New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21): study guide

Key rules by chapter

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

1. Driver Licenses

• You must correctly answer at least 14 of the 20 questions, including at least two of the four road sign questions.
• Besides 14 of 20 overall, you must correctly answer two of the four questions about road signs.
• To pass the vision test, you need 20/40 vision in at least one eye with or without corrective lenses.

2. How to Keep Your License

• Chemical test refusal by a driver over 21 carries a minimum one-year revocation; 18 months if within five years of a prior refusal or alcohol/drug violation.
• A chemical test refusal carries a $500 civil penalty ($550 in a commercial vehicle); $750 if within five years of an earlier alcohol, drug or refusal revocation.
• A junior permit must be held for at least six months, excluding any time suspended or revoked, before a road test can be scheduled.

3. Owning a Vehicle

• Minimum liability coverage is $25,000 for injury to one person, $50,000 for injury to two or more, $50,000/$100,000 for death, and $10,000 for property damage.
• Minimum liability coverage includes $10,000 against property damage.
• Before liability insurance expires, return the plates to a DMV office and get a receipt (FS-6T); otherwise you face civil penalties and possible suspension.

4. Traffic Control

• If there is no stop line or crosswalk, you stop before entering the intersection at the point nearest it where you can see traffic on the crossing road.
• A work area speed limit as low as 25 mph can be posted. Even without a posted limit, you must reduce speed in a work zone.
• State law requires you to stop as for a STOP sign when signals are out or not working, then continue according to right-of-way rules unless an officer directs you.

5. Intersections and Turns

• You must pull over and stop for an emergency vehicle even if it is headed toward you in the opposite lane of a two-way roadway.
• Volunteer firefighters responding to alarms may display blue lights on personal vehicles; volunteer ambulance or rescue members may display green lights.
• Vehicles with blue, green or amber lights are not authorized emergency vehicles and must obey traffic laws. You should yield as a courtesy if you safely can.

6. How to Pass

• You may not pass on the left if you cannot safely return to the right lane before an oncoming vehicle comes within 200 feet of you.
• You cannot pass on the left within 100 feet of a railroad crossing on a two-way roadway.
• You should stop at least 20 feet away from the bus.

7. Parallel Parking

• In your final parking position, your wheels must be no more than one foot from the curb.
• NO STANDING means you can only make a temporary stop to load or discharge passengers, and the driver cannot exit the vehicle.
• A NO PARKING sign means you can make a temporary stop to load or discharge merchandise or passengers.

8. Defensive Driving

• The manual notes that at 60 mph you would cover 1,500 feet in about 17 seconds, so decrease speed when you see the sign.
• You must obey the speed limit; if none is posted, drive no more than 55 mph.
• The speed limit is 25 mph in New York City unless another limit is posted.

9. Alcohol and Other Drugs

• A BAC of more than .05 is legal evidence that you are impaired; .08 or higher is evidence of intoxication.
• A BAC of .18 percent or more is evidence of aggravated driving while intoxicated.
• These standard drinks all contain about the same amount of alcohol; none is safer than the others.

10. Special Driving Conditions

• The expressway limit is normally 55 mph but can be posted at 65 mph in some rural areas.
• Flashing red lights, lowered gates and/or a bell mean you must stop at least 15 feet from the tracks.
• Run toward the train but away from the tracks at a 45-degree angle; running the same direction as the train risks being hit by debris.

11. Sharing the Road

• Bicyclists and their passengers ages 1-13 must wear an approved helmet; adults must follow local helmet laws.
• A bicycle used at night needs a headlight visible from at least 500 feet ahead and a red taillight visible from at least 300 feet behind.
• A bicycle on public highways must have adequate brakes and a horn or bell that can be heard at least 100 feet away.

12. If You Are in a Traffic Crash

• You must report to DMV within 10 days any crash involving injury, death, or $1,000 or more in damage to one person's property, using form MV-104.
• Failing to report a crash is a criminal offense (misdemeanor) and can mean suspension or revocation of your license and registrations.
• Leaving the scene of a property-damage crash is a traffic violation; leaving the scene of a crash with injury or death is a criminal violation.

13. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)

• Warning systems such as blind spot monitors and cameras are permitted, but adaptive cruise control and automatic parallel parking are not permitted for testing.
• Adaptive cruise control is listed as not permitted for testing.
• Safety features assist you but are not there to drive the vehicle. You remain responsible and must perform head checks; features may not work well in rain, snow, fog, hills and curves.

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 New York, which are where most people lose points.

The manual (Chapters 4-11) is what the Class D test covers; Part 1 (Ch.