DC DMV Permit Test cheat sheet

DC's basic speed law: never drive faster than is reasonable and prudent for conditions; posted limits are maximums, not targets, and you must slow for weather, traffic, and visibility.

Default DC speed limits unless posted otherwise: 25 mph on residential streets and business districts, 15 mph in alleys, and 20 mph in school zones during posted hours.

DC safety-belt law is primary enforcement: the driver and all front-seat passengers must be buckled, and every passenger under 16 must be restrained regardless of seating position.

Child restraint rule: children under 8 years old must ride in an approved child safety seat; a booster is required until the child fits the adult belt properly.

DC hands-free law: it is illegal to hold or support a phone with any part of the body while driving; only hands-free operation is permitted, and texting is prohibited outright.

Right turn on red is allowed in DC after a complete stop and yield, unless a sign prohibits it; left turn on red is permitted only from a one-way street onto another one-way street.

At a 4-way stop with simultaneous arrivals, the vehicle on the right has the right of way; a vehicle already in the intersection proceeds first, and left-turning traffic yields to oncoming through traffic.

Pedestrians in a marked or unmarked crosswalk have the right of way; DC law requires drivers to stop and remain stopped until the pedestrian has cleared the driver's lane and the adjacent lane.

DC's Move Over law: on multi-lane roads, change lanes away from stopped emergency, tow, or maintenance vehicles with flashing lights; if a lane change is unsafe, slow down and proceed with caution.

Sign shape carries meaning: octagon = STOP, inverted triangle = YIELD, diamond = warning, pennant = no-passing zone, round = railroad advance warning, and horizontal rectangle = regulatory or guide.

Sign color carries meaning: red = stop/prohibit, yellow = warning, fluorescent yellow-green = pedestrian/school warning, orange = construction, white = regulatory, blue = services, brown = recreation, green = guide.

A flashing red signal means the same as a stop sign: stop completely, yield, then proceed when clear; a flashing yellow means slow down and proceed with caution without stopping.

A steady yellow light warns that the signal is changing to red; if you can stop safely before the intersection, stop, and do not accelerate to beat the light.

A solid yellow center line separates traffic moving in opposite directions; passing is permitted only when the line on your side is broken, and two solid yellow lines prohibit passing in both directions.

A solid white line marks the right edge of the roadway or separates lanes where lane changes are discouraged; broken white lines separate lanes traveling in the same direction and may be crossed with care.

A two-way left-turn lane is bounded by solid yellow lines with broken yellow inside; it may be entered only to begin or complete a left turn, not for passing or through travel.

Railroad crossbucks mark the crossing itself; a round yellow advance-warning sign appears ahead of it, and flashing red lights or lowered gates require a full stop before the tracks.

A pentagon-shaped sign marks a school zone or school crossing; slow to the posted school-zone limit when children are present or the beacon is flashing.

Use the three-second rule for following distance in good conditions; at highway speeds or in rain, double it, and in ice or snow allow up to ten seconds.

DC's implied-consent law: submitting to a chemical test is a condition of driving; a driver under 21 with a BAC of 0.02% or higher, or 21 and older at 0.08% or higher, faces license consequences.

Hydroplaning begins when tires ride on a film of water; ease off the accelerator, avoid braking hard, and steer straight until traction returns.

If your vehicle begins to skid, look and steer where you want to go and ease off the accelerator; do not slam the brakes, especially in a rear-wheel skid.

In fog, use low-beam headlights; high beams reflect off the moisture and reduce visibility, and hazard lights should not be used while the vehicle is moving.

When a tire blows out, grip the wheel firmly, ease off the accelerator, and let the car slow gradually before braking gently and pulling off the road.

Park uphill with a curb on the right: turn the front wheels away from the curb; downhill or with no curb: turn the wheels toward the curb or edge of the road.

A DC driver must report a crash involving injury, death, or property damage above the statutory threshold to the police and file the required report; leaving the scene of an injury crash is a criminal offense.

At night, dim high beams to low beams within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle and within 300 feet when following another vehicle.