You need 80% to pass the Mississippi permit knowledge test; the official Mississippi sources we checked do not state a fixed question count. Official source. Page updated 2026-10-27.
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Key Mississippi DMV rules and numbers
These are key rules and numbers from the Mississippi 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 Mississippi DMV practice test question bank, which has 500 questions across 9 topics, checked against the Mississippi handbook (last verified 2026-09-07).
Speed limits
- The passenger-automobile table assigns interstates a 70 mph maximum. (Handbook, p. 57)
- The table lists 55 mph for passenger automobiles on two-lane state and U.S. highways. (Handbook, p. 30)
- The passenger automobile table lists 65 mph as the maximum on four-lane state and U.S. highways. (Handbook, p. 30)
- The passenger automobile table lists a 40 mph minimum for interstates (maximum 70) and for four-lane state and U.S. highways (maximum 65). (Handbook, p. 30)
- The truck and truck-trailer table lists 70 mph on interstates, 55 mph on all other highways, and 45 mph in inclement weather or bad visibility. (Handbook, p. 30)
Right of way
- Mississippi makes opposite-direction traffic an exception when the stopped bus is on a divided highway with at least four lanes and opposing travel separated. (Handbook, p. 46)
- A driveway or other entrance does not grant a vehicle priority over traffic already using the street or highway. (Handbook, p. 45)
- At a four-way stop, arrival order normally determines priority. (Handbook, p. 45)
- When two vehicles arrive at a two-way stop together, the one intending to travel straight across has the right-of-way. (Handbook, p. 45)
- Mississippi treats a pedestrian in an unmarked crosswalk as having the same right-of-way as one in a marked crosswalk. (Handbook, p. 47)
Alcohol and DUI
- For an adult driver, the threshold described by the manual is a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or more. (Handbook, p. 65)
- The under-21 Zero Tolerance range starts at .02 percent and ends before .08 percent. (Handbook, p. 66)
- Under implied consent, operating a vehicle in Mississippi means you consent to testing for intoxicating substances, and your license will be administratively suspended for 90 days for refusing the breath or chemical test. (Handbook, p. 65)
- After a refusal, the driver must hand over the license immediately, and the officer's receipt serves as a temporary driving permit valid for only 45 days. (Handbook, p. 65)
- When the test shows a BAC at or above the driver's limit (0.08 for 21 and older, 0.02 for under 21), the officer takes the license and gives a receipt that works as a temporary permit for only 30 days. (Handbook, p. 65)
Signals and markings
- The horn must be audible from 200 feet away. (Handbook, p. 15)
- A school bus carrying even one child, a passenger vehicle for hire, or a vehicle carrying explosives or flammable liquids must stop within 50 to 10 feet of the outer rail. (Handbook, p. 28)
- With a broken yellow line closest to the driver's lane, crossing to pass is permitted only with caution and only when the oncoming lane is clear and the maneuver is safe. (Handbook, p. 16)
- A flashing red signal requires a complete stop, followed by cautious movement under the ordinary right-of-way rules for an intersection. (Handbook, p. 20)
- A flashing yellow light tells the driver to slow down and exercise caution. (Handbook, p. 20)
Parking
- For vehicles parked parallel, the tires should be within 12 inches of the curb. (Handbook, p. 49)
- Mississippi prohibits parking within 20 feet of a fire station driveway entrance, and within 75 feet when that larger distance is posted. (Handbook, p. 48)
- Mississippi forbids parking within 30 feet of the approach to any traffic control device, such as a stop sign or signal. (Handbook, p. 48)
- Mississippi prohibits parking within 15 feet of the nearest rail of any railroad crossing. (Handbook, p. 48)
- Parking is not allowed within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection in Mississippi, and parking on the crosswalk itself is also banned. (Handbook, p. 48)
Safe driving
- For long trips, the manual suggests stopping for a break every 100 miles. (Handbook, p. 53)
- The Mississippi manual opens its safe driving basics with the statement that drivers cause 85 percent of all accidents, which is why that section focuses on driver attitude, attention and habits. (Handbook, p. 53)
- The left hand should be on the wheel at 9 o'clock, as on the face of a clock, and the right hand at 3 o'clock. (Handbook, p. 53)
- A person who moves to Mississippi must obtain a Mississippi license plate within 30 days. (Handbook, p. 62)
- The Mississippi Insurance Department states that on January 1, 2006, the minimum liability requirements increased to $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $25,000 per accident for property damage. (Handbook)
Road signs
- In rural areas the round railroad advance warning sign is normally posted 500 to 900 feet in front of the tracks. (Handbook, p. 28)
- The slow-moving vehicle emblem identifies vehicles that travel 25 miles per hour or less, such as farm equipment. (Handbook, p. 27)
- The diamond is reserved to warn of an existing or possible hazard on or adjacent to the roadway. (Handbook, p. 18)
- Red is used for stopping or prohibition on Mississippi traffic devices. (Handbook, p. 18)
- Mississippi reserves the eight-sided shape for STOP signs. (Handbook, p. 22)
Laws and paperwork
- If you are out of state due to military service when your valid license expires, you may renew it at any time within 90 days of being discharged from military service or upon returning to the state. (Handbook, p. 8)
- A Class D license is required only when you are operating a vehicle commercially and the vehicle is under 26,000 pounds GVWR. (Handbook, p. 10)
- The manual defines a business or residential district as any place where most of the land along the road for 300 feet or more is used for houses or places of business. (Handbook, p. 14)
- All windows must have a light transmittance of 28 percent or greater to be legal. (Handbook, p. 62)
- Mississippi Code section 63-15-4 requires the insurer to issue an insurance card for each vehicle, and failing to have that card in the vehicle, or to display it electronically on a phone, is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine. (Handbook)
Emergencies
- Section 63-3-411 requires the driver of a vehicle in a crash that causes injury to or death of any person, or total property damage to an apparent extent of $500 or more, to give notice immediately by the quickest means of communication. (Handbook)
- If your vehicle is on the tracks and the crossing lights begin to flash, the manual says you may have only 20 seconds before the train reaches you, so remember the word GO and get out of your vehicle. (Handbook, p. 29)
- To report an emergency traffic situation on an interstate or highway in Mississippi, dial *HP, which is *47, on a cellular phone to be connected toll free to a Mississippi Highway Patrol dispatcher. (Handbook, p. 55)
- An ambulance, fire engine, or police car using the listed warning signals has the right-of-way. (Handbook, p. 47)
- On a four-lane highway, the driver should merge into the lane away from the parked emergency vehicle when that movement is safe. (Handbook, p. 47)
Want the reasoning behind these rules? Study the handbook, chapter by chapter, in 22 short lessons quoted from the Mississippi 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 Mississippi DMV practice test, which explains the reasoning behind every answer, or see Mississippi DMV facts and fees before test day.