Driving rules compared across states

The same rule, three handbooks. Where the numbers match and where they do not.

People who move from one state to another, and people who studied with material from the wrong state, are caught out by small differences. These pages put the rules of California, Virginia and Oregon side by side on five topics that knowledge tests return to again and again. Each table quotes the handbooks as we read them. Where we did not find a point in the passages we read, the table says so and does not guess.

• Speed limits where no sign is posted
• Following distance and signalling
• Where you may not park: distances
• Alcohol limits for drivers
• Headlights: when to use them and when to dim

What the comparison shows

The principles are shared: a speed limit is a maximum for ideal conditions, following distance is counted in seconds, you signal about 100 feet before a turn, you dim your lights for others, and you do not drive after drinking. The details vary: the limit in a business district, the distance from a hydrant, the distance for dimming. A test asks about the details. So learn the principles once, and the numbers from your own state's handbook.

Independent practice site. DMV Practice is not a government website and is not connected with any Department of Motor Vehicles or licensing agency. The questions are our own, written from each state's public driver handbook as we read it on 12 November 2026. They are not the official test questions. Laws change: the current handbook of your own state is the authority.