Professional Documents
Culture Documents
DRIVER
HANDBOOK
Edmund G. Brown Jr., Governor
State of California
F CALIFO
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
NEW 2013 LAWS ....................... III
MISCELLANEOUS LICENSING
INFORMATION ..........................11
DMV INFORMATION.................... IX
GENERAL INFORMATION .............. 1
Disclaimer ......................................1
Accurate Identification ...................1
Basic Information ...........................1
To Replace a Lost/Stolen or
Damaged Driver License .............11
Name Changes............................12
Driver License Renewals .............12
Renewal by Mail, Internet, or
Telephone ....................................12
Driver License Extension ............13
Driver License in Your
Possession ..................................13
Address Changes ........................13
Medical Information Card ............14
Organ and Tissue Donation ........14
Veteran Benefit Information .........14
Unlicensed Drivers ......................14
Diplomatic Driver Licenses..........15
Identification (ID) Cards ...............15
Free ID Cards for Physical and
Mental (P&M) Conditions.............15
Identification (ID) Card Renewal
by Mail or Internet .......................15
Driving Schools ...........................16
Mature Driver Program ................16
Pedestrian Responsibilities .........16
TURNS ....................................36
Examples of Right and Left
Turns ............................................37
Legal U-Turns ............................. 38
Illegal U-Turns............................. 38
PARKING .................................39
Parking on a Hill ......................... 39
Parallel Parking .......................... 39
How to Park ................................ 40
Parking at Colored Curbs ........... 40
Illegal Parking ............................. 44
Special Parking Rules ................ 44
ADDITIONAL DRIVING
LAWS/RULES ...........................70
Things You Must Not Do:.............70
rDo not alter a license plate in
any manner. ................................72
Things You Must Do: ...................72
VEHICLE REGISTRATION
REQUIREMENTS ........................88
California Vehicles ...................... 88
Out-of-State Vehicles ................. 89
Driver License Fast Facts and
Other Publications ..................... 90
Available Online ...................... 90
Available in Print Only..............91
Knowledge Test Sample #1 ........ 93
Knowledge Test Sample #2........ 94
WHERE TO WRITE
DMV INFORMATION
GENERAL INFORMATION
DISCLAIMER
ACCURATE IDENTIFICATION
BASIC INFORMATION
ACCEPTABLE DOCUMENTS
Minors Visiting California
OBTAINING A DRIVER
LICENSE
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
FOR A BASIC CLASS C DRIVER
LICENSE
DRIVER LICENSE
CLASSES
THE EXAMINATION
PROCESS
WHERE TO TAKE THE TESTS
CHEATING
DMV EXAMINATIONS
TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS
Habitual Truant
Persons 13 18 Years of Age
MISCELLANEOUS
LICENSING INFORMATION
TO REPLACE A LOST/STOLEN OR
DAMAGED DRIVER LICENSE
NAME CHANGES
ADDRESS CHANGES
UNLICENSED DRIVERS
DRIVING SCHOOLS
PEDESTRIAN RESPONSIBILITIES
SEAT BELTS
TRAFFIC LIGHTS
AND SIGNS
TRAFFIC SIGNAL LIGHTS
DO NOT
DO NOT
ENTER
ENTER
WRONG
WAY
WRONG
WAY
TRAFFIC SIGNS
STOP
O
R
O
D
IL
IN
Pedestrians
Intersections
Crosswalks
Roundabouts
Safety suggestion
Guide Signs
- 78 -
Warning Signs
- 79 -
On Mountain Roads
SPEED LIMITS
REDUCED SPEEDS
Heavy Traffic or Bad Weather
Around Children
Blind Intersections
Alleys
Near Animals
TRAFFIC LANES
Light Rail Transit Vehicle
Crossings
LINE COLORS
CHOOSING A L ANE
CHANGING L ANES
PASSING L ANES
BIKE
LANE
BIKE
LANE
Right
BICYCLE L ANES
Wrong
TURNS
RN
ER
Safety suggestion
OT
TC
CU
N WIDE
UR
*2
LEGAL U-TURNS
one
y
wa
ILLEGAL U-TURNS
down hill
up hill
PARALLEL PARKING
PARKING
PARKING ON A HILL
no curbup hill or
down hill
Step 2
Reverse into the space with an
S motion.
Step 3
Once the car is parallel with the
curb, pull forward to center your
car within the space.
HOW TO PARK
Step 1
Bring you car to a stop alongside
the car at the front of the space.
Example of crosshatched
(diagonal lines) area
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ILLEGAL PARKING
SAFE DRIVING
PRACTICES
SIGNALING
LEFT TURN
RIGHT TURN
Steering
SLOW or STOP
SCANNING
DRIVING IN DARKNESS
FOLLOWING DISTANCES
Taking Dangers One at a Time
Problem Drivers
Space to Merge
Space to Exit
Space to Return
Braking
Turning
Maneuverability
LIGHT-RAIL VEHICLES
EMERGENCY VEHICLES
SLOW-MOVING VEHICLES
ANIMAL-DRAWN VEHICLES
A Slow-Moving Vehicle
MOTORCYCLES
NEIGHBORHOOD ELECTRIC
VEHICLES (NEV) AND LOWSPEED VEHICLES (LSV)
BICYCLES
STOP, LOOK
BETWEEN PARKED CARS. LEAVE SPACE TO AVOID
Turns
for bicyclists
BEFORE CROSSING
SUDDENLY OPENED DOORS.
Guide Signs
- 78 -
IMPORTANT DRIVING
TIPS
MOVE OVER AND SLOW DOWN
Y N
Use your horn sparingly.
Avoid unnecessary use of
high beam headlights.
Yield and move to the right
for emergency vehicles.
Refrain from flashing headlights.
Make slow, deliberate Uturns.
Maintain proper speeds
around roadway crashes.
Avoid returning inappropriate
gestures.
Avoid challenging other drivers.
Try to get out of the way of
aggressive drivers.
Focus on driving and avoid
distracting activities.
DO YOU AVOID:
Driving when drowsy.
Blocking the right-turn lane.
Taking more than one parking
space.
Parking in a space designated for the disabled.
Letting your door hit the vehicle parked next to you.
Using the cell phone while
driving.
Stopping in the road to talk.
Inflicting loud music on neighboring cars.
Score Yourself:
Count the number of No Answers
(1-3) SAFE DRIVER
(8-11) SEMI-AGGRESSIVE DRIVER
COLLISION AVOIDANCE
Keep Your Car Visible
Traffic Speeds
Curves
DRIVING HAZARDS
Water on the Road
Accelerator Malfunction
MECHANICAL TIPS
Acceleration Skids
Causes of Collisions
Involved in a Collision
Reporting a Collision
ADDITIONAL DRIVING
LAWS/RULES
THINGS YOU MUST NOT DO:
HEARING
MEDICATIONS
ALERTNESS
SAFETY TIPS
RECORD CONFIDENTIALITY
TRAFFIC BREAKS
INSURANCE
Insurance Requirements
ADMIN PER SE
Number of
Drinks
M
0
F
M
1
F
M
2
F
M
3
F
M
4
F
M
5
F
220
.00
.00
.03
.03
.05
.06
.08
.09
.11
.12
.14
.15
120
.00
.00
.05
.06
.10
.11
.15
.17
.20
.22
.25
.28
240
.00
.00
.02
.03
.05
.06
.07
.08
.10
.11
.12
.14
100
.00
.00
.06
.07
.12
.13
.18
.20
.24
.26
.30
.33
Legally
Intoxicated
Driving Skills
Impaired
Only Safe
Driving Limit
Driving
Condition
It is illegal to drive with a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of .08% or more (.04% for commercial vehicle
drivers and .01% if under 21). Other factors, such as fatigue, medications or food may affect your
ability to legally operate a vehicle. The table below gives an estimate of blood alcohol levels based
on the number of drinks consumed, gender and body weight. REMEMBER: Even one drink is likely
to affect your ability to drive safely!
GETTING A TICKET
SPEED CONTESTS/RECKLESS
DRIVING
POSSESSING FIREARMS
VANDALISM/GRAFFITI
ALL AGES
SUSPENSION BY JUDGE
SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION
BY THE DMV
CALIFORNIA VEHICLES
OUT-OF-STATE VEHICLES
DISTRACTIONS: A split
second can change or end
your life.
dmv.ca.gov
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Mail to:
Address:
City, State, ZIP Code:
DL 600 ENGLISH (REV. 1/2013)