California · DL 600 ENGLISH (REV. 6/2025)

The California Driver's Handbook, section by section

The California Driver's Handbook is the DMV's own guide to the rules of the road, the signs, the speed limits and the penalties, and the knowledge test is written from it. This page walks through it section by section, keeping the rules and numbers you are most likely to be asked about, with the page of the handbook each one comes from.

Read the full handbook on the DMV website: online or as a PDF. Page numbers below refer to the PDF.

Sections 1 to 4. Licenses, permits and the testing process

What you need to apply, what changes when you are under 18, how the tests work and what to keep current once you have the license.

Most people need a noncommercial Class C license. To get it you pass a knowledge test and a behind-the-wheel drive test, both based on the handbook. p. 1
To apply for an instruction permit you complete the application, provide your documents, pay a non-refundable fee, pass the knowledge test and pass a vision test. p. 2
Under 18 you must be at least 15 and a half, complete driver education, and have a parent or guardian sign the application and accept financial responsibility. p. 3
To practice with a permit you ride with a California-licensed driver who is at least 18, or at least 25 if you are a minor, sitting close enough to take control. p. 3
Under 18, before the drive test: be at least 16, hold the permit for at least 6 months, finish driver education and driver training, and log 50 hours of practice, 10 of them at night, with a licensed driver who is at least 25. p. 3
A provisional license comes with restrictions: no driving from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. for the first 12 months, no passengers under 20 unless a parent, guardian or licensed driver 25 or older rides along, and no driving for pay. Exceptions need a signed note from a physician, the school, an employer or a parent. p. 4
The knowledge test is multiple choice. You get three attempts before you must reapply, and minors wait seven days to retake it. No aids are allowed, not the handbook and not a phone. p. 5
For the drive test you bring your permit, a licensed driver (18, or 25 for minors), a safe vehicle, and valid proof of insurance and registration. Minors wait 14 days to retake a failed drive test. p. 6
Before the drive test the examiner checks the vehicle: working driver window, an unobstructed windshield, at least two rearview mirrors with one on the left, both brake lights, tires with at least 1/32 inch of tread, a foot brake with an inch of clearance, a horn audible from 200 feet, the parking brake, signals, wipers and seat belts. p. 6
Automated driving aids such as self-parking, lane departure and adaptive cruise control are not allowed during the drive test. Backup cameras and blind spot monitors are, but they do not replace looking. p. 7
If you move, you must notify DMV of the new address within ten days. Driving with an expired license is against the law. p. 8

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Section 5. An Introduction to Driving

Your own condition, how to hold the wheel, and how you communicate with signals, horn and lights.

Wearing a headset or earplugs in both ears while driving is illegal. Physicians must report patients 14 or older with conditions that affect safe driving, such as lapses of consciousness. p. 9
Keep both hands on the wheel whenever you can, at 9 and 3 or at 8 and 4. Hand-over-hand steering is for low-speed turns, parking and skid recovery. One hand is only for backing up while turning, or for operating a control. p. 9
Signal at least 100 feet before a turn, before every lane change, at least five seconds before changing lanes on a freeway, before pulling to or away from the curb, and even when you see nobody around. Turn the signal off when you are done. p. 11
Use the horn to avoid collisions, and on a narrow mountain road with less than 200 feet of visibility to warn whoever is coming the other way. p. 11
Dim your high beams within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle and within 300 feet of a vehicle you are following. Driving with parking lights only is illegal. p. 11
Headlights are required from 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise, whenever you cannot see 1,000 feet ahead, whenever you need the wipers for fog, rain or snow, in tunnels and on mountain roads, and where a sign says so. p. 11
If you must stop for vehicle trouble: emergency flashers on, pull off the road if you can, never stop just over a hill or around a curve, and stay in the vehicle until help arrives. p. 12

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Section 6. Navigating the Roads

Lane markings, choosing and changing lanes, turns and U-turns, merging, passing, parking, and what to do when a law enforcement officer pulls you over.

One solid yellow line is the centerline of a road that carries traffic both ways; do not pass with a solid yellow line on your side and only one lane in your direction. A broken yellow line lets you pass when it is safe. p. 13
Stay to the right of double solid yellow lines. You may cross a single set to turn left into or out of a driveway or private road or to make a U-turn, to reach a carpool lane with an entrance on the left, or where construction signs send you to the other side. Two sets spaced two feet or more apart are a barrier: no crossing, no left turn and no U-turn except at designated openings. p. 13
Double solid white lines separate a regular lane from a preferential lane such as a carpool lane. Never change lanes over them; wait for a single broken white line. p. 14
Lanes are numbered from the left: the far-left lane is the Number 1 lane. Use the left lane to pass or turn left and the right lane to enter or leave traffic. p. 15
Carpool (HOV) lanes are for vehicles with the posted number of people, buses, motorcycles and low-emission vehicles with a DMV decal. Enter and exit only at designated openings. p. 16
A center left turn lane is only for preparing left turns and U-turns. You may drive in it for no more than 200 feet. p. 16
On a two-lane road where passing is unsafe, a slow driver with five or more vehicles behind must use a turnout to let them pass. p. 16
You may drive in a bike lane only to park where permitted, to enter or leave the road, or to turn within 200 feet of an intersection. Leave three feet between your vehicle and a bicyclist. p. 17
Right turns start about 100 feet before the corner, from close to the right edge, stopping behind the limit line. You may turn right on a solid red light after a complete stop unless a sign prohibits it, but never on a red arrow. p. 18
Left turns start from the lane closest to the center or the left turn lane, signaling 100 feet ahead. A left turn on red is allowed only from a one-way street onto another one-way street. p. 19
U-turns are allowed across a double yellow line, in a residential district with no vehicle approaching within 200 feet, at an intersection on a green light or arrow unless a sign prohibits it, and through a center divider opening. p. 20
Never make a U-turn where a sign forbids it, at a railroad crossing, across a divider or two sets of double yellow lines, or without a clear view of 200 feet each way. The same goes for a one-way street, for the front of a fire station, and for a business district unless you are at an intersection or a divider opening. p. 20
When merging onto a highway, get to the speed of traffic, merge into a gap large enough for your vehicle, do not stop unless you must, and leave three seconds between you and the vehicle ahead. Never cross solid lines when merging or exiting. p. 23
To exit a highway, know your exit before it arrives, change lanes one at a time and signal five seconds, about 400 feet, before you leave the freeway. p. 23
To enter traffic from a stop you need a gap of about 150 feet, half a block, on city streets, and about 300 feet, a full block, on the highway. p. 24
Do not pass within 100 feet of an intersection, bridge, tunnel or railroad crossing, at crossroads and driveways, or where a hill or curve blocks your view of oncoming traffic. Leave yourself a third of a mile of clear road before the next hill or curve. p. 24
You may pass on the right only on a highway with two or more lanes in your direction, when the driver ahead is turning left, or on a one-way street. Never leave the pavement to pass, and never pass on the left of a driver signaling a left turn. p. 25
To parallel park, choose a space at least three feet longer than your vehicle, back in at about 45 degrees and finish parallel and within 18 inches of the curb. p. 26
Parking on a hill: facing downhill, wheels toward the curb; facing uphill with a curb, wheels away from the curb and let the vehicle roll back to touch it; with no curb, wheels to the right. Then set the parking brake, and leave it in park or, with a manual gearbox, in gear. p. 27
Colored curbs: white is for picking up or dropping off passengers, green for limited-time parking, yellow for loading passengers and freight, red for no stopping, standing or parking, and blue for disabled parking with a placard or plate. p. 28
Never park on a crosswalk or sidewalk, in front of a driveway, or within three feet of a sidewalk ramp. Keep 15 feet clear of a fire hydrant or a fire station driveway and 20 feet of a crosswalk. No parking in a tunnel or on a bridge unless signs allow it, and never double parked. p. 28
Leave a vehicle standing on a freeway longer than four hours and it can be towed away. If you must stop there, park completely off the pavement and stay inside with the doors locked. p. 29
When an officer signals you to stop: turn on your right signal, move completely onto the right shoulder, turn off the radio, stay in the vehicle unless the officer tells you to get out, roll the window down and keep your hands and your passengers' hands in view. p. 29
The driver must show license, proof of insurance and registration. You may decline a search, but you may not resist one, and an officer may order the driver and the passengers to get out or to stay inside. Only federal officers may ask about immigration status. p. 30
You are generally free to record the stop in public. Make it clear that you are recording, do not interfere, and do not reach into a closed compartment for the device; an officer cannot seize it or delete the recording just because you used it. p. 31

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Section 7. Laws and Rules of the Road

Signals and signs, who goes first, sharing the road with everyone else, the speed limits, and what a bad record costs you.

A solid red light means stop; you may turn right after stopping unless a sign prohibits it. A red arrow means no turn until it changes. A flashing red light works like a stop sign. p. 33
A solid yellow light means the signal is about to turn red: stop if you can do so safely, otherwise cross with caution. A flashing yellow light means slow down and proceed with caution. p. 33
Green means go, but only if you can get completely across before the light turns red and nobody is still in the intersection. A green arrow gives you a protected turn. p. 34
When a traffic light is dark, treat the intersection as an all-way stop. p. 34
Drivers must yield to pedestrians even when the DON'T WALK signal is flashing. p. 35
At a stop sign, stop before the crosswalk or at the limit line, or before the intersection if there is neither. A yield sign means slow down and be ready to stop for anyone with the right-of-way. p. 35
Sign shapes: a five-sided sign marks a school, a yellow and black circle or an X marks a railroad crossing, a diamond warns of conditions ahead, and a white rectangle states a rule. p. 38
At an intersection without signs, the first to arrive goes first; on a tie, yield to the vehicle, bicyclist or pedestrian on your right. At a T intersection, traffic on the through road has the right-of-way. p. 39
Turning left, give way to any approaching vehicle close enough to be dangerous. It is against the law to enter an intersection you cannot clear before the light turns red. p. 39
In a roundabout, slow down, yield to everything already circulating, enter to the right, travel counterclockwise without stopping or passing, signal when you exit, and go around again if you miss it. p. 40
Pedestrians have the right-of-way in marked and unmarked crosswalks, and you slow down or stop for anyone already crossing. Never pass a vehicle that has stopped at a crosswalk: someone you cannot see may be crossing in front of it. p. 41
A pedestrian using a guide dog or a white cane has the right-of-way at all times. Never honk at them, and do not stop in the middle of a crosswalk, which can force them out into traffic to get around you. p. 42
On a steep narrow road where two vehicles cannot pass, the vehicle facing downhill backs up; the one going uphill has the right-of-way. p. 42
Large trucks have big blind spots: when their side mirrors are out of your view, you are out of the driver's. At 55 mph a car can stop in about 300 feet and a large vehicle can need up to 400. p. 42
Never drive through a safety zone for transit passengers. You may pass a bus, streetcar or trolley stopped at a safety zone or traffic light at no more than 10 mph. p. 43
Motorcycles have the same rights as other vehicles. Keep a three-second following distance, give them the full lane when you can, and never try to pass one in the same lane. Sharing a lane with a motorcycle, lane splitting, is legal. p. 44
For an emergency vehicle with siren and red lights, pull to the right edge of the road and stop; if you are in an intersection, cross it first. Following within 300 feet of one is illegal. p. 45
Neighborhood electric vehicles and low-speed vehicles top out at 25 mph and may not use roads with a limit above 35 mph. p. 46
A bicycle ridden at night needs a white front lamp visible from 300 feet, a red rear reflector or light visible from 500 feet, and reflectors on the pedals or the rider visible from 200 feet. p. 47
A bicyclist slower than traffic may pull away from the right edge to avoid a hazard, when approaching a right turn, or where the lane is too narrow to share. When you cannot change lanes to pass one, leave at least three feet; if you cannot, wait. Move into the bike lane no more than 200 feet before your turn, and merge behind the bicyclist before turning. p. 48
Fines in a work zone can be $1,000 or more and are doubled when workers are present; assaulting a highway worker carries up to $2,000 and a year in jail. Move over and slow down for stopped emergency and road work vehicles with flashing lights. p. 49
Trucks with a hazardous load placard must stop before railroad tracks. If you tow a trailer or drive a truck with three or more axles, use the far-right lane or one marked for slower vehicles; where nothing is marked and there are four or more lanes, keep to the two on the right. p. 50
Near a school the limit is 25 mph within 500 feet while children are outside, and some school zones post 15. Yellow flashing lights on a school bus mean prepare to stop. p. 50
When a school bus flashes red lights you must stop from either direction until they stop flashing, unless the bus is across a divided or multilane highway. Failing to stop can cost up to $1,000 and a one-year suspension. p. 51
The limit is 15 mph at a blind intersection, in an alley, and within 100 feet of a railroad crossing where you cannot see 400 feet down the tracks, unless gates, a warning signal or a flagman control the crossing. When something warns you a train is coming, stop no closer than 15 feet to the nearest track, and never drive around lowered gates. p. 51
In business and residential districts the limit is 25 mph unless posted otherwise. p. 52
Cargo may not stick out more than six inches beyond the right fender; cargo more than four feet beyond the rear bumper needs a 12-inch red or fluorescent orange flag, plus two red lights at night. No smoking with a minor in the vehicle, and no video screen the driver can see unless it shows vehicle data, navigation, media or radio. p. 52
Fleeing from law enforcement is a misdemeanor; causing serious injury during a pursuit can mean up to seven years in state prison. If an unlicensed person drives your vehicle, it may be impounded for 30 days. p. 53
An adult's license may be suspended as a negligent driver at 4 points in 12 months, 6 in 24 or 8 in 36. Convictions and collisions stay on the record 36 months or longer. For a one-point violation the judge may offer traffic violator school, which you can take once in any 18-month period. p. 54
With a provisional license, two at-fault collisions or convictions in the first year can mean 30 days without driving unless a licensed adult 25 or older rides along; three mean a six-month suspension and a year of probation. p. 55
When DMV tells you it plans to act against your license, the window to ask for a hearing is 10 days from the day you are served, or 14 days from the mailing date. Miss it and the right to that hearing is gone. p. 55

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Section 8. Safe Driving

Following distance, blind spots, night and bad weather, skids, seat belts and child seats, speed, emergencies and distractions.

Scan the road at least 10 seconds ahead. Keep a safe following distance with the three-second rule, and add space when someone tailgates you and when you follow a motorcyclist over metal surfaces or gravel. p. 57
Check your blind spots by turning your head, before changing lanes, turning, merging, backing up, leaving a parking space, pulling from the curb or opening your door. p. 58
At night use high beams on open roads, dim them for oncoming traffic, and if another driver's lights blind you, look toward the right edge of your lane. In rain, use low beams. p. 59
In a skid on a slippery surface: ease off the accelerator, do not brake, steer in the direction of the skid and try to get a wheel on dry pavement. With ABS, keep firm pressure on the brake; without it, pump the brakes. p. 60
Reduce speed by 5 to 10 mph on a wet road, by half on packed snow and to no more than 5 mph on ice. Shaded spots, bridges and overpasses freeze first, and the pavement turns slippery as soon as it starts to rain, especially after a long dry spell. p. 61
If heavy rain or snow cuts visibility to 100 feet, do not drive faster than 30 mph. If the vehicle hydroplanes, slow down gradually and stay off the brakes. Carry the right chains for snow. p. 62
In high winds, slow down, hold the wheel firmly and do not use cruise control. In fog, use low beams only, never just parking or fog lights, and pull off with the flashers on if it becomes too thick. p. 63
Everyone wears a seat belt; you are ticketed if a passenger under 16 is not buckled. Wear the shoulder belt across the chest, never under the arm, and the lap belt low across the hips. p. 65
Children under 2, under 40 pounds and under 3 feet 4 inches ride rear-facing, never in front of an airbag. Under 8 or shorter than 4 feet 9 inches they ride in a child seat, in the back unless one of the listed exceptions applies, such as a vehicle with no rear seat. From 8, or 4 feet 9, a seat belt is enough. p. 66
Sit at least 10 inches from the airbag. Leaving a child of 6 or younger alone in a vehicle is illegal unless someone at least 12 supervises, and a hot parked vehicle can kill a child or an animal. p. 67
The Basic Speed Law: never faster than is safe for the conditions. Unless posted otherwise, the maximum is 65 mph on most highways and 55 mph where a highway has two lanes and no divider, and for anything towing a trailer. p. 67
In a blowout, hold the wheel with both hands, keep your speed, ease off the accelerator and steer where you want the vehicle to go; only then slow down and pull off. If your wheels drop off the pavement, grip the wheel, ease off the gas, brake gently and steer back. p. 68
Broken down on the freeway: pull to the right shoulder, leave by the right side, call 511 or use a call box, and wait inside with the belt on. The Freeway Service Patrol helps for free during commute hours. p. 69
Stalled on railroad tracks with a train coming: get out and run diagonally away from the tracks toward the train, then call 911. With no train in sight, call the number posted at the crossing. p. 70
Handheld phone use while driving is illegal. An adult should reach for the phone hands-free and only when necessary: let a call go to voicemail, and never write or read a text or an email at the wheel. p. 70
A mounted phone must not block your view of the road and is operated with a single tap or swipe. A minor may not answer calls or send or reply to texts while driving, except to call for emergency help. p. 71

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Section 9. Alcohol and Drugs

The limits, what happens when you refuse a test, and what a conviction costs, with the stricter rules for drivers under 21.

DUI covers alcohol and any drug that affects your driving, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines. Refusing a blood or urine test means DMV suspends or revokes your license for one year. p. 72
An open container of alcohol or cannabis must ride in the trunk or where passengers do not sit, never in the glove box, and nobody in the vehicle may drink or use cannabis. The rule does not reach a passenger in a bus, taxi, camper or motorhome. p. 72
It is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or more once you are over 21, 0.01% or more under 21 or on DUI probation at any age, and 0.04% or more in a vehicle that needs a commercial license or that carries passengers for hire. p. 73
After a DUI arrest DMV suspends the license under the Administrative Per Se law, the officer may issue a 30-day temporary license, and you have 10 days to request a DMV hearing. p. 74
A DUI conviction means a one-year suspension or revocation, a DUI program, an SR 22 insurance certificate and any reissue fees; it may also bring an ignition interlock device, up to six months in jail, a fine and an impounded vehicle. DUI convictions stay on the record for 10 years. p. 74
Under 21 you may not carry alcohol in the vehicle unless someone 21 or older is with you, and even then sealed. A preliminary screening of 0.05% or more can lead to arrest, and a conviction at 0.01% or more lets DMV revoke the license for a year. p. 75

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Section 10. Financial Responsibility, Insurance Requirements, and Collisions

The minimum insurance, what happens without it, and the two reports a collision requires.

Liability insurance must cover at least $30,000 for one death or injury, $60,000 for more than one, and $15,000 for property damage. Parents take on the financial responsibility of drivers under 18. p. 76
A collision without proper insurance means a suspension of up to four years, whoever was at fault. A low-cost insurance program exists for drivers who cannot afford a policy. p. 76
The most common causes of collisions are distraction, unsafe speed, improper turns, ignoring right-of-way rules and signals, driving on the wrong side, and driving faster or slower than the flow. p. 77
In a collision you must stop, call 911 if anyone is hurt, move the vehicle out of traffic if nobody is, show your license, registration, insurance and address, and report to law enforcement within 24 hours if anyone is injured or killed. If you hit a parked car and cannot find the owner, leave a note. p. 77
Report a collision to DMV within 10 days on form SR 1 when there is more than $1,000 in property damage or anyone is injured or killed, whether or not you were at fault and even on private property. Law enforcement will not file it for you. p. 78

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Sections 11 to 13. Registration, driver safety and senior drivers

The deadlines for a vehicle you buy, sell or bring from another state, when DMV can reexamine a driver, and what changes at 70.

After buying a vehicle you have 10 days to transfer ownership; after selling one you must notify DMV within five days. A new resident has 20 days to register an out-of-state vehicle. p. 79
DMV may reexamine any driver because of a physical or mental condition or a poor record, never because of age, and can request medical information, require tests, issue a limited-term license or suspend the license. p. 80
A driver served with a notice of priority reexamination has five working days to contact DMV or the license is suspended automatically. License restrictions are based on conditions, not age. p. 81
At 70 or older you renew in person and pass a vision test; DMV mails the renewal notice about 90 days before the license expires. p. 82

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Now practice it

105 rules on this page; the test asks about them in situations. Take the California practice test or go through the questions by topic, each with its explanation.

Last updated: September 22, 2026