Dear Students and New Drivers,

In addition to reading and understanding the CA DMV Driver’s Handbook and taking our 30 hour Online Course, we have created this guide to make passing the CA DMV written test a little easier.

Below are critical numbers to remember:

1

As a result of a ticket or an accident you will get 1 point on your driving records. When you get a point, the DMV will send a warning letter to you and your parents. 

2

If you accumulate two points on your record, you will have a “restricted” license. This means that you will have to drive with your parent for one month. Insurance rate will likely go up.

3

Three points = a six-month suspension and then six more months of probation.

Also, three seconds of distance between you and ANY vehicle in front of you will prevent most accidents. The Hills Driving School recommendation is 4 seconds or more depending on situation.

4

Seconds indicates an exercise in determining the safe distance from other cars. Use it when determining whether you should turn left in front of an oncoming car when turning onto a street with a car approaching you, or when pulling in front of a car when making a lane change.

5

Signal for five seconds when making a lane change; you have five days to report selling your vehicle. Pull to the right onto a shoulder -or into a slower lane-when followed by five cars who have had to slow down behind you. 

Speed limit in parking lots is 5 MPH

10

Both parties should report an accident to the DMV within 10 days if there was more than $750 total damage or if someone was injured.

Allow ten seconds of passing time to avoid getting hit by oncoming traffic.

Slow down your car 5-10 miles (compared to posted speed limit) per hour when driving in the rain.

Again, please remember the safest speed is not the speed limit!

15

Unless there is a sign indicating otherwise:

15 MPH at blind intersections where one cannot see 100 feet in either direction as you approach the intersection, 

15 MPH at blind railroad crossings where one cannot see 400 feet in either direction as one approaches the track, 

15 MPH in alleys

18

Park your car no more than 18″ from the curb. This will be also tested on the road test.

25

25 is the speed limit for all business, residential or school districts, unless a sign indicates otherwise.

Remember: This is the MAXIMUM speed. You should always drive at the speed that is safest for the given situation

30

During the first 30 minutes of a rainstorm roads are extremely slick and dangerous. The water mixes with the dirt and grease on the road and creates extremely unsafe and slick conditions

Turn on your low-beam headlights 30 minutes after sunset and 30 minutes before sunrise.

Have your headlights on whenever you are having trouble seeing other cars 

55

Speed limit for trucks and cars towing vehicles. 

They must travel in only the right two lanes of any highway (when having 3 axels) 

65

Speed limit for highways unless otherwise indicated by a sign. (For example, some stretches of highway 5 to Las Vegas is 75 MPH)

100

Always signal 100 feet in advance of a turn. (This is approximately half a block in a residential area in Los Angeles.)

200

Merge into a bike lane no more than 200 feet from a right turn.

300

300 feet is the distance from a car- when you are driving behind another car- where you should make sure to turn your high beams down to low beams.

High beams are distracting in mirrors and can deter other drivers’ vision.

500

Distance in feet from an approaching car when you should turn down your high beams.

And finally…

$1000

This is the only fine currently on the test. 

You may receive this fine if you: 

                  If you dump an animal on the side of the road,

Pass a school bus with its red lights flashing (from both direction), 

Fail to pull over to the right for an emergency vehicle 

We hope this helps and makes the written test a little bit easier for our students.

Best of luck and success.

Kamran Ford- The Hills Driving School Founde