One way roads and traffic circles — New Mexico Permit Test

One way roads and traffic circles on the New Mexico permit test — 2 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

On a one-way road, you may only drive in the direction the sign tells you.

Every car on a one-way road is going the same way, so driving the wrong way means meeting traffic head on.

You may only drive on these roads in the direction the sign tells you to drive.

New Mexico Driver Manual, p.12

When you drive around a traffic circle, also called a rotary traffic island, you must drive on the right side of the island.

All cars in the circle travel the same way around, so keeping right of the island keeps you moving with them.

When you drive around a “traffic circle” you must drive on the right side of the island.

New Mexico Driver Manual, p.12

On the test

On a road signed one-way, which way may you drive?

Only the way the sign shows. Every car on a one-way road is going the same way, so driving the wrong way means meeting traffic head on. New Mexico Driver Manual, p.12: “You may only drive on these roads in the direction the sign tells you to drive.”

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 Mexico Driver Manual, published by the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-10-04.