Backing up — South Dakota Permit Test

Backing up on the South Dakota permit test — 5 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

Before backing up, check behind the vehicle before you get in, because children and small objects cannot be seen from the driver’s seat.

A small child behind a car is out of sight from the seat and can be run over in a driveway.

Check behind the vehicle before you get in.

South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.30

To back up, grasp the steering wheel at the 12 o’clock position with your left hand, put your right arm on the back of the passenger seat, and look directly through the rear window.

A driver who backs while facing forward cannot see the bike or post right behind the bumper.

Grasp the steering wheel at the 12 o’clock position with your left hand.

South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.30

Mirrors help when backing up, but they do not show the area immediately behind the vehicle.

A low post or a toddler right behind the bumper does not show up in the mirrors at all.

Use your mirrors for backing up but keep in mind that these mirrors do not show the area immediately behind the vehicle.

South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.30

When backing, keep your speed slow because the vehicle is much harder to steer, and steer slightly in the direction the rear of the vehicle should move.

Backing fast with big wheel turns swings the rear into a parked car before you can correct it.

Steer slightly in the direction the rear of the vehicle should move.

South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.30

If backing while turning, make quick checks to the front and sides, and keep looking to the rear until you come to a complete stop.

Turning back to the front too soon means missing the person who walks behind you in the last few feet.

Continue looking to the rear until coming to a complete stop.

South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.30

On the test

When should you first check behind the vehicle before backing up?

Before you get into the vehicle. A small child behind a car is out of sight from the seat and can be run over in a driveway. South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.30: “Check behind the vehicle before you get in.”

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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All South Dakota permit topics

Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against South Dakota Driver License Manual, published by the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-10-04.