Penalties & Licensing

Study questions with answers

10 sample Penalties & Licensing questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.

1. 1. While driving in California, you are required to carry proof of:

   Correct answer: Vehicle insurance (financial responsibility)

   California's financial-responsibility law requires you to carry evidence of insurance and show it when asked. Driving without insurance can lead to fines and a suspended registration.

   Source: California Driver Handbook — Financial Responsibility

2. 2. Your driving privilege may be suspended as a "negligent operator" if you receive:

   Correct answer: 4 points in 12 months

   You may be declared a negligent operator and have your license suspended if you accumulate 4 points in 12 months, 6 points in 24 months, or 8 points in 36 months.

   Source: California Driver Handbook — The Point System

3. 3. During the first 12 months with a provisional license, a driver under 18 generally may not:

   Correct answer: Drive from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. or carry passengers under 20 (without a qualifying adult)

   For the first 12 months, provisional drivers under 18 may not drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., or carry passengers under 20, unless a licensed parent/guardian or driver 25 or older is present (limited exceptions apply).

   Source: California Driver Handbook — Provisional Licenses

4. 4. If DMV notifies you that it plans to suspend or revoke your driving privilege, how soon must you request an administrative hearing to preserve your right to one?

   Correct answer: Within 10 days of being served (14 days if mailed)

   Ask for the hearing within 10 days of receiving the notice in person, or within 14 days if it arrived by mail — miss that window and the right to a hearing disappears.

   Source: California Driver Handbook — Administrative Hearing

5. 5. You must report a collision to the DMV (using form SR-1) within 10 days whenever:

   Correct answer: Someone is injured, or damage is more than $1,000

   An SR-1 report is required within 10 days if anyone is injured or killed, or if property damage is more than $1,000. This is separate from any report made by police at the scene.

   Source: California Driver Handbook — Reporting a Collision

6. 6. A minor with a provisional license who has two at-fault collisions or traffic violation convictions in the first 12 months generally may not drive for 30 days unless:

   Correct answer: A licensed adult at least 25 years old rides with them

   Racking up two at-fault crashes, two violation convictions, or one of each during the first year bars a teen driver from solo driving for a month, unless someone with a license who is 25 or older rides along.

   Source: California Driver Handbook — Provisional Licenses

7. 7. When you sign a traffic citation given to you by a law enforcement officer, you are:

   Correct answer: Promising to appear in traffic court

   Signing a traffic citation is a promise to appear in traffic court — it is not an admission of guilt.

   Source: California Driver Handbook — Points on Your Driver's Record

8. 8. If you hit a legally parked car and cannot find the owner, the law requires you to:

   Correct answer: Leave a note with your name and contact information

   Leave a note in a visible place on the parked vehicle with your name, address, and an explanation of what happened. Driving off without doing so is a hit-and-run.

   Source: California Driver Handbook — Duties After a Collision

9. 9. If you move, how soon must you notify the DMV of your new address?

   Correct answer: Within 10 days

   You must notify the DMV of an address change within 10 days. You can update your address online, by mail, or in person.

   Source: California Driver Handbook — Change of Address

10. 10. Before taking the driving test, a driver under 18 with an instruction permit must complete supervised driving practice of at least:

    Correct answer: 50 hours, including 10 hours at night

    Teen drivers must complete 50 hours of supervised practice — including 10 hours at night — with a licensed adult 25 or older before taking the driving test.

    Source: California Driver Handbook — Provisional Licenses