Checked against the handbook: 2026 edition. Values below come from the Illinois Rules of the Road published by the Illinois Secretary of State, which we host as a free PDF on this site. Nothing comes from a driving school, a forum or another prep site.
The Illinois written test is full of numbers: how far, how fast, how old, how long, how much. This page puts 50 of them in one place, grouped into 11 sections. The biggest sections are distances and following (11), suspensions and look-back periods (7), and speed limits (6).
A few you will meet early:
- Illegal blood alcohol concentration for drivers age 21 and over: 0.08% BAC or more
- Age you may get an instruction permit when enrolled in driver education: Age 15
- Following distance in good road and weather conditions: 3 seconds
We started from our own Illinois question bank, not from a generic list, so every row is a number our questions actually test. We then took the bank's answer out of the picture and read the figure in the handbook itself. If the handbook does not state a number, it is not on this sheet, even when a question tests it. In 2 places our question bank and the handbook differed. Those rows are flagged and show the handbook value.
Illinois · Numbers reference
Every number the Illinois written test can ask you for, in one place, taken from the official driver handbook and built to print.
Showing all 50 numbers
Graduated licensing (under 21)
5 numbers| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| Age 15 | Age you may get an instruction permit when enrolled in driver educationEnrolled in an approved driver education course; handbook says ages 15-17 |
| 50 hours, including 10 at night | Supervised practice driving hours required before a license under age 18Drivers under age 18 |
| 9 months | Minimum time to hold the instruction permitAges 15-17; must be consecutive |
| Sun.-Thurs. 10 p.m.-6 a.m.; Fri.-Sat. 11 p.m.-6 a.m. | Nighttime driving restriction for permit and initial license holdersLocal curfews may differ |
| 1 passenger under age 20 (family excepted) | Passengers under age 20 allowed in the first 12 months of licensingUntil age 18 if that comes first; siblings, stepsiblings, children and stepchildren excepted |
Speed limits
6 numbers| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| 30 mph | Default speed limit in city and town areasUnless otherwise posted |
| 70 mph | Default speed limit on interstates and tollwaysUnless otherwise postedOur question bank and the state handbook disagree here. The handbook value is published. |
| 55 mph | Default speed limit on other highways and rural areasUnless otherwise posted |
| 15 mph | Default speed limit in alleysUnless otherwise posted |
| 20 mph | Speed limit in a school zone when children are presentSchool days between 6:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., children present, signs postedOur question bank and the state handbook disagree here. The handbook value is published. |
| 5 to 20 mph | Normal speed range of slow-moving vehicles such as farm equipment |
Distances and following
11 numbers| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| 3 seconds | Following distance in good road and weather conditionsIncrease it when road or weather conditions are not good |
| 3 feet | Minimum space when passing a bicyclistMeasured from the edge of the vehicle's side mirror (law also says 3 feet from the bicyclist) |
| 3 feet | Minimum space when passing a pedestrian walking on the road or shoulder |
| 200 feet | Return to your lane before getting this close to an oncoming vehicle when passingTwo-lane highway |
| 100 feet | No passing within this distance of an intersection or railroad crossingTwo-lane, two-way roadway |
| 500 feet | Sight distance needed in all directions before a U-turn on a curve or hillYou must not turn around on curves and hills unless you can see this far |
| 500 feet | No photography or cellphone use within this distance of an emergency sceneSome exceptions apply |
| 15 feet | Greatest distance between a towing car and a car towed by drawbarIn most cases |
| 500 feet | Dim bright lights this far before meeting an oncoming vehicle |
| 300 feet | Dim bright lights this far before passing a vehicle |
| 15 to 50 feet | Stop this far from the railroad crossing when a signal flashes, a gate is lowered or a train approachesAlso when there is a posted stop sign |
Parking distances
6 numbers| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| 15 feet | Do not park within this distance of a fire hydrant |
| 20 feet | Do not park within this distance of a fire station driveway |
| 20 feet | Do not park within this distance of a crosswalk at an intersection |
| 30 feet | Do not park within this distance of a STOP sign, YIELD sign or traffic control signal |
| 50 feet | Do not park within this distance of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing |
| 12 inches | Park with your right-hand wheels within this distance of the curbStreets with two-way traffic; on one-way streets either curb |
Signals and turns
3 numbers| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| 100 feet | Give a continuous turn signal at least this far before turning in a business or residential areaBusiness or residential area |
| 200 feet | Give a turn signal at least this far before turning outside business and residential areasOther areas |
| 120 seconds | Wait time before a motorcyclist may go through a red light that will not changeAfter yielding the right of way to oncoming traffic |
Child restraints and air bags
3 numbers| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| Under age 8 | Children must be in an appropriate child restraint system below this ageSafety belts are required for everyone age 8 and older |
| Ages 12 and younger | Children recommended to ride in the back seatA recommendation, not a requirement |
| 10 to 12 inches | Desirable distance between the driver and the air bagEspecially for short, elderly or pregnant drivers |
Vehicle and insurance
4 numbers| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| 2 chains or cables | Number of chains or cables needed to couple a towed vehicle |
| 4 feet or more (red light visible for 500 feet at night) | Load projecting this far to the rear needs a red flag by day and a red light at nightAt night or when visibility is poor |
| $25,000 / $50,000 / $20,000 | Minimum liability insurance limits (injury to one person / injury to more than one person / property damage)Some vehicle classes must carry higher coverage |
| 2 hours | Time before police may tow a vehicle left along an interstate, expressway or toll highway at the owner's expenseUrban highways 10 hours, non-urban highways 24 hours |
Alcohol limits
2 numbers| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| 0.08% BAC or more | Illegal blood alcohol concentration for drivers age 21 and overAge 21 and over |
| 0.00% (any amount above 0.00 is a violation) | Alcohol limit for drivers under age 21 (zero tolerance)Under age 21 |
Suspensions and look-back periods
7 numbers| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| 6 months | Suspension for failing a chemical test (BAC .08% or more), first offenderFirst offender; second offenders get one year |
| 1 year | Suspension for refusing a chemical test, first offenderFirst offender; second offenders get three years |
| 5 years | Look-back period for first offender status (no prior DUI, supervision or summary suspension within)Otherwise treated as a second offender |
| 2 violations in 24 months | Moving violations within 24 months that trigger suspension for drivers under age 21Under age 21 |
| 3 violations in 12 months | Traffic violation convictions within 12 months that trigger suspension for drivers 21 and overAge 21 and over |
| 2 years | Window for a second construction zone speeding violation to bring a suspensionWorkers present; suspension length not given in the handbook |
| 3 years | Time insurance must be maintained after proof of financial responsibility is filed (SR-22) |
Fines
1 number| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| $300 plus license suspension and community service | Mandatory fine for passing a stopped school bus with flashing lights and stop armOn conviction |
Crash reporting and emergencies
2 numbers| Value | Rule |
|---|---|
| More than $1,500 (more than $500 if a vehicle is uninsured) | Property damage that requires a crash report, regardless of faultAny crash with death or bodily injury also requires a report |
| *999 | Phone number to call for help on the Illinois Tollway besides 911Illinois Tollway breakdown |
Other states
Numbers cheat sheets for other states.
- California: every number on one page
- Florida: every number on one page
- Georgia: every number on one page
- North Carolina: every number on one page
- New Jersey: every number on one page
- New York: every number on one page
- Ohio: every number on one page
- Pennsylvania: every number on one page
- Texas: every number on one page
How to use this sheet
Print it (the button above gives a clean one or two page version) or filter it on screen. Do not try to memorize the whole list in one go. Pick one section, say it out loud, then answer practice questions on that topic until the numbers stick.
What this sheet leaves out
The handbook is a summary of the law, not the law itself. Fines, court costs and fees change, and some are set by statute rather than printed in the handbook. We only list what the handbook (or, where marked, the statute) states, so check the Illinois Secretary of State for anything that decides a real case. The handbook edition used here is 2026; the numbers were last checked against it on November 7, 2026.
Practice the numbers
Start a free Illinois practice test, or read the Illinois DMV test cheat sheet for the exam format, documents and retake rules. You can also read the Illinois Rules of the Road the numbers were taken from.
