California Driver's Handbook (DL 600): study guide

Key rules by chapter

A few of the rules from each chapter that come up in our practice questions:

2. Getting an Instruction Permit and Driver's License

• Minors must practice for at least 50 hours with a California-licensed driver at least 25 years old, and 10 of those hours must be at night.
• Minors must practice with a California-licensed driver who is at least 25 (adults with permits: at least 18).
• Minors must wait to use the permit until they start behind-the-wheel driver training with an instructor who validates it.

3. The Testing Process

• Minors must wait seven days to retake a failed knowledge test, not including the day of the failure.
• Minors must wait 14 days to retake a failed drive test, not including the day of the failure.
• Advanced driver assistance technologies such as automated parallel parking, lane departure, and adaptive cruise control are not permitted on the drive test. Backup cameras and blind spot monitors may be used but don't replace visual checks.

4. Changing, Replacing, and Renewing Your Driver's License

• If you move, you must notify DMV of your new address within ten days.
• If you are out of state and cannot renew, you may request a one-year extension before the license expires. Limited-term licenses are not eligible.

5. An Introduction to Driving

• If you plan to turn shortly after crossing an intersection, signal when you are almost through the intersection.
• Signal at least five seconds before you change lanes on a freeway.
• Dim your high beams to low beams within 500 feet of a vehicle coming toward you.

6. Navigating the Roads

• You may turn left across a single set of double yellow lines to enter or exit a driveway or private road or to make a U-turn.
• Two sets of double yellow lines two or more feet apart are a barrier. Do not drive over it or turn left or make a U-turn across it except at designated openings.
• You can drive in a bike lane within 200 feet of the turn. Check for bicyclists in your blind spots first.

7. Laws and Rules of the Road

• A red arrow means stop and do not turn. You must wait until a green signal or green arrow appears.
• With a flashing yellow arrow you may turn, but oncoming traffic is not stopped. Yield to oncoming traffic and proceed with caution.
• Drivers must yield to pedestrians even if the DON'T WALK light is flashing.

8. Safe Driving

• Unless otherwise posted, the maximum speed limit on most California highways is 65 mph.
• The maximum speed limit is 55 mph on a two-lane undivided highway, unless otherwise posted.
• The speed limit is 55 mph for vehicles towing trailers.

9. Alcohol and Drugs

• Drivers under 21 may not drive with a BAC of 0.01% or higher.
• It is illegal to drive with a BAC of 0.01% or higher at any age if you are on DUI probation.
• The limit is 0.04% for drivers of vehicles requiring a commercial driver's license.

10. Financial Responsibility, Insurance Requirements, and Collisions

• Insurance must cover at least $30,000 for one death or injury, $60,000 for death or injury to more than one person, and $15,000 for property damage.
• Your driving privilege will be suspended for up to four years if you are in a collision without proper insurance, regardless of fault.
• Report to DMV within 10 days (SR 1 form) if damage was more than $1,000 or anyone was injured or killed, no matter who was at fault.

11. Vehicle Registration Requirements

• When you sell a vehicle, you must notify DMV within five days by completing a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability.
• You have 20 days to register your vehicle after you become a resident or get a job in California.
• When you buy a vehicle, you have 10 days to transfer ownership to your name.

12. Driver Safety

• A physical or mental condition or a poor driving record can be the basis for reexamination, not a driver's age.
• You have five working days to contact DMV or your driving privilege will be automatically suspended.

13. Seniors and Driving

• If you are 70 or older when your license expires, you must renew in person and pass a vision test. Other exams may be required.
• Warning signs include getting lost in familiar places, dents and scrapes on the car or property, and frequent close calls or collisions.

14. Glossary

• When the vehicle ahead passes a fixed point such as a sign, count three seconds. If you pass the same point before you finish counting, you are following too closely.

How to study the handbook

Read one chapter, then take a practice test. Every answer explanation names the handbook section it comes from, so when you get one wrong, go back to that section. Pay most attention to exact numbers and to the rules specific to California, which are where most people lose points.