South Carolina Driver's License Manual (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. The Driver's License

• South Carolina requires you to be at least 15 years old to get a beginner's permit, and you must pass the vision and knowledge tests.
• From 6 a.m. to midnight a permit holder may drive only with a licensed driver who is at least 21 and has at least one year of driving experience in the front seat.
• After midnight, a permit holder must be supervised by one of the qualified licensed individuals listed in SC Code §56-1-100(A)(1-7), such as a parent or legal guardian.

2. State Laws and Rules of the Road

• You must be at least 16 years old and have a valid driver's license to drive a golf cart.
• A permitted golf cart may be driven during the day within four miles of its registration address or a gated community gate, only on secondary roads posted 35 mph or less.

3. Be in Shape to Drive

• The minimum standard does not require more than 20/40 corrected vision in one eye; a restriction is added if lenses are needed.
• Drivers under 21 with a BAC of 0.02 percent or greater have their privilege to drive suspended immediately for at least three months.
• Under-21 drivers who refuse testing immediately lose their driving privileges for at least six months.

4. Before You Drive

• There should be at least 10 inches between your chest and the steering wheel, which also leaves room for the air bag to deploy.
• An infant under two must be secured in a rear-facing car seat in a rear seat until the child exceeds the manufacturer's height or weight limit.
• A child at least age 8 or at least 57 inches tall may use an adult belt if it fits properly.

5. Basic Driving

• Place your left hand at 7 to 9 o'clock and right hand at 3 to 5 o'clock; 10 and 2 is not recommended because it can be dangerous with air bags.
• To start the engine, place your right foot on the brake pedal and check that the gear selector is in park.
• The manual says 10 and 2 is not recommended because it can be dangerous in vehicles with air bags.

6. Rules of the Road

• On the secondary road marker, the first number after 'S' is the county number and the last number is the road number.
• When both arrive at a four-way stop at the same time, yield to the driver on your right.
• When turning left you yield to drivers in the opposing traffic lane, as well as to pedestrians and anyone still in the intersection.

7. General Driving

• On any two-lane highway, drivers meeting or following a stopped school bus with flashing signals must stop.
• Drivers traveling in the opposite direction on a multi-lane highway (at least two lanes each way) do not have to stop; drivers behind the bus must stop.
• You must always stop on any highway when behind the bus, and not proceed until it moves or its red lights stop flashing.

8. Safe Driving Tips

• You should always try to keep a minimum following distance of 4 seconds behind the vehicle in front.
• The manual states braking distance at 50 mph on dry pavement with good brakes can be about 158 feet.
• The average perception time for an alert driver is ¾ second to 1 second; reaction time is about the same.

9. Emergency Situations and Avoiding Collisions

• Place flares about 200 to 300 feet behind the vehicle to give other drivers time to change lanes.
• You have three options to avoid a collision or reduce its impact: braking, steering, or accelerating.
• With ABS, press the brake as hard as you can and keep constant pressure; pumping deactivates ABS. You can still steer.

10. Sharing the Road

• The slow-moving vehicle triangle on farm equipment, construction equipment or animal-drawn vehicles means it travels less than 25 mph.
• In SC it is not a requirement that a driver sign a traffic ticket, though other states may arrest drivers who refuse.
• Allow at least a 4-second following distance behind a motorcycle, or more in wet conditions.

11. Special Driving Situations

• Add at least one additional second for night driving, and at least two additional seconds on unfamiliar roads at night.
• Add at least two additional seconds for unfamiliar roads at night.
• The maximum recommended speed for most vehicle-trailer combinations is 55 mph, and you must never exceed the posted limit.

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 South Carolina, which are where most people lose points.

Verification 2026-10-27: still not published by SCDMV (Beginner's Permit, Driving Tests and Fees pages, the April 2026 manual and the Third Party Tester manual checked).