Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual: study guide

Key rules by chapter

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

A-1. Your License

• You must be 15 and pass the written knowledge test and vision screening for a Class D license to get a Class PD learner permit.
• A Class PD holder may drive only with a licensed driver at least 21 years old sitting in the front seat beside them.

A-2. Applying for Your License

• Learner permit holders under 18 may not drive between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
• Teens must hold the learner permit for 180 days before moving to the Intermediate Restricted step.
• You must be 16 and pass the road skills test, after holding the learner permit 180 days.

A-3. Intermediate Licenses for Driver Under 18 (Graduated License)

• Learner permit holders under 18 may not drive between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
• Teens must hold the learner permit for 180 days before moving to the Intermediate Restricted step.
• You must be 16 and pass the road skills test, after holding the learner permit 180 days.

A-4. The Examinations

• Applicants must have at least 20/40 vision in each eye individually and both eyes together, with or without glasses or contacts.
• A mandatory 1-day waiting period is required after failing any knowledge test; no test may be repeated the same day.
• Computerized testing centers offer the test in three alternate languages: Spanish, Korean and Japanese. Interpreters are not allowed.

B-1. Getting Familiar With Your Vehicle

• Your body should be about 10 to 12 inches back from the steering wheel so an air bag would strike your chest, not your face.
• Place the left hand at 9 o'clock and the right at 3 o'clock, which helps avoid injury from air bag deployment.
• Driving reclined is dangerous because it reduces both your vision and your ability to react to emergencies.

B-2. Tennessee Safety Belt Laws

• A child under one year or weighing less than 20 pounds must be in a rear-facing child restraint.
• Children four through eight and under 4'9" must use a belt-positioning booster seat and wear a seat belt.
• The law makes the driver responsible for protecting children up to age 16; failing to restrain them can bring a $50 fine.

B-3. Traffic Signs, Signals and Markings

• Fluorescent pink is used for incident management traffic control signs during incidents like crashes, wildland fires, floods and hazardous material spills.
• The turn sign marks turns with a recommended speed of 30 mph or less; the curve sign marks curves with recommended speeds between 30 and 55 mph.
• The reverse turn sign marks two turns in opposite directions less than 600 feet apart.

B-4. Rules of the Road

• Headlights must be on from 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise.
• Headlights are required when daylight is not enough to see persons or vehicles clearly 200 feet ahead, and when rain, mist or snow requires constant wiper use.
• Dim high beams when an oncoming vehicle is within 500 feet, and also when following another vehicle within 500 feet.

B-5. Interstate Driving

• Scan the roadway and try to watch 15-20 seconds in front of your vehicle for cars braking, entering or exiting.
• HOV restrictions apply during high inbound traffic (7-9 a.m.) and high outbound traffic (4-6 p.m.); at other times the lane is general purpose.
• Drivers violating the HOV lane rules are subject to a $50 fine and court costs.

B-6. Driving at Night and in Inclement Weather Conditions

• The law requires headlights that let you see clearly any person on the highway at least 200 feet ahead.
• When hydroplaning, stopping distances may be tripled and steering may be reduced or lost.
• Most cars can be swept away in 18 to 24 inches of moving water; trucks and SUVs have only six to twelve inches more clearance.

B-7. Alcohol, Other Drugs and Driving

• By law, at least 25 percent of knowledge test questions must deal with driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• Alcohol begins to be absorbed into the bloodstream within one to two minutes after drinking.
• In Tennessee, .08 is the level of intoxication that is always illegal for drivers.

B-8. Driving Responsibilities

• Adults (18+) with 12 or more points within 12 months get a notice of proposed suspension; 6 to 11 points brings an advisory letter.
• Juvenile drivers with 6 or more points within 12 months receive a notice of proposed suspension; 1-5 points brings an advisory letter.
• The Defensive Driving Course option is only available once in any five-year period.

C. Safety Tips for Safe Driving and Sharing the Road (C-1 to C-4)

• Two-thirds of car-motorcycle collisions are caused by the car driver who turned in front of the motorcycle, often not seeing it.
• A car at 55 mph can stop in about 240 feet, but a truck at the same speed needs about 450+ feet.
• A typical loaded tractor-trailer may weigh up to 80,000 pounds, or 40 tons, and exceed 70 feet long.

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 Tennessee, which are where most people lose points.