Virginia DMV Permit Practice Test 2024

Drivers in Virginia convicted of leaving a crash scene resulting in personal injury, death or property damage exceding $1,000 can be charged with a Class 5 Felony, punishable by a license revocation, a fine of no more than $2,500, and imprisonment for between 1-10 (or confinement in jail for up to 12 months).

In Virginia, motorists from both directions have to stop for school buses loading or unloading passengers, which is often shown by flashing red lights and a mechanical stop arm. Do not proceed until the school bus has started driving again and all pedestrians are clear. If the school bus stops to load or unload passengers at an intersection, traffic from all directions must stop. A stop is not required when driving on the opposite side of a roadway divided by a median or barrier, but morotists should still display caution.

In Virginia, passing on the right is only permissible when the vehicle in front of you is preparing for or making a left turn. Drivers must under no conditions drive off the pavement or main portion of the roadway when passing on the right. Passing on the right can be especially dangerous as the other driver may not expect or see you and decide to change lanes or turn.

In Virginia, the driver and all front-seat passengers age 18 and older must wear a seat belt. Violation of the seat belt law is a secondary offense. In addition, the child passenger safety law also requires that all children wear an appropriate child restraint regardless of seating position. What is appropriate depends on the size, height and weight of the child. For children ages 8-16, the appropriate restraint is a seat belt, booster seat or child restraint.

Studded tires have studs embedded in the tread that provide added traction. Studded tires are permitted in Virginia between October 15 to April 15.

The added weight of the trailer to your vehicle can drastically increase the distance needed to come to a full stop. For this reason, most states have laws regarding independent braking on trailers over a certain gross vehicle weight (GVW). In Virginia, the gross weight limit is 3,000 lbs.

Virginia uses a Point System and a Driver Improvement Program to keep unsafe drivers off the roads. An illegal turn is a 3-point violation. Failure to yield right of way is a 4-point violation. Driving 20 mph or more over the speed limit is a 6-point violation. DMV keep a record of all point violations a driver receives. Any driver accumulating 12 points within 12 months or 18 points within 24 months must complete a driver improvement clinic or have their license suspended.

When exiting a freeway or interstate, you may cause a rear-end collision if you begin slowing down too early as other drivers may not expect it. Wait until after entering the deceleration lane before slowing down.

You should always maintain a following distance of at least 3 seconds to the vehicle in front of you according to the "three-second rule" used by Virginia drivers. In bad conditions and at higher speeds, you should consider increasing the following distance to 4-5 seconds so you have time to safely stop if necessary. On slippery roads, it may be necessary to increase the following distance even more.

The standard speed limit in business areas, residential areas, and school zones in Virginia is 25 mph unless otherwise posted.

The standard speed limit in Virginia is 35 mph on unpaved roads, unless otherwise posted.

Leave your automatic car in ‘P’ when parking AND apply the parking brake to make sure the car won’t budge. Leaving your vehicle in the correct gear will help prevent your vehicle from rolling in case of brake failure.

It’s dangerous to drive much slower than the traffic flow on a freeway. If you do, drivers behind you may be forced to brake or swerve to avoid crashing into you. For that reason, you should drive at about the same speed as the freeway traffic when reaching the end of the acceleration lane. 

Remember to merge with care - don’t try to squeeze your vehicle into a small gap.

Check your tire pressure frequently. Low tire pressure will increase the rolling resistance and therefore your vehicle will need to work harder to compensate.

If you need to cross several freeway/highway lanes - do so one at a time. The risk of an accident greatly increases if you cross multiple lanes at a time.

In busy/rush hour/slow-moving traffic, motorcyclists tend to filter through traffic between lanes. Be aware of that when turning or changing lanes as motorcyclists are vulnerable and hard to spot.

Turning the steering wheel while stationary can cause unnecessary wear to the tires and steering mechanism.

Driving a car doesn’t mean that you’re safe from side winds. Situations when you’re most likely to be affected by side winds are: 

• On exposed roads
• After overtaking large vehicles
• In gaps between buildings or similar

Passing is a complicated maneuver requiring both skill and experience. Before passing, look ahead for oncoming vehicles, the road conditions (e.g. cracks or potholes), and estimate if you can complete the maneuver safely. If safe - signal, check the blind spot and begin with the maneuver.

Don’t turn on your high beams until you’ve passed the other vehicle, as you may blind the driver otherwise.