Alabama driver's license handbook

Where can you get the Alabama driver's license handbook?

Download it from ALEA's Driver License Manuals page. The same page has the Motorcycle License Manual, the Commercial Driver License Manual with its supplement, and the boat certification manual. ALEA lists one driver manual, with no translated versions, even though the test itself is offered in 11 other languages.

What's in each chapter

The manual has nine chapters and a GDL summary at the back:

• Chapter 1, Your License to Drive: who needs a license, ID rules, the learner license, the knowledge and road tests, renewals and the hands-free law
• Chapter 2, You May Lose Your License: suspension, revocation and the point system
• Chapter 3, The Driving Task: turns, sharing the road, parking, seat belts and child seats
• Chapter 4, The Driver: phones, alcohol, following distance, crashes and railroad crossings
• Chapter 5, Signs, Signals and Road Markings, including roundabouts
• Chapter 6, Traffic Laws: speed limits, stopping, school buses, right of way and the move over law
• Chapters 7 to 9: night and bad-weather driving, freeways, and looking after your vehicle

The numbers worth memorizing

The numbers are the easiest marks to lose, so learn these from the manual: the round railroad sign is 750 feet before the tracks, and buses that must stop at crossings stop 15 to 50 feet away. Stop at least 20 feet from a school bus with red lights. Dim high beams within 500 feet of oncoming traffic and 200 feet of a car ahead. Signal at least 100 feet before a turn. Don't park within 15 feet of a hydrant or 50 feet of a railroad crossing.

Is the permit book the same as the road test study guide?

No. The road test study guide is a separate one-page sheet from ALEA listing the 18 skills an examiner may ask you to show, like backing about 50 feet and parking on a hill within 18 inches of the curb. Read the manual for the knowledge test and the study guide before your road test.