Driving signals — West Virginia Permit Test
Driving signals on the West Virginia permit test — 5 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
Signal at least 100 feet before you plan to turn, and use your signal before changing lanes, turning at an intersection, entering or leaving an interstate, pulling away from the curb, or pulling over.
Other drivers expect you to keep going straight, and the signal is the only thing that changes that.
Signal at least 100 feet before you plan to turn.
Switch off your turn signal after completing the turn, because driving with a signal on when you do not intend to turn creates confusion.
A signal left blinking tells everybody you are about to do something you are not.
Switch off your turn signals after completing the turn. Driving with turn signals on without intending to turn can create confusion.
If you plan to turn beyond an intersection, do not signal too soon: other drivers may think you are turning at the intersection and pull into your path.
A signal given too early is read as a plan for the nearest turn, not the one you meant.
If you plan to turn beyond an intersection, do not confuse other drivers by signaling too soon. They may think you are turning at the intersection and pull into your path.
The hand signal for a left turn is the arm held straight out, for a right turn the arm pointing up, and for slowing or stopping the arm pointing down.
Hand signals still work when a bulb has burned out or a load hides your lights.
ARM POINTING DOWN
Keep both hands on the wheel, at about eight o'clock and four o'clock, which gives the most control and reduces the chance that a deploying air bag knocks your hands off.
An air bag opening under high hands can knock them off the wheel just when you need them.
The left hand should be placed approximately at 8 o'clock and the right hand at 4 o'clock.
On the test
How far before a turn should you signal?
At least 100 feet. Other drivers expect you to keep going straight, and the signal is the only thing that changes that. West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook, p.43: “Signal at least 100 feet before you plan to turn.”
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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All West Virginia permit topics
Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook, published by the West Virginia Department of Transportation, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-06.