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Florida Permit Cheat Sheet

Every key rule and number tested on the Florida Class E Knowledge Exam — on one page, built from the official handbook.

Cram-friendly — skim this the night before your exam.

Road Signs

Red: Stop, yield, do not enter, wrong way, or a prohibition.
Yellow diamond: General warning — a hazard or change in the road ahead.
Orange: Construction and maintenance zones.
Green: Guide signs — directions and distances.
Blue: Driver services and disabled parking.
Fluorescent yellow-green: School, pedestrian, and bicycle crossings.
White / black: Regulatory — speed limits and traffic commands.
Octagon: Always a STOP sign — come to a complete stop.
Crossbuck: Railroad crossing — yield to trains.

Traffic Signals

Solid red: Full stop at the line; stay stopped until green.
Right on red: Allowed after a full stop if no sign forbids it and the way is clear.
Flashing red: Treat like a stop sign — stop, then go when safe.
Steady yellow: Light is about to turn red — stop if you safely can.
Flashing yellow: Slow down and proceed with caution.
Green arrow: Protected turn in the direction of the arrow.
Signal out / dark: Treat the intersection as an all-way stop.
Red X over a lane: Never drive in a lane marked with a red X.

Pavement Markings

Broken white: Same-direction lanes — change lanes when safe.
Solid white: Discourages lane changes — cross only if you must.
Double solid white: Do not change lanes or cross.
Solid yellow your side: No passing in your direction.
Broken yellow your side: Passing allowed when it is safe.
Double solid yellow: No passing in either direction.
White stop line: Stop behind it, before the crosswalk.

Right-of-Way

All-way stop: First to arrive goes first; if tied, yield to the driver on your right.
Emergency vehicles: With lights or siren, pull to the nearest edge and stop until they pass; never block an intersection.
Pedestrians: Stop and stay stopped for anyone in a crosswalk or at an intersection.
Funeral procession: Yield to a funeral procession; do not cut through it.
Transit buses: Yield to a transit bus signaling to re-enter traffic from a pullout.

Speed Limits

School zone: 20 mph.
Business / residential: 30 mph unless posted otherwise.
Other roads / highways: 55 mph unless posted otherwise.
Limited-access highway: 70 mph max — Florida is never higher than 70; minimum 50 mph.
Too slow: You can be ticketed for blocking traffic by driving too slowly.
Force of impact: Double your speed = 4x the impact; triple it = 9x.

Following & Stopping

Following distance: Keep at least 4 seconds in good conditions.
Increase it: In rain, fog, darkness, when towing, or when someone tailgates you.
Stopping distance: About 268 ft at 50 mph — nearly a football field.
Being tailgated: Slow down and move right to let them pass.
Emergency fire trucks: Do not follow a responding fire truck closer than 500 ft.

Passing & Lanes

Keep right: Use the right lane except to pass; move over when a faster vehicle overtakes you.
Center lane: The center lane of a 3- or 5-lane road is for left turns only.
Returning after a pass: Pass on the left; return only when you see the car's tires in your mirror and you are 200+ ft from oncoming traffic.
Never pass: At a solid line on your side, on hills/curves without 500 ft of view, within 100 ft of an intersection or railroad crossing, or a stopped school bus.
Blind spots: Turn your head to check — mirrors do not show them.

Sharing the Road

Bicyclists: Give at least 3 ft when passing; when crossing a bike lane to turn, yield and turn behind the cyclist.
Motorcycles: Entitled to the full lane — never share it; keep a 4+ second gap.
Trucks (No Zone): Stay out of their blind spots; they swing wide on right turns — never squeeze between truck and curb.
School bus, 2-way road: ALL directions must stop for a bus with its stop signal out.
School bus, divided road: Oncoming traffic may go (with caution) only if separated by a raised barrier or median 5+ ft wide; same direction always stops.
White cane / guide dog: Come to a complete stop and yield to the pedestrian.

Parking

Downhill: Turn your wheels toward the curb.
Uphill with curb: Turn your wheels away from the curb.
Uphill without curb: Turn your wheels to the right.
Never park: On crosswalks, sidewalks, bike lanes, intersections, bridges, or in front of driveways.
Keep clear: 15 ft from a fire hydrant, 20 ft from an intersection, 50 ft from a railroad crossing.
Three-point turn: Only where a U-turn will not fit; never on a hill, curve, or highway.

Night & Bad Weather

Headlights on: Required from sunset to sunrise and in any low visibility.
Dim high beams: Within 500 ft of oncoming traffic and within 300 ft of a vehicle you are following.
Wipers on = lights on: Turn on your headlights whenever you use your wipers.
Fog / rain / smoke: Use low beams — high beams reflect back and reduce visibility.
Flooded road: Turn around — never try to drive through it.

Alcohol, Drugs & DUI

Adult limit: DUI at a blood-alcohol level (BAL) of .08 or higher.
Under 21: Zero Tolerance — BAL .02+ means an automatic 6-month suspension.
Implied consent: Refusing a breath/blood/urine test = automatic 1-year suspension (18 months for a 2nd refusal).
First DUI: $500–$1,000 fine, up to 6 months jail, and at least 180-day license revocation.
Judgment first: Alcohol affects judgment first — and no one can drink and drive safely.
Drugs count too: Prescription, OTC, and illegal drugs (incl. marijuana) carry the same DUI penalties.

Points & Penalties

Suspensions: 12 points in 12 months = 30 days; 18 in 18 months = 3 months; 24 in 36 months = 1 year.
Speeding: 15 mph or less over = 3 pts; 16+ over = 4 pts; speeding that causes a crash = 6 pts.
Signals & school bus: Running a signal/sign = 4 pts; passing a stopped school bus = 4 pts (6 if it injures someone).
Texting: Texting while driving = 3 pts (more in a school zone or if it causes a crash).
Leaving a crash: Leaving the scene of a crash with injury or death is a felony — min 4 years prison, license revoked 3+ years.

Seat Belts & Child Seats

Who must buckle: All drivers, front-seat passengers, and everyone under 18.
Under age 4: Must ride in a child safety seat.
Ages 4–5: Safety seat or booster seat.
Rear-facing seat: Never place it in front of an active airbag.
Who gets the ticket: If a passenger under 18 is unbelted, the driver is charged.

Licensing & Teen Driving

Learner's license: At 15, after the TLSAE course plus vision and knowledge tests.
Class E license: At 16; if under 18, hold the permit 12 months and log 50 hours of driving (10 at night).
Permit hours: Daylight only at first; after 3 months until 10 p.m., always with a licensed adult 21+.
16-year-old curfew: No driving 11 p.m.–6 a.m. unless to/from work or with a licensed driver 21+.
17-year-old curfew: No driving 1 a.m.–5 a.m. unless to/from work or with a licensed driver 21+.

Emergencies

Skid / hydroplane: Ease off the gas, do not slam the brakes, and steer where you want to go.
Tire blowout: Do not brake — grip the wheel, ease off the gas, slow gradually, then pull off.
Braking: With ABS, press firmly and hold while steering; without ABS, pump the pedal.
Wheels off pavement: Ease off the gas, steer straight, brake gently, then return slowly.
Broke down: Get all four wheels off the road and turn on your hazard lights.
Hit a parked car: Can't find the owner? Leave a note with your name, contact, and plate number.

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Source: Official Florida Driver License Handbook (rev. 08/2023). Summarized from the official handbook. Always confirm details with your official state source.