Virginia Driver Handbook Guide

The official Virginia driver's handbook covers a lot of ground — not all of it tested. This page maps its actual chapter structure, straight from the handbook's own table of contents, so you know what's in there before deciding whether to read the whole thing or lean on our cheat sheet instead. Prefer the source? Download the full Virginia handbook (PDF).

Chapters at a glance

1. Section 1: Testing — Explains Virginia's two-part knowledge exam (a perfect 10/10 on road signs before moving to a 30-question, 80%-to-pass general section), the road skills test requirements, and the two-tier vision standard: 20/40 with 110-degree horizontal vision for an unrestricted license, or 20/70 with 70 degrees for a daylight-hours-only restricted license.
2. Section 2: Signals, Signs and Pavement Markings — Covers every traffic signal color and arrow type in detail, including that Virginia allows a left turn on red only from a one-way street onto another one-way street, and that right and left turns are always prohibited on a red arrow.
3. Section 3: Safe Driving — The largest section -- covers hand position, Virginia's default speed limits (25/35/55 mph), the state's ban on radar detectors, right-of-way rules, roundabouts, passing regulations, following distance (a 2/3/4-second table by speed tier), and detailed parking rules including a strict one-foot-from-the-curb limit.
4. Section 4: Seat Belts, Air Bags, and Child Safety Seats — Covers Virginia's primary seat belt law for all occupants, air bag safety (at least 10 inches from the steering wheel), and the child safety seat law -- children under 8 must be in a car seat or booster, with a $50 fine for a first violation and up to $500 for a second.
5. Section 5: Penalties — Covers license suspension and revocation, Virginia's demerit points system (3, 4, or 6 points per violation; 18 points in 12 months triggers a 90-day suspension for adults), and detailed DUI penalties including a 7-day Administrative License Suspension for a first offense and a 30-day immediate vehicle impoundment for driving after an alcohol-related suspension.
6. Section 6: License Types — Covers Virginia's learner's permit (requiring a supervising driver at least 21, or 18-20 if a guardian or sibling), the standard driver's license, commercial driver's license, and the school bus driver's license, which doesn't require a full CDL for buses carrying 15 or fewer occupants.
7. Section 7: Other Important Information — Covers practical logistics for new and current residents -- a 60-day deadline to get a Virginia license after moving, a separate 30-day deadline to title and register a vehicle, insurance minimums (30/60/20 for policies since January 1, 2022), and the $500 uninsured motor vehicle fee.
8. Section 8: Sample Knowledge Exam — A full sample knowledge exam with answers, useful as a final practice check but not new content -- it draws entirely from facts already covered in Sections 1-7.

What's actually tested

The knowledge exam draws most heavily from Section 3 (Safe Driving -- speed limits, right-of-way, passing, parking), Section 2 (Signals, Signs and Pavement Markings, tested directly in the perfect-score road-sign portion), Section 5 (Penalties -- demerit points and DUI law), and Section 6 (License Types and learner's permit rules).

Section 7 (Other Important Information) covers mostly administrative logistics -- address changes, vehicle titling, voter registration, organ donation -- that are useful for new residents but rarely appear as knowledge-exam questions.

Want to drill exactly those topics? Try the Virginia practice test or the condensed cheat sheet.

Chapter titles and structure reflect the handbook version current as of 2026-07-29 — always confirm you're studying the latest edition on Virginia DMV's own site.