Vermont’s knowledge test is only 20 questions, so you can miss four and no more. That leaves no room for fumbling a number you half remember. This page collects every figure worth committing to memory before you go to the DMV.
Speed limits: Vermont is not like its neighbors
This is the single most commonly missed Vermont fact, including by drivers who have lived here for years. Most US states use a 55 mph statutory default. Vermont uses 50. If a road has no posted sign, the limit is 50 mph, and that includes gravel town highways.
| Where | Limit |
|---|---|
| Interstates (I-89, I-91 rural sections) | 65 mph |
| Interstate near Burlington and some interchanges | 55 mph |
| Any road with no posted sign | 50 mph |
| Villages and residential streets | 25 to 35 mph |
| School zones during posted hours | Posted lower |
No road in Vermont is posted above 65 mph. There are no 70 mph zones anywhere in the state.
Alcohol limits
| Driver | Illegal at |
|---|---|
| Age 21 and over | 0.08% BAC |
| Under 21 | 0.02% BAC |
| Commercial license holders | 0.04% BAC |
The 0.02% zero-tolerance figure is the one that catches test takers, and a single drink can produce it. Refusing a chemical test after a lawful arrest triggers an automatic license suspension under implied consent, separate from any DUI conviction.
Who can sit beside you, and for how long
Vermont is unusually specific here, and it shows up on the exam.
- Supervising driver: a licensed parent or guardian, a licensed driver education instructor, or a licensed driver at least 25 years old. An 18-year-old sibling does not qualify.
- Permit hold: teens must hold the permit for 12 months before the road test.
- Driver education is required, along with logged supervised driving.
- Junior driver license: available at 16 or 17, with its own restrictions.
- Full Class D license: 18.
Distances and timings
- Following distance: three seconds in good conditions, four or more in rain, snow, ice or fog, or behind a large vehicle.
- Fire hydrant: no parking within 15 feet.
- Never park: on a crosswalk, on a sidewalk, in an intersection, or where you block another driver’s view.
- Uphill parking with a curb: wheels away from the curb. Downhill: wheels toward the curb.
Right of way, in one screen
- Uncontrolled rural intersection with no sign or signal: yield to the vehicle on your right. Vermont has hundreds of these.
- Four-way stop, arriving together: the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.
- Roundabout: yield to traffic already circulating.
- Turning left: yield to oncoming traffic and to pedestrians.
- Marked crosswalk: yield, and never pass a vehicle stopped at one.
- Emergency vehicle with lights and siren: pull right and stop, never inside an intersection.
- Stopped emergency vehicle on the shoulder: move over a lane if safe, otherwise slow right down.
- Trains: always have priority, and a second train may follow.
The Vermont-specific hazards
- Moose. Tall and dark. In a collision the body comes through the windshield rather than over the hood. Brake hard, stay in your lane, scan the verges at dawn and dusk.
- Frost heaves. Spring freeze and thaw buckles road surfaces statewide. Slow before them, do not brake on them.
- Black ice. Forms first on bridges, overpasses and shaded curves.
- Snowplows. Stay well back. The road ahead of a plow is worse than the road behind it, and spray blinds you.
- Mountain grades. Use a lower gear on long descents. Continuous braking causes fade.
- Covered bridges. Real height and weight limits, and they are enforced.
Signs and markings
Lines: yellow separates opposing traffic, white separates same-direction traffic. Broken means the movement is allowed, solid means it is not. A lane bordered by solid and broken yellow on both sides is a two-way left turn lane.
Signals: flashing red is a stop sign. Flashing yellow is caution. A green arrow is a protected turn. A flashing yellow arrow means you may turn but must yield. A red arrow means no turn at all.
Full drill on this section is in the Vermont signs and markings test.
Use this properly
A cheat sheet is for the last read-through, not a replacement for the manual. The Vermont Driver’s Manual is the actual source of every exam question and it is free on the DMV website. Read it, use this page to check the numbers stuck, then take the full practice test until you are consistently above 90%. For documents, fees and the whole process, see the Vermont permit guide.
Disclaimer: Pass The Permit is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles or any government agency. Laws change and town ordinances vary. Always confirm current figures against the official Vermont Driver’s Manual and Vermont statutes before relying on them.