Phones and devices — Vermont Permit Test
Phones and devices on the Vermont permit test — 6 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
It is against the law for drivers to read or send messages while driving, and against the law to use a portable electronic device while operating a motor vehicle on a public highway in Vermont, including while the vehicle is stationary.
Stationary in traffic is still operating, so waiting at a light is not a gap in the law.
It is against the law for drivers to use a portable electronic device while operating a motor vehicle on a public highway in Vermont, including while the vehicle is stationary
A first violation of the portable electronic device law brings a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $200.
The fine is fixed in the statute, so it is not a matter for an officer's discretion.
A person who violates this law shall be subject to a fine of not less than $100.00 and not more than $200.00 for a first violation
A second or subsequent device violation brings a fine of not less than $250 and not more than $500.
The second one costs more than twice the first, which is the state saying it was not an accident.
of not less than $250.00 and not more than $500.00 for a second or subsequent violation
Using a device inside a properly designated work zone where workers are present costs two points on a first conviction and five points on a second or subsequent one.
The points are doubled up in a work zone because the people at risk are standing in the road.
shall have two points assessed against his or her driving record for a first conviction and five points assessed for a second or subsequent conviction
If a call has to be made, ask a passenger to place it for you or stop at a safe place first. Do not answer your phone while driving; let the caller leave a message.
A call you did not take is still there in five minutes, and so are you.
Don’t answer your cell phone. Let the caller leave a message, and return calls when stopped at a safe location.
Secure your phone in the vehicle so that it does not become a projectile in a crash.
A loose phone at 50 mph hits whatever is in its way with the force of a brick.
Secure your phone in the vehicle so that it does not become a projectile in a crash.
On the test
Does Vermont's device ban apply while a vehicle is stopped in traffic?
Yes, it applies even while the vehicle is stationary. Stationary in traffic is still operating, so waiting at a light is not a gap in the law. 2025 Vermont Driver's Manual, p.55: “It is against the law for drivers to use a portable electronic device while operating a motor vehicle on a public highway in Vermont, including while the vehicle is stationary”
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.
What it costs
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- Paying opens the rest of the cards, unlimited full-length practice tests, and retests built from exactly the questions you got wrong.
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- Do the work, fail the real exam, and we refund you.
Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against 2025 Vermont Driver's Manual, published by the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-15.
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/VT.pdf (2025 Vermont Driver's Manual, form VN-007, retrieved 2026-09-14)
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/VT.pages.txt (pdftotext -layout over that PDF; sha256 pinned in SOURCES.json)
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/SOURCES.json (sha256, folio offset 1, folioMarker, nonLawPages, signGalleryPages and the extraction flag, each with its basis)