California Driver Handbook 2026 summary: the rules you need for the test
A plain-English summary of the rules the California knowledge test covers, organized by topic, written from the California Vehicle Code. Read the official handbook on dmv.ca.gov; use this page to review the key rules quickly.
California has one rule above all others: never drive faster than is safe for the conditions. Posted numbers are maximums for good conditions.
- Basic Speed Law: drive no faster than is reasonable for weather, visibility, traffic and the road, even below the posted limit.
- Most highways: 65 mph maximum. Some are posted at 70 mph.
Lights and signs tell you who goes and who waits. Shapes and colors let you recognize a sign before you can read it.
- Steady red: stop at the limit line, or before the crosswalk, or before the intersection. You may turn right after a full stop, and left from a one-way street onto a one-way street, unless a sign prohibits it.
- Red arrow: no turn in that direction until a green arrow or green light appears. In California you may not turn right on a red arrow.
About one in five questions in our bank is a road sign. Learn the shapes, colors and sign families and you can answer most at a glance.
- Regulatory signs (white, red or black) are laws: Stop, Yield, Speed Limit, Do Not Enter, Wrong Way, One Way, No Turn, Do Not Pass.
- Most warning signs are yellow diamonds: curves, merges, lane ends, signals or stops ahead, slippery road, crossings. Some warning signs have other shapes, like the round railroad sign and the no-passing pennant.
The law says who must yield, never who may force their way. If someone does not yield to you, let them go.
- Yield to a vehicle already in the intersection. If two arrive at the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.
- At a T-intersection without signs, the road that ends yields to the through road.
Paint tells you which way traffic moves and what you may do in each lane. Yellow divides directions, white divides lanes going the same way.
- Yellow lines separate opposite directions. White lines separate lanes going the same way. Broken lines may be crossed when safe; solid lines discourage or prohibit crossing.
- Two double-yellow sets 2 feet or more apart are a barrier: do not drive over, turn left or U-turn across them except at openings.
Lane lines tell you where you may move. Before any move: check mirrors, look over your shoulder, signal.
- Double solid yellow: no passing. You may cross only to turn left, for example into a driveway, or to make a legal U-turn.
- Broken yellow line on your side of a double line: you may pass when it is safe. Double solid white lines: do not cross.
Match the speed of traffic, keep right unless passing, and never stop in the lanes.
- Use the on-ramp to reach freeway speed and merge into a gap. Slow down in the exit lane, not on the freeway.
- Missed your exit? Go to the next one; never back up.
Where and how you park is tested with exact distances. Learn the numbers and the curb colors.
- Park parallel, wheels within 18 inches of the curb. Motorcycles: one wheel or fender touching the curb.
- Not within 15 feet of a fire hydrant or of a fire station driveway. Not within 7½ feet of a railroad rail.
Bicyclists, pedestrians, motorcycles, trucks and buses all have rights on the road. Give them room.
- Bicycles: if another lane is open, change lanes to pass. Otherwise leave at least 3 feet, and if you cannot, slow down and wait. Cyclists ride with traffic and may leave the right edge to avoid hazards, pass, turn left, or in a narrow lane.
- Motorcycles get a full lane. Lane splitting is recognized in California: never block a motorcyclist.
Trains and buses are big, heavy and slow to stop. Give them room and never turn in front of a light rail train.
- Light rail has the same rights as other vehicles. Never turn in front of an approaching train; check for trains before turning across tracks.
- Safety zones (marked by raised buttons) are for waiting passengers. Never drive through one or park between it and the curb.
Orange signs mean workers and equipment are close to traffic. Slow down and expect the unexpected.
- Slow down, leave extra space, avoid distractions and expect sudden stops and lane changes.
- Merge as soon as it is safe when a lane closes; follow cones and drums, never cross them. Obey flaggers' STOP and SLOW paddles.
Trains cannot stop quickly. Never be on the tracks unless you can cross completely.
- When signals flash, gates lower, or a train is near: stop at least 15 feet from the nearest rail. Never go around or under gates.
- No passing within 100 feet of a crossing. Slow to 15 mph where you cannot see 400 feet down the tracks, unless a flagger or a crossing signal controls the crossing.
Leave yourself space and time. Look far ahead, check around you, and never count on other drivers doing the right thing.
- Scan at least 10 seconds ahead, about one city block, and keep your eyes moving.
- Three-second rule: count from when the car ahead passes a fixed point. Add time in rain, fog and darkness, behind motorcycles and trucks, and when you are tailgated.
Rain, ice, fog and wind call for lower speeds than the posted limit. The Basic Speed Law expects it.
- Slow down: wet road 5 to 10 mph slower; packed snow about half speed; ice 5 mph or less. If you can see only 100 feet, go no faster than 30 mph.
- The first rain after a dry spell is the most slippery. Bridges, overpasses and shady spots freeze first.
See and be seen at night, and know the first steps when something goes wrong.
- Headlights from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise, whenever you cannot see 1,000 feet ahead, and whenever weather requires continuous wipers.
- Dim high beams within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle and within 300 feet of a vehicle ahead. Use low beams in fog.
Impairment starts with judgment, before you feel drunk. Only time sobers you up.
- Illegal BAC: 0.08% for drivers 21 and older; 0.04% for commercial drivers and drivers carrying passengers for hire; 0.01% for drivers under 21.
- You can be convicted of DUI below these levels if alcohol or any drug, including legal medicine, impairs you.
Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel. Set up navigation before you drive.
- Drivers 18 and older: phone calls only hands-free. A phone may be touched only if it is mounted, with a single tap or swipe.
- Drivers under 18: no phone use at all while driving, even hands-free, except emergency calls.
Everyone buckles up, and children ride in the back in the right seat for their age and size.
- Children under 2 ride rear-facing unless they weigh 40 pounds or more or are 40 inches or taller.
- Children under 8 ride in a car seat or booster in the back seat. At 8 years old or 4 feet 9 inches tall, a properly fitted seat belt may be used.
Know your car's controls and keep it legal: clear windows, working lights, secure loads.
- Steering: push/pull with hands at 9 and 3 or 8 and 4; hand-over-hand for slow turns, parking and skids; one hand only when backing and looking back.
- Horn: only to warn others or avoid a crash, and before blind curves on narrow mountain roads. Parking lights alone are never enough when driving.
Stay calm, stay visible and keep your hands where they can be seen. Never let another driver's anger become yours.
- Signal right and pull fully onto the right shoulder (even from a carpool lane), in a lit area if possible. Turn off the radio, roll down the window and keep hands visible.
- Since 2024, the officer must state the reason for the stop before questioning you, except in an imminent threat.
Every driver must carry insurance, stop after a crash, and keep a clean record. Points add up quickly.
- Minimum liability insurance (since 2025): $30,000 for one person, $60,000 for two or more, $15,000 property damage. Show proof on paper or on your phone.
- Crash without insurance: suspension up to 4 years, no matter who was at fault. Parents are financially responsible for drivers under 18. Low-cost insurance exists for eligible drivers.
Rules for drivers under 18 are tested often. Learn the hours, months and restrictions.
- Ages: instruction permit at 15½, provisional license at 16. Adults (18+) practice with a licensed driver 18 or older.
- Instruction permit (under 18): practice only with a California-licensed driver 25 or older, or a parent, guardian, spouse or driving instructor.