Traffic Laws — Michigan Driver License Practice Test

This chapter is Michigan's core rules-of-the-road chapter, covering distracted driving and cell phone restrictions, seat belt and child-restraint requirements, speed limits and construction-zone rules, right-of-way at intersections and roundabouts, passing and lane-usage rules, and how to behave around emergency vehicles, school buses, and railroad crossings. It closes with parking rules, including where parking is prohibited and how disability parking works.

Exam questions frequently test the difference between a school bus's yellow flashing lights (be prepared to stop) and red flashing lights (you must stop at least 20 feet away and remain stopped until they turn off), along with right-of-way rules at four-way stops and malfunctioning traffic signals. Passing restrictions are also heavily tested — you may not pass within 100 feet of an intersection or railroad crossing, and you must return to your lane before coming within 200 feet of an oncoming vehicle.

A common mistake is assuming Michigan's cell phone law only bans texting — the general law actually bans holding or manually operating a phone for any purpose while driving, with narrow exceptions for hands-free use and reporting emergencies. Test-takers also often enter a roundabout by turning left instead of always keeping to the right of the center island, and they underestimate how far behind a stopped emergency vehicle they must stay (at least 500 feet behind one that is moving).