Georgia Road Signs Practice cheat sheet

Regulatory signs control traffic and are generally white with black lettering (for example SPEED LIMIT, ONE WAY, DO NOT ENTER, YIELD); a red circle with a slash means the action is prohibited.

Warning signs are typically yellow diamonds with black symbols or words; they alert to conditions ahead such as curves, school zones, pedestrian crossings, and railroad crossings, and do not themselves change the speed limit.

Railroad advance warning signs are yellow circles with an X and RR; a crossbuck (white X, black letters) marks the actual crossing, and flashing red lights or a lowered gate require a stop.

Guide signs are green (or blue for services, brown for recreation and points of interest) and give route, distance, destination, and exit information rather than commands.

Work-zone signs are orange diamonds; a flagger's STOP/SLOW paddle or an automated signal carries the force of law, and posted work-zone speed limits apply when the signs are displayed.

A stop line, crosswalk, or the edge of the intersecting roadway marks where a vehicle must stop at a STOP sign; stopping is required even when no other traffic is visible.

Sign shape carries meaning: octagon = STOP, triangle (point down) = YIELD, pennant = no passing zone, round = railroad advance warning, and horizontal rectangle = guide or regulatory information.

Color carries meaning: red = stop/prohibition, yellow = warning, orange = construction, green = guidance/permitted movement, blue = services, brown = recreation, and fluorescent yellow-green = school/pedestrian emphasis.

Georgia's basic speed law requires driving at a speed reasonable and prudent for conditions; posted limits are maximums, not targets, and a driver may be cited for driving too fast for conditions even below the limit.

Statutory maximums in Georgia: 30 mph in urban or residential districts, 55 mph on unpaved roads, and 70 mph on rural interstates and divided highways (some segments are posted differently, so posted signs control).

Georgia's Move Over law requires drivers approaching a stationary emergency, tow, or highway maintenance vehicle with flashing lights to move to a non-adjacent lane if possible or slow below the posted limit and be prepared to stop.

Georgia requires seat belts for the driver and all passengers in the front seat, and for all passengers in the rear seat of passenger vehicles; children under 8 must be restrained in an approved child safety seat or booster.

Right-of-way rules: a driver turning left must yield to oncoming traffic; at an uncontrolled intersection the vehicle on the right has the right-of-way; a vehicle entering a roadway from a driveway or private road must yield to traffic already on the road.

Georgia law prohibits handheld phone use and text messaging while driving for all drivers; drivers under 18 may not use any wireless device, even hands-free, except for emergencies.

Headlights are required from sunset to sunrise, when visibility is reduced (rain, fog, smoke), and whenever windshield wipers are in continuous use; low beams must be used within 500 feet of oncoming vehicles and when following within 200 feet.

A driver involved in a crash resulting in injury, death, or property damage of $500 or more must stop, exchange information, and report the crash; leaving the scene of an injury crash is a felony hit-and-run offense.

Georgia's implied-consent and following-distance guidance uses the three-second rule: pick a fixed object, and if you reach it before counting three seconds after the vehicle ahead passes it, you are following too closely.

Increase following distance to four or more seconds in rain, at night, behind large trucks or motorcycles, or when towing; stopping distance grows with the square of speed, so doubling speed roughly quadruples braking distance.

The Smith System (Aim high, Get the big picture, Keep your eyes moving, Leave yourself an out, Make sure they see you) structures visual scanning and space cushion management.

Hydroplaning begins at roughly 35 mph on wet pavement with worn tires; ease off the accelerator, avoid braking hard, and steer straight until traction returns.

In a skid, look and steer where you want the vehicle to go and avoid hard braking; if the rear wheels skid, steer in the direction of the skid to regain alignment.

At a four-way stop, the first vehicle to stop proceeds first; if two arrive simultaneously, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right, and a driver turning left yields to oncoming traffic going straight.

When an emergency vehicle approaches with lights and siren, pull to the right edge of the roadway and stop until it passes; do not stop in an intersection - clear it first.

Sharing the road: large trucks have large blind spots (No-Zones) on both sides, directly behind, and in front; motorcycles and bicycles are entitled to a full lane, and drivers must leave at least three feet when passing a bicyclist.

Georgia's per se limits: 0.08% BAC for drivers 21 and older, 0.04% for commercial driver's license holders operating a CMV, and 0.02% for drivers under 21 (zero tolerance).

An under-21 driver with a BAC of 0.02% or higher faces license suspension; refusing a chemical test triggers an administrative license suspension separate from any criminal case.

Implied consent: by driving in Georgia you consent to chemical testing; refusal can suspend your license for one year (or more with prior refusals), even if you are later acquitted of DUI.

Georgia DUI penalties escalate: a first conviction carries up to a $1,000 fine, up to 12 months in jail, 40 hours of community service, and a license suspension; a second conviction within 10 years adds mandatory jail time and longer suspension; a fourth conviction is a felony.

Alcohol impairs judgment, reaction time, and tracking before a driver feels intoxicated; a single 12-ounce beer, 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5-ounce shot of 80-proof liquor contain roughly equivalent alcohol.

Only time removes alcohol from the body; coffee, cold showers, and food do not lower BAC. Elimination is roughly 0.015% BAC per hour for a typical adult.

Prescription and over-the-counter drugs, including antihistamines and sleep aids, can support a DUI charge in Georgia when they render the driver less safe; combining them with alcohol multiplies impairment.

Georgia's Open Container law prohibits possessing an open alcoholic beverage in the passenger area of a vehicle; penalties and points apply, and a DUI conviction adds 2 points to a driver's record under the points system.