Connecticut Driver's Manual: study guide

Key rules by chapter

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

1. Obtaining a Connecticut Driver's License

• The knowledge test has 25 questions and you need 20 correct answers to pass.
• The permit is valid until you obtain a driver's license or for 2 years from the date it is issued, whichever comes first.
• The minimum vision requirement for all license classes is at least 20/40 with or without glasses or contact lenses.

2. Before You Get Behind the Wheel

• Learner's permit holders and 16- and 17-year-old drivers may not use a cell phone or mobile electronic device, even hands-free; emergency calls are the exception for any age.
• If either the driver or a passenger fails to wear a seat belt, each could be cited and fined $75.
• Connecticut's child restraint law covers every passenger under age 16, who must ride in a restraint or safety system suited to their age and weight.

3. Driving Behaviors (incl. Drinking and Driving; Your License and the Law)

• For drivers 16 and 17, a first conviction for cell phone or text messaging use brings a 30-day suspension, a $175 license restoration fee and court fines.
• Anyone age 24 or younger who commits two or more moving or suspension violations must complete the operator retraining program.
• A motorist 25 or older with three or more such convictions must attend and pass a certified operator retraining program.

4. Road Safety (Rules of the Road; Vehicle Emergencies)

• Try to signal at least three seconds before you make your move.
• If you are in an intersection, drive through it before pulling over to the right and stopping.
• You are not required to stop if the bus is traveling toward you and a median or other physical barrier separates the roadway.

5. Know the Road (pavement markings, signals, signs)

• School, pedestrian and bicycle warning signs may use a bright fluorescent yellow-green background.
• The crossbuck at the tracks works like a yield sign: slow down, and stop if needed so any train passes first.
• Mileposts are placed every mile, and zero usually starts at the south and west borders of the state.

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 Connecticut, which are where most people lose points.