Route and lane signs — South Carolina Permit Test

Route and lane signs on the South Carolina permit test — 5 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

The Shared Center Lane Left Turn Only sign marks a lane reserved for left-turning vehicles from either direction, not for through traffic or passing.

Drivers from both directions turn into this lane, so using it to pass sets up a head-on collision.

This sign tells you where a lane is reserved for the use of left turning vehicles from either direction and is not to be used for through traffic or passing other vehicles.
South Carolina Driver's Manual, p.69

The shape and color of route number signs indicate the type of roadway: interstate, US, state, city, county or local road.

Recognizing the road type from its marker helps you follow a planned route without getting lost.

Route Number Signs—The shape and color of route number signs indicate the type of roadway: interstate, US, state, city, county, or local road.
South Carolina Driver's Manual, p.70

On a secondary system road marker, the first number after the letter S is the county number and the last number is the road number.

Secondary road numbers repeat from county to county, so the county number is what makes a marker unique.

The first number after the letter “S” is the number of the county the road is in and the last number is the road number.
South Carolina Driver's Manual, p.70

In rural areas, secondary system roads are not intended as through routes and should not normally be used by drivers unfamiliar with the area.

Rural secondary roads are built for local traffic and can be confusing or poorly suited to through travel.

In rural areas they are not intended as through routes and should not normally be used by drivers who are not familiar with the area.
South Carolina Driver's Manual, p.71

The Evacuation Route sign marks a road or highway used as an evacuation route when a mandatory hurricane evacuation is declared for coastal South Carolina.

Knowing the marked routes in advance lets you leave the coast quickly when an evacuation is ordered.

In the event of a hurricane, a mandatory evacuation may be declared for the coastal areas of SC.
South Carolina Driver's Manual, p.71

On the test

What may a shared center left-turn lane be used for?

Left turns by traffic from either direction. Drivers from both directions turn into this lane, so using it to pass sets up a head-on collision. South Carolina Driver's Manual, p.69: “This sign tells you where a lane is reserved for the use of left turning vehicles from either direction and is not to be used for through traffic or passing other vehicles.”

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 South Carolina Driver's Manual, published by the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-10-03.