General driving rules — Washington Permit Test
General driving rules on the Washington permit test — 6 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
A driver keeps right except to pass: with multiple lanes going the same way, drive in the right lane and use the left to pass slower traffic.
A left lane held by somebody cruising is what pushes the traffic behind them into passing on the right.
Keep right except to pass. When there are multiple lanes traveling in the same direction, drive in the right lane. Use the left lane to pass slower traffic.
Speed limit laws apply even when the left lane is being used to pass.
Passing is a reason to change lanes, not a reason to change speed limits.
Follow speed limit laws, even when using the left lane to pass.
Carpool lanes are not passing lanes.
People treat any empty lane as a passing lane, and this one is empty for a different reason.
Remember, carpool lanes are not passing lanes.
Driving in reverse on the road is not allowed, and backing up on a shoulder or a freeway is illegal, even after missing a turn or an exit.
Nobody behind you is watching for a car coming backwards, which is why a missed exit costs a few miles instead.
Don’t drive in reverse on the road, even if you miss your turn or exit. It’s illegal to back up on a shoulder or freeway.
A driver should not use the shoulders of the road to pass, and should not drive on the shoulder unless directed by officials or signs.
The shoulder is where a broken-down car and the person changing its tire are standing.
Don’t use the shoulders of the road to pass. Unless directed by officials or signs, you shouldn’t drive on the shoulder.
Hitchhiking and picking up hitchhikers on Washington freeways is illegal.
Somebody standing on a freeway shoulder is a pedestrian in the one place pedestrians cannot be.
Do not hitchhike or pick up hitchhikers on Washington freeways. It’s illegal and dangerous.
On the test
Which lane should a driver use where several lanes run the same way?
The right lane, using the left to pass. A left lane held by somebody cruising is what pushes the traffic behind them into passing on the right. Washington State Driver Guide, p.108: “Keep right except to pass. When there are multiple lanes traveling in the same direction, drive in the right lane. Use the left lane to pass slower traffic.”
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
- One payment, once — not a subscription. Nothing renews and there is nothing to cancel, for an exam you sit one time.
- Free to start: a 10-question test and the first section of cards. No sign-up and no account.
- Paying opens the rest of the cards, unlimited full-length practice tests, and retests built from exactly the questions you got wrong.
- Every level up to Prepared — 3 tests passed in a row.
- Do the work, fail the real exam, and we refund you.
Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against Washington State Driver Guide, published by the Washington State Department of Licensing, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-14.
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/WA.pdf (Washington State Driver Guide, Washington State Department of Licensing, retrieved 2026-09-14)
- https://dol.wa.gov/driver-licenses-and-permits/driver-training-and-testing/driver-guides
- https://dol.wa.gov/driver-licenses-and-permits/driver-training-and-testing/do-i-need-take-test