Passing hills curves — South Dakota Permit Test

Passing hills curves on the South Dakota permit test — 6 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

When a hill or curve blocks your view, assume an oncoming vehicle is just out of sight; do not start to pass within one-third of a mile of a hill or curve.

A car hidden beyond the crest meets you head-on in its own lane.

This means you should not start to pass if you are within one-third of a mile of a hill or curve.
South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.53

It is dangerous and unlawful to pass where a vehicle is likely to enter or cross the road, such as intersections, railroad crossings, and shopping center entrances.

The car you pass hides a driver pulling out of a store lot, who turns right into you.

It is dangerous and unlawful to pass where a vehicle is likely to enter or cross the road.
South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.53

A typical car is 15 feet long, but a multiple-trailer truck can be 75 feet long or longer, so passing a truck takes much longer.

Drivers who time a truck pass like a car pass are still beside the trailer when the gap closes.

A multiple-trailer truck can be 75 feet long or longer.
South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.53

Before passing, look ahead for things that could make other vehicles move into your lane, such as a narrow bridge, people or bicyclists near the road, or a patch of ice or a pothole.

The car you are passing swerves around a pothole and right into the lane you are using.

a narrow bridge or other situation that causes reduced lane width
South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.53

Do not pass unless you have enough space to return to the driving lane; do not count on other drivers to make room for you.

Counting on the other driver to brake leaves you stuck in the wrong lane when they do not.

Do not count on other drivers to make room for you.
South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.53

It is safe to return to the driving lane when you can see both headlights of the vehicle you passed in your rearview mirror.

Cutting back in too soon clips the front of the car you just passed.

When you can see both headlights of the vehicle you have just passed in your rearview mirror, it is safe to return to the driving lane.
South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.53

On the test

How close to a hill or curve may you start to pass?

Not within one-third of a mile. A car hidden beyond the crest meets you head-on in its own lane. South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.53: “This means you should not start to pass if you are within one-third of a mile of a hill or curve.”

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