Official Hawaii 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. Licensing of Drivers

• Between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., the permit holder must be accompanied by their parent or guardian.
• You must hold a valid instruction permit for 180 days before applying for a provisional license.
• A provisional license allows you to transport only one person under 18 who is not a household member.

2. Vehicle Equipment and Inspection

• Replace tires that have less than 1/16 inch of tread; use the Lincoln penny test.
• No more than two inches of free play with power steering, or 3 inches without power steering.
• Children under age 4 must be in a child restraint; older children under 8 may need a booster seat.

3. Vehicle Registration

• The registered owner must notify the county agency in writing within thirty days after an address change.
• Motorcycles, trailers and semi-trailers display a rear plate; all other vehicles need front and rear plates.
• Registrations are renewed every year. Each vehicle's registration runs out at the end of its 12th month, so expiration dates are staggered.

4. The Driver

• Drivers about 50 to 54 have the fewest crashes; the youngest drivers have about twice as many as expected.
• Worry and safe driving do not mix. If worried, ill, nervous, angry or depressed, let someone else drive.
• Aging can reduce hearing and eyesight, slow reaction time, lengthen decision time and shorten attention span.

5. Traffic Laws, Ordinances, Rules and Regulations

• Driving on the left half is allowed to pass, to get around an obstruction, or on a one-way street. It is never allowed near the top of a hill or on a curve, within 100 feet of an intersection or railroad crossing, or on a road with four or more lanes.
• You must not drive on the left half of a road with four or more lanes for moving traffic unless signs direct otherwise.
• Signals must be given for at least 100 feet before you change lanes, turn or stop; that's about five car lengths.

6. Signals, Signs and Lane Markings

• Double solid yellow lines mean no passing in either direction. The only time you may cross them is to turn left into or out of an alley, private road or driveway.
• A single solid white line means lane changes are hazardous; the wider the line, the greater the hazard.
• You may pass on either side of white obstruction markings but only to the right of yellow markings.

7. Crash Procedures

• Crashes with personal injury to any extent, death, or property damage of $3,000 or more must be reported to police immediately.
• Don't move the injured unnecessarily; stop severe bleeding with direct pressure, keep them warm and protect them from traffic.
• Stop and locate the owner, or leave a written notice with your name, address and the circumstances of the crash.

8. No Fault Insurance—Financial Responsibility

• Report the crash to police and your insurer and file evidence of insurance (Form SR-21).
• You must file and maintain proof of financial responsibility for three years from the conviction date.
• Hawaii requires liability of $20,000 per person with a $40,000 aggregate per accident for bodily injury, and $10,000 property damage.

9. Alcohol and Other Drugs

• Alcohol is a factor in over 18,000 (about 40%) of fatal crashes each year in the U.S.
• Your license is taken and you're given a 30-day temporary permit; you may request a hearing.
• Drivers under 21 are prohibited from driving with a blood alcohol level of .02 or more.

10. Safe Driving Techniques

• Lane reflectors that show red toward you mean you are driving against the direction of traffic in that lane.
• If the brake warning light comes on when you press the brake pedal, the brake system has a fault; don't drive the vehicle until it is fixed.
• Being thrown out of the vehicle makes a crash five times more likely to kill you, which is one reason to wear a belt.

11. Trucks, Buses and Motorcycles

• If the loaded trailer weighs more than half the towing vehicle's weight or is 3,000 pounds or more, it must have brakes and breakaway protection.
• About 10% to 15% of the trailer weight should be on the hitch; too little makes the trailer fishtail.
• Research shows over two-thirds of car/motorcycle crashes result from a car driver turning in front of the motorcyclist.

12. Pedestrian Safety

• In Hawaii 20% of all traffic fatalities are pedestrians; almost half of those killed are under 15 or over 65.
• Drivers in the lane occupied by the bus and all adjacent lanes must stop before reaching it until it moves or the lights go off.
• Failure to comply with the school bus law (291C-95, HRS) can cost you $1,000.

13. Bicycle Safety

• Motorists should maintain at least 3 feet between the bicyclist and their vehicle until safely past.
• Riding against traffic leads to approximately 25% of all bicycle-car crashes; watch for it when turning.
• Bicycles may not ride on sidewalks in business districts; elsewhere they may at 10 mph or less, yielding to pedestrians.

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 Hawaii, which are where most people lose points.