On an unposted two-lane residential street that is not part of the state primary system or a limited-access highway, what is Virginia's ordinary maximum speed limit?
Correct answer: 25 mph
Section 46.2-874 sets a 25 mph default in business and residential districts, but excludes the specified limited-access, four-or-more-lane and state-primary highways. The scenario excludes those roads and any different lawful posting.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-874, entire section; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 15, physical PDF p. 17: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=17. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
A Virginia highway has an unstabilized dirt-and-gravel surface and no posted speed limit. What statutory maximum applies?
Correct answer: 35 mph
Section 46.2-873.1 sets 35 mph on nonsurface-treated roads made of earth-aggregate or aggregate materials not stabilized with bituminous or cementitious material. An authorized increase or decrease is not effective until posted.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-873.1, entire section; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 15, physical PDF p. 17: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=17. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
A passenger car travels on an ordinary paved rural Virginia highway outside any business, residential or school zone. No different lawful limit applies. What general maximum governs?
Correct answer: 55 mph
Section 46.2-870 supplies the 55 mph general limit for passenger motor vehicles, subject to other limits in the article. Higher 60 or 70 mph limits require the specified roadway and lawful posting; they are not a general rural-road allowance.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-870, first through third paragraphs; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 15, physical PDF p. 17: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=17. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
Driver A travels 75 mph where the applicable maximum is 55 mph. Driver B travels 86 mph where it is 70 mph. Under Virginia's speed-based reckless-driving rule, which driver meets a trigger?
Correct answer: Both A and B
Section 46.2-862 covers driving at least 20 mph over the applicable maximum or in excess of 85 mph regardless of that maximum. A is 20 over; B exceeds 85. These are the statutory speed triggers, not permission to drive unsafely below them.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-862, entire section; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 14, physical PDF p. 16: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=16. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
In daylight, rain requires a driver's windshield wipers to run continuously. Although vehicles remain visible well beyond 500 feet, what does Virginia law require?
Correct answer: Turn on the required headlights and illuminating devices
Section 46.2-1030(A)(iii) independently requires the prescribed headlights and illuminating devices when wipers are in use because of the listed weather. The question uses continuous rain operation, not the section's intermittent-misting exception.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-1030, subsection A, clause (iii) and intermittent-misting proviso; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 22, physical PDF p. 24: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=24. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
During daylight haze, people and vehicles ahead are not clearly discernible at 500 feet. The windshield is dry and the wipers are off. Which legal lighting duty applies?
Correct answer: Use the required headlights and illuminating devices
Under section 46.2-1030(A)(ii), unfavorable atmospheric conditions that prevent persons or vehicles from being clearly discernible at 500 feet trigger the lighting requirement. This is separate from the sunset and wiper triggers.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-1030, subsection A, clauses (i) through (iii); complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 22, physical PDF p. 24: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=24. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
Virginia law requires low beams when an oncoming vehicle is within what distance, and when following another vehicle within what distance?
Correct answer: 500 feet oncoming; 200 feet following
Section 46.2-1034 specifies 500 feet for an approaching oncoming vehicle and 200 feet when approaching from behind or following a vehicle traveling in the same direction. It also separately requires low beams on sufficiently lighted highways.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-1034, entire section, second and third sentences; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 23, physical PDF p. 25: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=25. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
A driver cannot leave the required clearance while passing a pedal bicycle within the existing lane. What does Virginia's bicycle-passing statute require?
Correct answer: Change lanes for the pass and leave at least three feet
Section 46.2-839 requires a reasonable passing speed and at least three feet to the left, returning right only when safely clear. If the lane is too narrow to do that within the lane, the driver must change lanes; if a safe pass is unavailable, wait.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-839, entire section; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 17, physical PDF p. 19: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=19. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
A slowly moving pedal bicycle is ahead on a road with two solid yellow centerlines. With all other passing restrictions satisfied, can the driver cross those lines for the pass?
Correct answer: Yes, but only if the movement can be made safely
Section 46.2-804(6) expressly permits crossing double solid yellow lines to pass a pedestrian or a human-powered device, including a bicycle, if safe. This does not remove section 46.2-839's clearance requirement or other applicable restrictions.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-804, subdivision 6; also section 46.2-839; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 18, physical PDF p. 20: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=20. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
A marked middle left-turn or holding lane has a solid line beside a broken line on each side. To reach a left turn, how far may a vehicle travel in that lane under Virginia law?
Correct answer: No farther than 150 feet
Section 46.2-804(5) allows entry into the described middle lane for a left turn into a road or entrance, but limits travel in that lane to 150 feet. It is not an unlimited approach lane.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-804, subdivision 5, second sentence; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 18, physical PDF p. 20: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=20. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
A car ahead has signaled a left turn. The only way around its right side is along the paved shoulder. No signs authorize shoulder driving and no emergency applies. May the following driver pass there?
Correct answer: No; the left-turn signal does not authorize shoulder passing
Section 46.2-841 permits certain safe passes on the right, but prohibits doing so on the shoulder or off the pavement or main traveled roadway, except where lawfully placed signs permit driving on paved shoulders. The stated left turn does not itself authorize the shoulder route.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-841, subsections A(1) and B; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 17, physical PDF p. 19: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=19. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
A properly marked yellow school bus is stopped to unload children on the opposite side of a road. A paved two-way left-turn lane separates the directions, but there is no barrier or unpaved divider. No authorized person directs traffic. What must you do?
Correct answer: Stop for the bus
Section 46.2-859(A) requires a stop when approaching such a loading or unloading school bus from any direction. A paved center turn lane alone is not the physical-barrier or unpaved-area exception in subsection B(1).
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-859, subsections A, B(1) and C; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 15, physical PDF p. 17: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=17. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
A loading school bus is on the other roadway of a divided highway, separated from yours by a physical barrier. That barrier has a gap for an intersection. What does the current Virginia exception say about the gap?
Correct answer: It does not by itself cancel the separated-roadway exception
Section 46.2-859(B)(1) explicitly applies whether a physical barrier or unpaved separation is continuous or segmented as necessary for intersections or turning vehicles. The scenario places the bus on the separated other roadway; this is not a paved-center-lane case.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-859, subsection B(1), including second sentence; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 15, physical PDF p. 17: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=17. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
You have stopped behind a properly marked school bus unloading children. The children are clear of the roadway, but the bus remains stopped. No authorized traffic direction changes the situation. When may you proceed under the bus-stop rule?
Correct answer: After everyone is clear and the bus is put in motion
Section 46.2-859(A) requires remaining stopped until all the individuals are clear of the highway, private road or school driveway and the bus is put in motion. Merely satisfying one condition or waiting a chosen interval is insufficient.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-859, subsection A; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 15, physical PDF p. 17: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=17. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
A school bus is discharging children onto property immediately adjacent to a school. A duly authorized uniformed school crossing guard directs you to pass the bus. How does Virginia's school-bus stop law treat this situation?
Correct answer: It provides an exception for that authorized direction
Section 46.2-859(B)(2) permits the stated exception when loading or discharge is from or onto property immediately adjacent to a school and a law-enforcement officer or duly authorized uniformed school crossing guard directs passage. Proceed carefully as directed.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-859, subsection B(2); complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 15, physical PDF p. 17: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=17. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
Outside a highway work zone, a disabled car is stopped with its hazard flashers on. You approach on a four-lane highway with two lanes in your direction, and a lane change away is reasonable and safe. What does Virginia require?
Correct answer: Proceed cautiously and move into the nonadjacent lane
Section 46.2-861.1(B) covers stationary vehicles displaying hazard flashers, not only emergency vehicles. On the described highway, drivers must cautiously move away when reasonable and safe. If changing lanes is unreasonable or unsafe, the statute instead requires due caution and a safe speed; subsection D excludes highway work zones from this section.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-861.1, subsections B and D; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 16, physical PDF p. 18: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=18. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
An ordinary private motorist is following a fire engine responding to a fire alarm. The motorist is not on official business. How close may that motorist follow under Virginia law?
Correct answer: No closer than 500 feet
Section 46.2-921 prohibits a vehicle not on official business from following responding fire apparatus or an emergency medical services vehicle closer than 500 feet. It also separately restricts parking near fire apparatus stopped at a fire alarm.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-921, entire section, following clause; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 16, physical PDF p. 18: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=18. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
A responding emergency vehicle approaches from behind on your roadway with its required flashing lights and audible signal. No officer gives a different direction. As traffic conditions permit, where does Virginia law require you to stop?
Correct answer: At the nearest roadway edge, clear of an intersection
Section 46.2-829 requires moving to the nearest roadway edge as quickly as traffic and highway conditions permit, clear of any intersection, and remaining stopped until the emergency vehicle passes unless a law-enforcement officer directs otherwise. The statutory wording is 'nearest edge,' not an unconditional right-edge rule.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-829, first paragraph; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 16, physical PDF p. 18: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=18. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
A 30-year-old rides in the rear seat of an ordinary private car equipped with seat belts on a public highway. No statutory exemption applies. Does Virginia require that passenger to wear the belt while the car moves?
Correct answer: Yes; the adult-seat requirement is not limited to front seats
Current section 46.2-1094(A) applies to the driver and any other person at least 18 occupying a seat in a vehicle equipped or required to be equipped with a safety-belt system. It is not limited to front seats. The question excludes the section's medical and occupational or vehicle-category exemptions.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-1094, subsections A and B; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 26, physical PDF p. 28: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=28. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
An adult drives a privately owned 2024 sedan on a Virginia highway with a 17-year-old passenger. No exemption applies, and the passenger is not in a child-restraint category. Who must ensure the teen is properly belted?
Correct answer: The driver transporting the teen
Section 46.2-1095(B) places the duty on the person transporting someone under 18 to ensure an appropriate safety belt is provided and properly used in the specified post-January-1-1968 vehicles. The scenario excludes the exemptions in subsection E and section 46.2-1096.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-1095, subsections B and E; section 46.2-1096; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 26, physical PDF p. 28: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=28. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
A driver takes a seven-year-old in a privately owned 2024 car on a Virginia highway. No medical or vehicle-category exemption applies. What restraint does the law require?
Correct answer: A properly used child restraint meeting federal standards
Section 46.2-1095(A) puts this seven-year-old within its child-restraint age coverage in the specified post-January-1-1968 vehicles. A belt alone is not an age-based substitute. Exemptions and medical documentation are addressed separately in subsection E and section 46.2-1096.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-1095, subsections A and E; section 46.2-1096; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 27, physical PDF p. 29: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=29. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
A private 2024 vehicle has no back seat. An appropriate child restraint is to be installed in the front passenger seat, consistent with its instructions. What airbag condition must be met under Virginia's placement rule?
Correct answer: No passenger-side airbag, or that airbag deactivated
Section 46.2-1095(A) places child restraints in the back seat. When the vehicle has no back seat, it allows the front passenger seat only if there is no passenger-side airbag or that airbag has been deactivated. This legal exception does not replace restraint and vehicle instructions.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-1095, subsection A, final two sentences; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 27, physical PDF p. 29: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=29. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
An ordinary driver holds a smartphone to make a nonemergency voice call while the car is moving on a Virginia highway. The driver is not texting. How does section 46.2-818.2 apply?
Correct answer: Holding the device is prohibited even without texting
Section 46.2-818.2(A) prohibits holding a handheld personal communications device while driving a moving motor vehicle on Virginia highways. It is not merely a texting ban. The nonemergency private-driving scenario excludes the listed exceptions.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-818.2, subsections A and B; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 24, physical PDF p. 26: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=26. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
Which use is expressly excepted from Virginia's handheld-device prohibition by section 46.2-818.2?
Correct answer: Using a handheld device to report an emergency
Section 46.2-818.2(B)(3) expressly excepts use to report an emergency. That narrow exception does not cover an ordinary scheduling, navigation or work call and does not authorize unsafe driving. Other listed exceptions are separate.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-818.2, subsection B(3); complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 24, physical PDF p. 26: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=26. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
A driver strikes an occupied parked car and causes only a small scratch. Nobody is injured. What does Virginia's attended-property crash rule require?
Correct answer: Stop without obstructing traffic and provide the required identifying information
Section 46.2-894 requires stopping and reporting the driver's name, address, driver's-license number and vehicle-registration number in an attended-property-damage accident. The duty is not conditioned on reaching a minimum repair cost; the section's dollar threshold concerns offense grading. The scenario does not address an injury preventing compliance.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-894, first through third paragraphs; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 25, physical PDF p. 27: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=27. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
After damaging an unattended parked car without injuring anyone, a driver reasonably tries but cannot find its owner. Besides leaving the required identification and contact information conspicuously, what must the driver do?
Correct answer: Report the accident in writing to state or local police within 24 hours
Section 46.2-896 requires a written report to State Police or the local law-enforcement agency within 24 hours when the owner or custodian cannot be found. The note and report must include section 46.2-894's identifying information; the report also states the date, time, place and description of damage.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-896, first paragraph; section 46.2-894; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 25, physical PDF p. 27: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=27. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
After a Virginia crash with no injuries or deaths, the car is movable and its driver can safely move it out of the roadway. Must the driver preserve its exact lane position until police arrive?
Correct answer: No; the driver must move it to avoid obstructing traffic
Section 46.2-888(B) requires moving a movable vehicle from the roadway when the driver can safely do so and no injury or death resulted. This does not erase reporting or assistance duties. The question does not rely on subsection C's contingent I-66 provision.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-888, subsections A and B; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 25, physical PDF p. 27: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=27. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
On an ordinary public street within a Virginia town, a driver wants to reverse direction halfway along a block rather than at an intersection. What location rule applies?
Correct answer: The U-turn must be made at an intersection, if otherwise lawful
Section 46.2-845 prohibits turning to proceed in the opposite direction within cities, towns or county business districts except at an intersection. The intersection exception is not blanket permission: signs, visibility and other safety rules still apply.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-845, first paragraph; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 18, physical PDF p. 20: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=20. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
On a rural highway, a driver proposes a U-turn near a crest where an approaching driver cannot see the turning vehicle within 500 feet. What does Virginia law require?
Correct answer: Do not make the U-turn there
Section 46.2-845 separately prohibits reversing direction on a curve or near a grade crest where the vehicle cannot be seen by a driver approaching from any direction within 500 feet. This visibility restriction is not limited to urban areas.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-845, second paragraph; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 18, physical PDF p. 20: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=20. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
A car's upcoming turn may affect another vehicle. Under Virginia law, what minimum continuous signal distances apply on roads whose lawful speeds are 45 mph and 35 mph, respectively?
Correct answer: 100 feet at 45 mph; 50 feet at 35 mph
Sections 46.2-848 and 46.2-849(B) require the applicable signal when another vehicle may be affected. The minimum is 100 continuous feet where the lawful speed is more than 35 mph, and 50 feet in all other cases. The dividing point is the road's lawful speed, not the car's momentary speed.
Source: Code of Virginia, § 46.2-849, subsection B; section 46.2-848; complete current official section body and relevant exceptions read September 13, 2026. Supporting handbook context: Virginia Driver's Manual, DMV 39 (April 27, 2026), printed p. 18, physical PDF p. 20: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf#page=20. Current statute controls where the handbook summary differs. Retained primary-source-bodies.md in virginia-rules-source-assets-2026-09-13. ↗
