🚗 Stuff Every Driver Should Know: Training Guide

Sign Shapes and Railroad Warnings

The eight-sided octagon is used only for STOP. It is red with white letters. Its shape lets you recognize it from behind or when covered in snow.

The downward pointing triangle is used only for YIELD. Slow down and be ready to stop. Stop only if traffic or a person in the road requires it.

The sideways yellow triangle on the left side of the road marks a NO PASSING ZONE. It points right toward the roadway, and it appears where passing becomes unsafe.

A fluorescent yellow-green five-sided sign shaped like a house warns of a school nearby. The school pentagon has squared bottom corners. Slow down and stop for children in the crosswalk.

A round yellow sign with a black X and two Rs is the railroad advance warning. It is placed before the tracks and tells you to look, listen, slow down, and be ready to stop.

At the tracks, the white X-shaped crossbuck usually means yield to rail traffic. If a STOP sign is also there, stop no closer than 15 feet from the nearest rail.

Sign Colors and Special Signs

Yellow diamond signs warn about curves, merges, deer, slippery roads, and other hazards. They are heads-ups, not laws.

Orange signs with black letters mean road work is ahead. Slow down, watch for workers, and follow flaggers. Flaggers hold a paddle with the words STOP and SLOW, and you must obey the paddle.

Green guide signs show cities, exits, and miles. Blue signs show services such as gas, food, and lodging. Brown signs point to parks, campgrounds, lakes, and historic sites.

Fluorescent yellow-green warns about people: pedestrians, bicyclists, playgrounds, school buses, and schools. It glows to stand out.

White rectangle signs with black letters are regulatory signs, such as SPEED LIMIT 45. A red circle with a slash means an action is not allowed, like no U-turn or no left turn.

A small yellow speed sign under a warning sign, such as 25 MPH, is an advisory speed for the curve. A WRONG WAY sign is red with white letters and means you have entered a one-way road or ramp against traffic.

Traffic Lights and Arrows

A flashing red light works like a STOP sign. Stop, then go when it is safe.

A flashing yellow round light means proceed with caution. Slow down, watch for cross traffic and people, and go through carefully.

A steady yellow arrow warns that a protected turn is ending. A flashing yellow left arrow lets you turn left after yielding to oncoming traffic and pedestrians.

A steady green arrow means go in the direction the arrow points when clear. If the lights at an intersection are dark, stop as if there were STOP signs every way.

At a steady red light, most states allow a right turn after a full stop unless a sign forbids it. A steady red right arrow may be different, so obey local law and signs.

A flashing orange raised hand on a pedestrian signal means do not start crossing. A steady red X over your lane means the lane is closed. A steady yellow X means move out of the lane.

Pavement Markings and Lane Guidance

Yellow lines separate traffic moving in opposite directions. On a divided highway or one-way road, the left edge line is yellow and the right edge line is white. If yellow is on your right, you are going the wrong way.

A broken yellow line on your side means you may pass when clear. A solid yellow line on your side means do not pass. Two solid yellow lines mean no passing for either direction.

A center lane with a solid yellow line outside and a broken yellow line inside on each side is a two-way left-turn lane. A white diamond in a lane marks a carpool or HOV lane.

A row of white triangles painted across your lane, points toward you, shows where to yield or stop. A wide white stop line also called a limit line shows where to stop at a STOP sign or red light.

Each dash in a standard broken lane line is about 10 feet long, with 30-foot gaps. When long dashes change to short closely spaced dots, the lane is about to change ahead, often becoming exit-only or ending.

Red raised markers glowing in your headlights mean you are going the wrong way. A bicycle symbol with two chevrons is a shared lane marking. Double solid white lines cannot be crossed; wait for a broken white line.

Unsigned Intersections

Right-of-way is something drivers yield, not something they should force. At an unsigned intersection, the first vehicle to arrive normally goes first. Watch for anyone who may not yield.

When two vehicles arrive at the same time, the driver on the left yields to the road user on the right. The rule covers pedestrians and bicyclists on your right too.

At an unsigned T-intersection, traffic on the through road has the right-of-way. The road that ends must yield to the road that continues.

Yielding to People and Turning Traffic

Pulling out of a driveway or from a curb onto a road, traffic already on the road has priority. Find a safe gap and pull out without forcing traffic on the road to brake.

Before turning left, yield to close approaching traffic and pedestrians. A green light does not erase that duty.

Pedestrians have priority in crosswalks, marked or unmarked. Paint is not required. Slow or stop so a person can safely cross.

Do not turn left just because an oncoming car signals right. Wait until the vehicle starts turning before crossing its path. A signal may be left on or may be for a later turn.

Making Turns Safely

Signal a turn about 100 feet before the turn. Keep signaling until you begin. This gives others time to understand your plan.

While waiting to turn left, keep your wheels pointed straight ahead. Straight wheels help keep a stopped car out of oncoming traffic if it is pushed forward.

A normal right turn should begin and end in the lane closest to the right edge. Signs or pavement arrows may allow turns from more than one marked lane.

After missing your turn, continue to a safe legal turn. A missed turn is not an emergency. Sudden lane and direction changes make your path harder to predict.

Hill and Curb Parking

When parking downhill by a curb, turn your wheels into the curb. Set the parking brake and place the transmission in park. If the vehicle rolls, the curb helps stop it.

When parking uphill by a curb, turn your wheels away from the curb, then let the vehicle roll back gently until the tire touches the curb. Set the parking brake.

On a hill with no curb, turn the wheels right, away from road center. This points a rolling vehicle away from the center of the road. Do this whether facing uphill or downhill.

After parallel parking, be within 12 to 18 inches of the curb. Check your state manual for the exact number. Park straight and close so you stay out of the travel lane.

Never park on a crosswalk, even an unmarked one. A parked vehicle can block the walking path and hide people from moving traffic.

Backing Safely

Check the area around the vehicle before backing. Small children, objects, and low obstacles may be hidden. Continue checking while you move.

Back at a smooth, safe speed. Low speed gives you time to steer and stop for hazards. Keep looking behind and around the vehicle throughout the maneuver.

Use a backup camera as a helper, but do not rely on it alone. A camera cannot show every direction around a vehicle. Small steering inputs can change the path quickly while reversing.

Changing Lanes Safely

On a multilane road, the far-left lane is mainly for passing other vehicles. Use it to pass and then follow local keep-right rules.

Before every lane change, signal, check mirrors and traffic, then look over your shoulder. Mirrors do not show every nearby vehicle.

When crossing several highway lanes, change one lane at a time. Signal and check mirrors and blind spots before each lane. A vehicle can enter your blind spot between moves.

Frequent lane changes are less safe than staying in one lane. Choose a suitable lane and stay predictable.

Large broken lane lines warn you to prepare for the lane to end or exit. Look for signs and merge when safe.

Passing Rules

Do not pass near a hill when you cannot see oncoming traffic. A hill or curve can hide an approaching vehicle.

Do not leave the traveled roadway to pass another vehicle. Passing on the shoulder endangers stopped vehicles and other road users.

You may pass a left-turning vehicle on the right only when it is safe on the roadway. Do not leave the traveled roadway to squeeze by. Multilane and one-way roads can also allow safe right-side passing.

When another vehicle passes you, maintain your lane and speed. Do not race or drift toward the passing vehicle. A steady path helps the other driver complete the pass.

Entering and Leaving Highways

On a highway entrance ramp, aim for traffic speed. Use the acceleration lane to approach highway speed, then choose a safe gap and merge without forcing others to brake.

Do not stop on a highway entrance ramp before merging unless necessary. Some entrance ramps use traffic signals, and those signals must be obeyed.

When you merge onto a highway, traffic already on the highway has priority. Find a safe opening without making through traffic brake sharply.

Signal a highway exit about five seconds before. Signal while still in the proper lane, and enter the exit at a safe speed.

Reduce speed for a highway exit in the exit lane or on the ramp, not while still in a through lane. Enter the proper exit lane first.

Speed and Following Distance

A posted speed limit is not a promise that the speed is safe. Slow down for traffic, visibility, weather, road surface, and other hazards. The safest lawful speed can change as conditions change.

The road surface is one condition that should affect your speed. Rough, wet, narrow, or slippery roads can require a slower speed. Pedestrians, bicyclists, and congestion also matter.

In good conditions, many state manuals recommend a three-second following gap. A time gap grows as speed increases, unlike a fixed number of feet.

Measure a three-second gap by picking a fixed point such as a sign or shadow. Start counting when the vehicle ahead passes it. If you reach the point before three seconds, ease off the accelerator and rebuild the gap.

On wet roads, leave more following distance than on dry roads. Tennessee's manual says at least four seconds in bad weather. Roads are often most slippery when rain first starts.

Visibility and Bad Weather

Headlights must be on at night and whenever it is hard to see, such as in rain, fog, or snow when using wipers. Daytime running lights and parking lights do not count as headlights.

If your car starts to hydroplane, ease off the gas and do not brake. Hydroplaning means your tires ride on water instead of the road. Braking or a sharp turn can throw you into a skid.

Use low-beam headlights in fog. High beams reflect off fog and make it harder to see. Slow down and leave extra following distance.

On snow or ice, brake early, carefully, and gently. Hard braking can lock the wheels and cause a skid. Bridges, ramps, and overpasses freeze before the rest of the road.

If the back of your car skids on a slippery road, steer the way you want the car to go. Ease off the gas, do not slam the brakes, and steer left and right as needed.

Dim high beams to low beams within 500 feet of an oncoming car. High beams can blind other drivers. If an oncoming car's lights are too bright, look toward the right edge of your lane.

Common Emergencies and Night Driving

After a minor crash where no one is hurt, always stop. Call 911 if anyone is hurt. If no one is hurt, move your vehicle out of traffic if you can, then share license, registration, and insurance information.

If your brake pedal suddenly sinks to the floor, pump the brake pedal first. If that does not work, apply the parking brake gently and shift to a lower gear to slow down.

If you come to a flooded road, turn around and find another route. You cannot tell how deep the water is. Just 12 inches of rushing water can carry away most cars.

If a tire blows out, hold the wheel tightly and slowly ease off the gas. Do not brake until the car is under control. Then pull off when it is safe.

Drive slower at night, even on a clear road, because headlights light only about 350 feet ahead. Drive slowly enough to stop within the distance your headlights light up.

At night, a person in dark clothing near the road is hard to see. Slow down and watch the edges of the road. Motorcycles and bicyclists are also harder to see at night.

Seat Belts and Child Passengers

Lap and shoulder belts cut the risk of being killed in a crash for front-seat car riders by about 45 percent. In SUVs, vans, and pickups the cut is about 60 percent.

The safest place for a young child is in the back seat in the right car seat. Never put a rear-facing car seat in front of an active air bag. Riding in the back instead of the front cuts risk almost in half for children 4 to 8.

A child should use a booster seat until the adult belt fits, usually at about 4 feet 9 inches tall. A booster lifts the child so the lap and shoulder belt fit correctly. Check your state's booster law.

Air bags work with seat belts, not instead of them. Wear the shoulder belt across your chest and the lap belt low on your hips. Sit with at least 10 inches between your chest and the steering wheel air bag cover.

Alcohol, Drugs, and Fitness to Drive

In most states, the legal blood alcohol limit for drivers 21 and older is 0.08 percent. Utah uses 0.05. You can still be charged below the limit if alcohol affects your driving.

Drivers under 21 face a lower limit, 0.02 percent or lower in most states. All 50 states ban detectable alcohol for under-21 drivers. New York's first zero tolerance violation can suspend a license for six months.

When you drive, implied consent means you agree to alcohol or drug testing if an officer suspects impaired driving. Refusing usually means losing your license.

If you feel drowsy while driving, pull off somewhere safe and take a short nap of 15 to 45 minutes, or switch drivers. Radio and open windows will not keep you awake.

Over-the-counter medicine can affect your driving, making you sleepy or slow. Read the label and ask a pharmacist if you are unsure. Mixing cold medicine with one drink can affect you like several drinks.

Marijuana and other drugs slow reflexes and hurt judgment, vision, and alertness. Driving while impaired by any drug, legal or not, can be a crime. In California it is illegal to smoke or eat cannabis while driving or riding as a passenger.

Sharing the Road Safely

When a stopped school bus has flashing red lights, stop and stay stopped until the red lights stop and the bus moves or the driver signals. On a two-lane road, traffic from both directions must stop. Divided highways differ by state.

When you see a stopped emergency vehicle with flashing lights on the shoulder, move over a lane if safe, or slow down. This also applies to tow trucks and road work vehicles in many states.

Give bicyclists at least 3 feet when passing in California, Tennessee, and many other states. Bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as other drivers. If you cannot give 3 feet, wait to pass.

Large trucks have No Zones, which are blind spots where the truck driver cannot see you. If you cannot see the truck's side mirrors, the truck driver cannot see you. Following close behind a truck blocks your view of the road ahead.

When an ambulance with lights and siren is coming toward you, pull to the right edge and stop. If you are in an intersection, drive through it first, then pull over. Check your state's following distance rule.

Motorcycles are hard to see because they are small and hide in blind spots. Never pass a motorcycle in the same lane. If the car in the next lane stops at a crosswalk, stop too and do not pass it, because it may be waiting for someone you cannot see.

Licensing, New Drivers, and Crash Reports

Graduated licensing lets new teen drivers build experience under limits before full privileges. They practice with supervision first, then face restrictions on night driving and passengers.

Many graduated licensing programs limit teen passengers because teen passengers raise a new driver's crash risk. In California, new drivers under 18 cannot carry passengers under 20 for the first year unless a licensed driver 25 or older rides along.

In states like California and New York, a crash must be reported to the DMV if property damage reaches about $1,000, or if anyone is hurt or killed. Telling your insurance company does not count as reporting to the DMV.