Starting and stopping — South Carolina Permit Test

Starting and stopping on the South Carolina permit test — 6 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

To start the engine, put your right foot on the brake pedal.

Holding the brake keeps the vehicle from moving if it is not fully in park when the engine catches.

To start the engine, place your right foot on the brake pedal and check the gear selector lever for park.
South Carolina Driver's Manual, p.54

Check that the gear selector lever is in park before starting the engine.

A car started in gear can lurch forward or backward into people or objects.

To start the engine, place your right foot on the brake pedal and check the gear selector lever for park.
South Carolina Driver's Manual, p.54

Once the engine is started, check the gauges and any dashboard indicator lights that need attention.

A warning light for oil, fuel, ABS or air bags is easier to deal with before you pull into traffic.

Once the engine is started, check the gauges and if there are any indicator lights on the dashboard that need attention (fuel level, oil level, ABS, air bags, etc.).
South Carolina Driver's Manual, p.54

Accelerate gradually and smoothly, with the top of your foot on the pedal and your heel on the floor.

Jerky acceleration can spin the wheels or surprise drivers and pedestrians around you.

Accelerate gradually and smoothly with the top of your foot on the pedal and the heel of your foot on the floor.
South Carolina Driver's Manual, p.54

When stopping, first check your mirrors for traffic at the rear of your vehicle.

A driver close behind you may not expect the stop, and knowing they are there tells you to brake earlier and more gently.

Check your mirrors for traffic at the rear of your vehicle.
South Carolina Driver's Manual, p.54

Press the brake pedal with steady pressure until the vehicle stops.

Steady braking stops the car smoothly and gives drivers behind you time to react.

Press with steady pressure until your vehicle comes to a stop.
South Carolina Driver's Manual, p.55

On the test

Where is your right foot when you start the engine?

On the brake pedal. Holding the brake keeps the vehicle from moving if it is not fully in park when the engine catches. South Carolina Driver's Manual, p.54: “To start the engine, place your right foot on the brake pedal and check the gear selector lever for park.”

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.