Driving guides

The rules that trip people up, explained with diagrams we draw ourselves. Start with the first guide: it tells you which parts of the permit test are the same in every state, and which parts you need to check in your own state's handbook.

• Same in every state, and what isn't

  Most of the permit test is identical in every US state. The rules that differ — alcohol limits for under-21 drivers, right and left on red, curb colors, parking distances, new-driver curfews — are the ones to check in your own handbook.

• Right of way at intersections

  Who goes first at a four-way stop, an uncontrolled intersection, a left turn and a roundabout — each explained with a diagram. Rules that apply in every US state.

• School buses, move over, passing and hill parking

  When you must stop for a school bus, what move-over laws require, when passing is allowed on a two-lane road, and which way to turn your wheels on a hill.

• Highway merging

  Who has the right of way on a freeway on-ramp, what the acceleration lane is for, why a clear mirror is not enough, and what to do when someone merges into you.

• Railroad crossings

  What a crossbuck requires, why you never drive around a lowered gate, what flashing lights after a train mean, and why you don't start across when traffic is backed up.

• Turning rules

  The correct path for a right turn and a left turn, what right on red requires, and which way your wheels should point while you wait to turn left.