The South Carolina permit book: SCDMV's Driver's Manual

Where can you get the South Carolina permit book?

Download it from SCDMV. SCDMV's Driving Tests page links to the Driver's Manual as a PDF, the Forms and Manuals page lists it too, and it costs nothing. SCDMV's manuals page lists one version, with no Spanish or audio edition shown.

The manual says it was created with materials from the AAMVA Model Driver's License Manual, used with AAMVA's permission, and that the state laws it mentions aren't reproduced in full or word for word.

What's in the SC driver's handbook

The manual has 12 sections:

• 1, The Driver's License: license classes, the beginner's permit, the graduated license program, the tests, renewals and points
• 2, State Laws and Rules of the Road: a few state laws, such as littering and golf carts
• 3, Be in Shape to Drive: vision, fatigue, distractions, the Hands-Free and Distracted Driving Act, alcohol and drugs
• 4, Before You Drive: vehicle checks, mirrors, seat belts, air bags and child seats
• 5, Basic Driving: starting, stopping, steering and backing up
• 6, Rules of the Road: right-of-way, traffic signals, signs and pavement markings
• 7, General Driving: turns, intersections, roundabouts, school buses, parking and passing
• 8, Safe Driving Tips: searching ahead, speed, stopping distance and following distance
• 9, Emergency Situations and Avoiding Collisions
• 10, Sharing the Road: pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycles, trucks, emergency vehicles and the move-over law
• 11, Special Driving Situations: night driving, work zones, rural roads, winter driving and trailers
• 12, Test Your Knowledge: the practice app and 10 sample questions

Can you use the manual during the test?

No. The manual says you can't use manuals or other testing aids during the knowledge test, and written material or electronic devices of any kind aren't allowed in the test area. You fail if you leave the test area before you finish, talk to anyone, or take in anything that could help you answer.

Other SCDMV manuals

If you're after a different license, SCDMV has a separate book for it: the Motorcycle and Moped Operator's Manual for a Class M permit or a moped license, the Commercial Driver License Manual for a CDL, and the Large Non-commercial and Recreational Vehicles Driver's Manual for Class E and F. All are free PDFs on the Forms and Manuals page.

Getting the most out of it

Read it with a pen. Mark the numbers, because questions often test them: 4 seconds of following distance, 100 feet to signal, 500 feet to dim your high beams, 18 inches from the curb when you park, 0.02 percent alcohol if you're under 21. Then try Section 12's sample questions with the answers covered.

The front page also carries a warning worth taking seriously: because laws and SCDMV policy change, the manual may not always be current. When a rule matters, check SCDMV's website too.