Turning — Virginia Permit Test
Turning on the Virginia permit test — 6 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
To make a right turn, be in the lane furthest to the right. Turn into the lane closest to the curb unless markings tell you otherwise, then change lanes if you need to.
Swinging wide into the far lane crosses the path of anyone turning out of the road you are entering.
To make a left turn, be in the furthest left lane possible and turn into the leftmost lane of the road you are entering, unless markings tell you otherwise.
Turning into the far lane crosses two lanes of a road you cannot see all of while you are still turning.
While waiting to turn left, keep your front wheels pointed straight ahead until you actually begin the turn.
If a car hits you from behind with the wheels turned, you are pushed straight into the oncoming traffic you were waiting for.
Signal your intent to turn at least three or four seconds, about 100 feet, before the turn.
The signal only helps if it comes before the braking, because a driver behind you needs to know why you are slowing.
When two drivers coming toward each other are both turning left, both should turn in front of each other so that the passenger sides pass alongside.
Turning in front of each other keeps both drivers able to see oncoming traffic instead of hiding it behind the other car.
Before turning, look to your left and right for people walking and for traffic, and brake smoothly before and during the turn.
Braking hard partway through a turn is what breaks the tires loose, because they are already busy holding the curve.
On the test
Which lane should a driver turn right into?
The lane closest to the curb. Swinging wide into the far lane crosses the path of anyone turning out of the road you are entering.
How this works
Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.
You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.
Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.
Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against Virginia Driver’s Manual, published by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-02.
- https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/licenses-ids/exams/know-exam
- https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/forms/dmv39.pdf
- https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/documents/dmv39i.pdf
- https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/licenses-ids/learners/apply
- https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/licenses-ids/learners/restrictions
- https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/section46.2-870/
- https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/section46.2-873/
- https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/section46.2-874/
- https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/section46.2-862/