DMV PracticeFollowing distance and signals: California, Virginia, Oregon
How much space to leave in front, and how early to signal, are safety habits that every handbook turns into numbers.
The table shows what the three handbooks say, as we read them on 12 November 2026. "Not in the passages we read" means only that: the handbook may well cover the point elsewhere, so look it up there.
| Rule | California | Virginia | Oregon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Following distance | The three-second rule | 2 seconds under 35 MPH, 3 seconds at 35 to 45 MPH, 4 seconds at 46 to 70 MPH | 2 to 4 seconds; 4 seconds or more above 30 mph |
| Signal before a turn | About 100 feet before the turn | At least 3 to 4 seconds, 100 feet, ahead | At least 100 feet before the turn or lane change |
| Someone tailgating you | Not in the passages we read | Do not brake suddenly; move to another lane or gently tap the brakes | Move over to the right if there is a right lane |
Counting seconds
All three handbooks measure following distance in seconds, not car lengths, and describe the same method. Watch the vehicle ahead pass a fixed mark, such as a sign or a pole, and count the seconds until you reach the same mark. If you get there before the count your state gives, you are too close. Seconds work at any speed, because the gap in feet grows by itself as you go faster. In rain, fog or darkness, or behind a motorcycle or a large truck, leave more.
Why 100 feet
The three handbooks agree on signalling about 100 feet before a turn. Virginia's manual also puts it as three to four seconds. The purpose is to give drivers behind you time to react. Oregon's manual lists every case: before you turn, change lanes, exit a roundabout, or pull away from a curb. It also says hand-and-arm signals may be used only in daylight when people and vehicles are clearly visible at 1,000 feet.
Test tip
Questions on this topic often offer one answer in feet and others in car lengths or seconds. Know both forms for your state.
Next: where you may not park: distances Practice test
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.