Page updated 2026-10-27.
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Key Michigan DMV rules and numbers
These are key rules and numbers from the Michigan 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 Michigan DMV practice test question bank, which has 500 questions across 9 topics, checked against the Michigan handbook (last verified 2026-09-07).
Speed limits
- For freeways unless signs say otherwise, Michigan summarizes a 70 mph maximum and a 55 mph minimum. (Handbook, p. 26)
- On a freeway posted at 70 mph, school buses and trucks have a separate 65 mph restriction. (Handbook, p. 26)
- In Michigan, the listed work-activity speed is 45 mph unless a different limit is posted. (Handbook, p. 27)
- On the regular point chart, 16 mph or more over the limit is a four-point offense. (Handbook, p. 14)
- Michigan's standard limit in platted subdivisions and condominium complexes is 25 mph. (Handbook, p. 26)
Right of way
- The Michigan manual's steps for approaching a roundabout say to slow down and stay to the right of the roundabout's center island. (Handbook, p. 35)
- Michigan allows a left turn on red from a one-way street onto another one-way street, but only after a complete stop and a check for traffic approaching from the right. (Handbook, p. 30)
- A nonworking traffic signal becomes a stop-and-yield situation when no officer or other traffic-control device is present. (Handbook, p. 49)
- When two vehicles reach and stop at an intersection at the same time, Michigan directs the vehicle on the left to yield to the vehicle on the right. (Handbook, p. 30)
- Michigan tells drivers not to stop inside a roundabout when an emergency vehicle is heard or seen approaching. (Handbook, p. 35)
Alcohol and DUI
- The manual says a person who is 21 or older may transport 2.5 ounces or less of marijuana. (Handbook, p. 15)
- The manual compares a 12-ounce can of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, and a 1.5-ounce shot of whiskey and says each contains the same amount of alcohol. (Handbook, p. 14)
- MCL 257.319e, which required the Secretary of State to suspend a license automatically after certain convictions, including drug offenses unrelated to driving, was repealed by 2020 Public Act 376 effective October 1, 2021. (Handbook)
- A Level 1 learner may drive only with a licensed parent, guardian, or designated licensed adult who is at least 21 seated in the front seat. (Handbook, p. 5)
- Segment 2 requires a log showing at least 30 hours of supervised driving, with a minimum of two nighttime hours, under the parent, guardian, or designated adult. (Handbook, p. 5)
Signals and markings
- Michigan prohibits using or flashing high beams within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle. (Handbook, p. 64)
- A single broken yellow line normally divides traffic moving in opposite directions and permits a driver to pass when the roadway is clear enough to do so safely. (Handbook, p. 47)
- A red signal requires a stop, and the vehicle should remain behind the crosswalk or marked stop line. (Handbook, p. 49)
- A solid yellow line on the driver’s side of the centerline marks a no-passing condition. (Handbook, p. 47)
- A red light requires the vehicle to come to a complete stop before proceeding. (Handbook, p. 50)
Parking
- The manual directs drivers not to park more than 6 to 12 inches from the curb, so the maximum distance in this question is 12 inches. (Handbook, p. 37)
- Michigan's no parking list bars parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, so 15 feet is the closest legal spot. (Handbook, p. 38)
- Parking within 30 feet of a stop sign, traffic light or flashing beacon, including a warning sign, is prohibited. (Handbook, p. 38)
- Michigan prohibits parking within 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing. (Handbook, p. 38)
- Parking within 20 feet of a marked crosswalk is prohibited, and where there is no crosswalk the rule is 15 feet from the intersection. (Handbook, p. 39)
Safe driving
- According to Michigan State Police Traffic Crash Facts for 2023, 287,953 traffic crashes were reported, of which 1,021 were fatal and 51,097 resulted in personal injuries. (Handbook, PDF page 12)
- Michigan's general rule for dry or wet pavement is a 3 to 4 second following distance. (Handbook, p. 64)
- In 2023 a total of 2,284 Michigan crashes resulted from a driver, pedestrian or bicyclist using a cell phone, and vehicle deer crashes injured 1,725 people and killed 19, eleven of them motorcyclists. (Handbook, PDF page 12)
- Licensed drivers ages 15 to 20 represented 6.6 percent of Michigan's driving population, yet they represented 10.1 percent, or 49,041, of drivers in all crashes and 8.2 percent, or 136, of drivers in fatal crashes. (Handbook, PDF page 12)
- Michigan requires headlights whenever available daylight is insufficient to see people and vehicles clearly at 500 feet. (Handbook, p. 64)
Road signs
- When a train is coming, Michigan places the stopping range between 15 feet and 50 feet from the tracks. (Handbook, p. 35)
- The winding-road sign identifies a winding curve ahead and gives a 35 mph limit speed for that condition. (Handbook, p. 45)
- When the sign says the right lane ends in 500 feet, prepare to merge left. (Handbook, p. 45)
- The winding-curve sign warns of a winding curve and gives 35 mph as the advisory speed. (Handbook, p. 45)
- Entering traffic yields to vehicles already traveling counterclockwise and to traffic approaching from the left. (Handbook, p. 35)
Laws and paperwork
- When a school bus’s red overhead lights are flashing, Michigan requires a driver to stop at least 20 feet from the bus. (Handbook, p. 29)
- Michigan requires a teen seeking GDL Level 3 eligibility to drive for 12 consecutive months without a moving violation, an at-fault crash, a license suspension, or a violation of any GDL restriction. (Handbook, p. 5)
- Kelsey's Law bars teens with a GDL 1 or GDL 2 from making or receiving non-emergency phone calls, so an emergency is the narrow exception described here. (Handbook, p. 24)
- Michigan law requires all children younger than age 8 or under 4 feet, 9 inches tall to be in an approved child-safety seat or booster seat, in all seating positions. (Handbook, p. 25)
- Joining the Michigan Organ Donor Registry means that upon your death you agree to become an organ, eye and tissue donor to save up to 8 lives and potentially heal up to 125 others. (Handbook, PDF page 13)
Emergencies
- If traffic or conditions prevent a lane change away from a stopped emergency vehicle, Michigan requires the driver to slow at least 10 mph below the posted limit and leave as much room as possible. (Handbook, p. 28)
- About 60,000 vehicle deer crashes happen in Michigan each year, officials suspect as many as half go unreported, and the average crash results in $2,100 in damage, usually to the front end, for an estimated $130 million statewide. (Handbook, p. 65)
- Drivers must stay at least 500 feet behind any moving emergency vehicle that is showing flashing warning lights and sounding a siren. (Handbook, p. 28)
- The manual says never to cross unless the vehicle can completely clear the far side of the tracks by at least 6 feet. (Handbook, p. 36)
- Drivers in a crash must exchange names, addresses, license numbers, registration and insurance information, and notify the police if anyone is injured or property damage exceeds $1,000. (Handbook, p. 65)
Want the reasoning behind these rules? Study the handbook, chapter by chapter, in 16 short lessons quoted from the Michigan 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 Michigan DMV practice test, which explains the reasoning behind every answer, or see Michigan DMV facts and fees before test day.