Iowa: Cheat Sheet

The most frequently tested facts and numbers, condensed onto one page — free to print or save.

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Sign shapes and colors

White signs are regulatory: they provide information about enforceable laws and ordinances.
Orange signs warn of road work, temporary traffic control, and maintenance.
The octagon shape is reserved for a stop sign only.
The equilateral triangle shape means to yield the right of way.
The pennant-shaped no passing zone sign is on the left side of the road.
A circular sign means a railroad crossing is ahead.
The pentagon-shaped sign marks school areas and school crossings.
Warning signs are yellow with black lettering or symbols, and most of them are diamond-shaped.

Road signs

A red circle with a red slash over a symbol means you cannot do something, such as turn left, turn right, or make a U-turn.
A stop sign means you must come to a full stop and wait until crossing vehicles and the cross-walk are clear before proceeding.
A reflective orange triangle on the rear of a vehicle means it is traveling 35 mph or less.

Traffic signals

A flashing red light is treated the same as a stop sign.
With a solid yellow light, you should not enter the intersection if you can stop safely.
A flashing yellow light means proceed with caution, yield to vehicles and pedestrians, and proceed when it is safe.
A solid green light means go, but only when the intersection is clear, and yield to vehicles and pedestrians in the intersection.
A flashing yellow arrow means yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians, then turn left proceeding with caution.

Pavement markings

Yellow lines separate traffic moving in opposite directions, while white lines separate traffic moving in the same direction.
Passing is not allowed on the side with the solid yellow line; vehicles on the dashed-line side may pass when it is safe.
When required to stop by a sign or signal, you must stop before your vehicle reaches the stop line, or a crosswalk if there is one.
With a double yellow center line there is no passing either way over the center yellow lines.

Right-of-way and turning

At an all-way stop, the driver reaching the intersection first gets to go first, after coming to a complete stop.
For vehicles arriving at the same time at an all-way stop, the vehicle to the right gets to go first.
Drivers turning left must yield to oncoming cars that are going straight ahead.
Drivers entering a road from a driveway, alley, or roadside must yield to vehicles already on the main road.
You may make a right turn at a red light unless there is a “NO TURN ON RED” sign.
A driver who wants to turn right after stopping at a red light must yield.
You may make a left turn at a red light if you are turning from the left lane of a one-way street onto another one-way street.
Do not pass within 100 feet of an intersection.
As you approach the yield line markings, you yield to vehicles in the roundabout, wait for a gap, and merge counterclockwise.
Do not pass within 100 feet of a railroad crossing.

Speed and following distance

Where no limit is posted, the general limit is 20 mph in any business district.
Where no limit is posted, the general limit is 25 mph in a residential district or school district.
Where no limit is posted, the general limit on rural interstate highways is 70 mph.
On the interstate system there is a minimum speed of 40 mph.
At 30 mph the reaction distance is 66 ft and the braking distance is 57 ft, for a stopping distance of 123 ft.
When the vehicle in front of you blocks your view, a following distance of six or more seconds is recommended.

Railroad crossings

With lowering gates and flashing red lights, you must not proceed until the lights turn off and the gates go up.
If the lights begin flashing after you start across the tracks, you should keep going.
When stopped, leave at least 15 feet between the front and rear of your vehicle and the nearest rail.
School buses, charter buses, drivers carrying passengers for hire and vehicles placarded for hazardous materials must stop within 15 to 50 feet of the tracks before crossing.

Pedestrians

You must yield or stop for pedestrians in marked or unmarked crosswalks.
The new law says vehicles must yield the right of way to pedestrians on foot and those using any human-powered device, called a pedestrian conveyance.
You must always stop when a visually impaired person with a cane (often white or red-tipped) or guide dog is walking in front of you or close enough to be in danger.

Sharing the road

On roads with three lanes or fewer, all vehicles must stop for a stopped school bus.
When meeting the bus in one of the opposite two (or more) lanes, you do not need to stop; this is the only time you may pass a stopped school bus with its stop arm extended.
Drivers must stop no closer than 15 feet from the rear of a school bus that has stopped with its stop arm extended.
On a two- or three-lane road, you must slow to no more than 20 mph when you see amber warning lights flashing on a school bus approaching from the front.
When passing bicyclists, you must completely change lanes and give the bicyclist the entire lane, as you would with any other vehicle.

Emergency vehicles and work zones

Drivers must pull over to the right edge of the road, or as near to the right as possible, when an emergency vehicle approaches.
Drivers must stay at least 500 feet behind any emergency vehicle using lights and sirens.
The law requires motorists to change lanes when approaching the listed stopped vehicles with flashing lights.
If you cannot change lanes, you must slow down and be prepared to stop.

Alcohol and drugs

The Iowa DOT manual defines OWI as having a BAC of .08 or higher, or operating with any amount of a controlled substance in your system.
Holding an Iowa license means you consent to a field sobriety test upon demand by law enforcement; this is called implied consent.
The consequences for refusing a breathalyzer test are more severe than failing a test, with an automatic one year revocation of your license.
The laws are stricter for drivers under the legal drinking age: an underage driver is considered intoxicated with a BAC of .02 or more.
An underage driver’s driving privileges are revoked for a minimum of 60 days, and for a minimum of 180 days if the BAC is .08 or more.
It is illegal to transport an open, unsealed container of alcohol in a motor vehicle, but open containers may be carried in the trunk.
Even without a criminal conviction, driving privileges are revoked for a minimum of 180 days if you operate while intoxicated.

Seat belts and child safety

A child under one year old and weighing less than 20 pounds must be secured in a rear-facing child restraint system.
A child under six must be in a child restraint system (a safety seat or booster seat), not a seat belt.
A child from six up to 18 must be secured in a child restraint system or by a seat belt, in the front and back seats.
A child under the age of 18 cannot ride in the rear of a moving pickup truck.
Adults 18 and older must wear a seat belt while riding in the front seats of a vehicle.

Distracted and drowsy driving

Before writing or reading a message on a hand-held device, the vehicle must be brought to a complete stop off the traveled portion of the roadway.
Hands free means you can’t hold your phone in any way.
Under the hands-free law you can’t call or dial unless using hands-free or voice activation.

Parking rules

When parking on a roadway with a curb, you park within 18 inches of the curb or closer.
You may not park closer than five feet from a fire hydrant, or in a designated hydrant red zone.

Interstate driving

Use the acceleration and merge area to bring your vehicle up to the speed of traffic and merge when it is safe.

Signals and vehicle controls

There should be at least 10 inches between the steering wheel and your chest.
The manual says to place your hands on opposite sides of the wheel at 9 and 3 o’clock, or slightly lower at 7 and 5 o’clock.
Iowa law requires a signal at least 100 feet before a turn if the speed limit is 45 mph or less.
Iowa law requires both headlights from sunset to sunrise or whenever visibility is 500 feet or less, such as in fog, heavy rain, or snow.

Emergencies

Iowa law requires moving an operable vehicle out of the driving lanes after a no-injury crash if it can be safely moved.
With a stuck gas pedal, quickly shift to neutral, pull off the road when safe, then turn off the engine after stopping.
Pumping the brake pedal several times will often build up enough brake pressure to allow you to stop.

Licensing basics

Drivers of vehicles in Iowa must carry current proof of registration and an insurance card.

Insurance and crash reports

State law requires reporting a crash to the police that involves injury or death to another person, or property damage of more than $1,500.
Failure to report a crash within 72 hours of the incident will result in loss of your driving privileges and further penalties.