You need 80% to pass the Kentucky permit knowledge test; the official Kentucky sources we checked do not state a fixed question count. Official source. Page updated 2026-10-17.
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Key Kentucky DMV rules and numbers
These are key rules and numbers from the Kentucky handbook, a few per topic so they fit on one printed page. We favor rules that state a specific number. Every fact below comes from our free Kentucky DMV practice test question bank, which has 500 questions across 9 topics, checked against the Kentucky handbook (last verified 2026-09-07).
Speed limits
- Kentucky assigns a 55 mph default to state highways that are not interstates or parkways. (Handbook, p. 49)
- The manual sets the default for an off street parking facility offered for public use at 15 mph, whether the property is public or private. (Handbook, p. 49)
- The unposted Kentucky limit for interstate highways and parkways is 65 mph. (Handbook, p. 49)
- Kentucky's listed unposted speed limit for a business or residential district is 35 mph. (Handbook, p. 49)
- When you cannot see more than 100 feet ahead in heavy rain, snow, or thick fog, the manual says you cannot safely drive faster than 25 mph and should use low-beam headlights. (Handbook, p. 50)
Right of way
- A pedestrian in a crosswalk has priority, and Kentucky's guidance includes unmarked crosswalks. (Handbook, p. 39)
- An escorted funeral procession may proceed through an intersection when an escort vehicle leads it with flashing yellow, red, or blue lights. (Handbook, p. 68)
- The procession rule yields when an emergency vehicle requires the right of way, when a police or safety officer directs the vehicles otherwise, or when a train or locomotive controls the crossing. (Handbook, p. 68)
- At a narrow or single lane bridge, Kentucky's manual advises taking turns and generally gives priority to the first driver who reaches the bridge. (Handbook, p. 69)
- Entering traffic must yield to vehicles already circulating around the roundabout. (Handbook, p. 44)
Alcohol and DUI
- Kentucky applies a zero alcohol tolerance standard to drivers under 21 and defines that threshold as a .02 blood alcohol concentration. (Handbook, p. 6)
- The manual states that people under 21 may not purchase, possess, or drink alcoholic beverages. (Handbook, p. 25)
- Kentucky’s manual says a person violates the DUI law when operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or above. (Handbook, p. 26)
- Kentucky gives the under-18 driver a possible longer license suspension after an alcohol conviction. (Handbook, p. 27)
- Alcohol and other impairing drugs are involved in approximately 40 percent of all traffic crashes in which someone is killed each year, and thousands of people die nationally in alcohol related collisions. (Handbook, p. 25)
Signals and markings
- The manual gives two separate nighttime distances: dim for an oncoming vehicle within 500 feet, and dim within 300 feet of a vehicle ahead that you are following. (Handbook, p. 68)
- Kentucky's turning guidance calls for a signal 100 feet before an intersection turn. (Handbook, p. 42)
- Kentucky treats a flashing red light as a stop requirement. (Handbook, p. 35)
- A police officer directing an intersection has priority over ordinary traffic-control devices and signs. (Handbook, p. 34)
- A green arrow authorizes movement in the arrow’s direction when the driver is in the proper lane. (Handbook, p. 35)
Parking
- Choose the curb side when leaving your parked vehicle. (Handbook, p. 45)
- Begin by backing straight while checking traffic. (Handbook, p. 45)
- Securing the parked vehicle includes setting the parking brake and selecting reverse in a manual shift car. (Handbook, p. 45)
- Check the space behind the vehicle before entering it. (Handbook, p. 33)
- Backing deserves extra caution because the area behind a vehicle is difficult to see. (Handbook, p. 53)
Safe driving
- The manual recommends placing about 60 percent of a trailer’s cargo weight in the front, nearest the towing vehicle, and 40 percent in the back. (Handbook, p. 70)
- The initial vision screening requires at least 20/40 visual acuity, whether corrected or uncorrected, before the applicant moves to the written test. (Handbook, p. 10)
- Kentucky requires a child who is 40 inches in height or less to be properly secured in a child restraint system that meets federal motor vehicle safety standards. (Handbook, p. 31)
- Kentucky prohibits mopeds on limited-access highways where the minimum speed is more than 30 mph. (Handbook, p. 3)
- At 50 mph on dry pavement with good brakes, braking distance alone can take about 158 feet, in addition to perception and reaction time. (Handbook, p. 51)
Road signs
- The triangular emblem on animal-drawn vehicles, farm equipment, or construction equipment identifies travel below 25 mph. (Handbook, p. 66)
- The octagonal red sign requires a stop behind the stop line or crosswalk when one is present. (Handbook, p. 38)
- A Kentucky yield sign tells the driver to slow down and allow traffic with the right of way to cross before entering. (Handbook, p. 38)
- DO NOT ENTER means the driver cannot enter the street or roadway facing the sign. (Handbook, p. 38)
- WRONG WAY tells a driver that travel is going in the wrong direction. (Handbook, p. 38)
Laws and paperwork
- The manual permits the secretary of transportation to increase the speed limit on specific highways to 70 mph. (Handbook, p. 49)
- Applicants need at least 80 percent to pass the written test. (Handbook, p. 11)
- Kentucky's July 2026 driver manual lowered the licensing starting point: an applicant must have reached the fifteenth birthday before applying for an operator's, motorcycle, or moped license. (Handbook, p. 4)
- Class C covers any single vehicle with a gross combination weight rating of less than 26,001 pounds that is placarded for hazardous materials or designed to transport more than 16 people including the driver. (Handbook, p. 1)
- Kentucky’s point system says a driver age 18 or older may face suspension after accumulating 12 points within a two-year period. (Handbook, p. 17)
Emergencies
- Kentucky prohibits following an emergency vehicle closer than 500 feet. (Handbook, p. 65)
- Kentucky amended KRS 189.370 effective July 15, 2026. (Handbook)
- Place emergency flares about 200 to 300 feet behind the disabled vehicle to give other drivers time to change lanes if necessary. (Handbook, p. 58)
- The manual tells drivers that vehicles carrying hazardous materials must stop at all railroad crossings. (Handbook, p. 64)
- A siren announces an emergency vehicle that needs the right of way. (Handbook, p. 65)
Want the reasoning behind these rules? Study the handbook, chapter by chapter, in 30 short lessons quoted from the Kentucky manual.
Signs
Sign shape and color carry meaning before you even read the words. A red octagon always means stop, a red-bordered triangle pointing down means yield, and yellow diamonds warn of a hazard ahead. For every sign image used in our practice test, with the exact meaning and explanation, see the full road sign glossary.
Keep studying
This cheat sheet is a summary, not a substitute for practice. Test yourself with the free Kentucky DMV practice test, which explains the reasoning behind every answer, or see Kentucky DMV facts and fees before test day.