
Under normal conditions a horn must be able to be heard for at least 200 feet.
A warning nobody hears is not a warning. The distance is what makes it useful at road speed.
Under normal conditions, the horn should be able to be heard for at least 200 feet.
Sirens, whistles and bells are reserved for emergency vehicles.
If ordinary cars used them, drivers would stop pulling over for the ones that matter.
Only emergency vehicles may use sirens, whistles, or bells.
On the test
How far before a turn must a New Jersey driver signal?
At least 100 feet before the turn. A signal left blinking tells the next driver you are turning when you are not, which is worse than none. New Jersey Driver Manual, p.54: “A motorist should put on the turn signal at least 100 feet before turning and be sure to cancel the signal after making a turn.”
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
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Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against New Jersey Driver Manual, published by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-15.