Maine BMV · Quick Reference 2026

Maine BMV Test Cheat Sheet

Every key number, rule, and fact from the Maine Driver's License Manual (Rev. 4/24) — on one page. Bookmark it or print it.

🏎️ Speed Limits

Maine Turnpike / I-95 (when posted)up to 70 mph

Rural state / US highway (when posted)45–55 mph

Outside business / residential (default)45 mph

Business or residential district (default)25 mph

School zone — recess / children present15 mph

Slow-moving vehicle (orange triangle)under 25 mph

School zone finesDOUBLED 2×

Work zone finesDOUBLED 2×

💡 Maine has no statewide blanket "65 mph" highway speed — limits are posted and the default outside towns is 45 mph. The Turnpike posts its own higher limits. Speeding 30+ mph over the limit is an aggravating factor for OUI.

🅿️ Parking Distances

From fire hydrant10 feet MEMORIZE

From crosswalk15 feet

From fire station driveway15 feet

From a railroad crossing (signal stop)15 feet

From the curb (parallel parking)no more than 18 inches

Between you and other parked carsat least 2 feet

Don't follow a fire truck (lights on)within 500 feet

In front of a drivewayNever — prohibited

🍺 Alcohol & OUI Laws

BAC limit — drivers 21+0.08

BAC limit — under 21ANY amount Zero tolerance

BAC limit — CDL / commercial0.04

Refuse chemical test (admin.)up to 6 years

Refuse + OUI convictionadded to OUI suspension

1st OUI suspensionat least 150 days

1st OUI fine (BAC 0.08–0.14)$500+ ($600 with refusal)

Aggravated 1st OUI jailat least 48 hrs (96 if refusal)

Under-21 OUIat least 1 year

Passenger under 21 add-on+275 days suspension

⚠️ Maine's Implied Consent law: by driving in Maine you automatically consent to a chemical test. Refusing carries an administrative suspension up to 6 years AND tacks an OUI suspension on top — almost always longer than the OUI alone. Aggravated OUI applies if BAC is 0.15+, you're 30 mph over, you elude police, you refuse, OR you have a passenger under 21.

⚖️ OUI Penalties (Adults)

Offense	Fine	Jail	Suspension
1st OUI (BAC 0.08–0.14)	$500+	—	at least 150 days
1st OUI — aggravated*	$600+	at least 48 hrs (96 with refusal)	at least 150 days
2nd OUI	significantly higher	mandatory	longer revocation + interlock
3rd+ OUI	substantially higher	mandatory, longer	longer revocation + interlock

*Aggravated = BAC 0.15+, OR 30+ mph over the limit, OR eluding an officer, OR refusing the chemical test, OR a passenger under 21 in the vehicle. Maine's manual gives minimums; sentencing varies by case. After a 2nd OUI you must demonstrate proof of liability insurance to reinstate, and an ignition-interlock program is available.

📏 Key Distances & Rules

Signal a turn or lane changeat least 100 feet before

Following distance (baseline)at least 4 seconds

Following distance — at night+1 second (5 sec)

Following — unfamiliar road at night+2 seconds (6 sec)

Following a motorcycle on wet roadmore than 4 sec

Look ahead — expert driver20–30 seconds

Check mirrorsevery 6–8 seconds

No-pass near hill or curvewithin 1/3 mile

Pass at 50–55 mph takes10–12 seconds

Dim high beams (oncoming)within 500 feet

Dim high beams (following)within 300 feet

Headlights illuminate~250 feet

Headlights required when visibility <1,000 feet

Horn audible from200 feet

Pass a bicyclistat least 3 feet

Stop for white cane / guide dogat least 10 feet away

Stop for RR crossing (lights flashing)at least 15 feet from rail

Don't follow fire truck (lights on)within 500 feet

Stopping distance at 50 mph (dry)~188 feet (33 reaction + 133 brake)

Loaded truck at 55 mph~335 feet to stop

Hydroplaning may begin at30–40 mph

Emergency flares behind vehicle200–300 feet

💡 Maine baseline is the 4-second rule, not 3. On ice or snow it can take 3–12× the dry-pavement stopping distance. At over 50 mph at night, your headlights illuminate less than your car's stopping distance — slow down.

🔷 Sign Shapes

Shape	Meaning	Example
Octagon (8 sides)	STOP	Stop sign
Inverted triangle	YIELD	Yield sign
Diamond	WARNING	Curves, merges, hills
Pentagon (5 sides)	SCHOOL	School zone/crossing
Circle	RAILROAD	Advance RR warning
Pennant	NO PASSING	No passing zone (left side)
Vertical rectangle	REGULATORY	Speed limits, rules
Horizontal rectangle	GUIDE	Directions, distances
Crossbuck (X)	RR CROSSING	At the crossing itself

🎨 Sign Colors

Color	Meaning
🔴 Red	Stop, yield, do not enter, prohibition
⬜ White	Regulatory — rules and laws
🟡 Yellow	Warning — hazards ahead
🟢 Green	Guide — directions, distances
🔵 Blue	Services — gas, food, hospital
🟠 Orange	Construction / work zone
🟤 Brown	Parks, recreation, historic
💛 Yellow-Green	Pedestrian, school, bicycle

↗️ Right-of-Way Rules

→At a 4-way stop: first to arrive goes first. If tied, driver on the RIGHT goes first.
→At an uncontrolled intersection: yield to the vehicle on the RIGHT.
→Turning left: always yield to oncoming straight-through traffic.
→Entering from alley, driveway, or private road: stop and yield to ALL traffic.
→At a T-intersection (no signs): the vehicle on the terminating road yields.
→Pedestrians in a crosswalk: ALWAYS yield — marked or unmarked.
→Emergency vehicles with lights/sirens: pull to the RIGHT and stop, clear of any intersection.
→Roundabouts / traffic circles: yield to vehicles already in the circle.
→Single-lane bridge: the driver who arrives FIRST has right-of-way.
→Bicyclist approaching from opposite direction while you turn left: yield to the bicyclist.
→Move-Over Law: passing a stopped emergency vehicle, slow and yield; move over a lane if safe.

🚌 School Bus Rules

→Stop for a school bus with red flashing lights on any undivided road — in BOTH directions.
→Exception: on a multi-lane divided highway with a solid median strip, oncoming traffic on the opposite side does NOT have to stop.
→Penalty for passing a stopped school bus with red lights flashing: 30-day license suspension for a first offense, 90 days for a second offense, and 1 year for any subsequent offense.
→Failing to stop is a Class E crime in Maine.
→School bus operators must be 21+, with at least 1 year of licensed driving and 10 OUI-free years.

🎓 Teen / GDL Laws

Minimum age for permit15

Hold permit (under 21)at least 6 months

Supervised practice hours70 hrs (10 at night)

Driver education (under 18)required, approved course

Supervising driver — minimum age20

Supervising driver — license heldat least 2 years

Minimum age for full license16 (with driver ed) or 18

Under-18 GDL period270 days from road test

Under-18 driving curfewno driving 12 a.m. – 5 a.m.

Under-18 passenger limitimmediate family only*

Cell phone (under 18)prohibited at all times

Provisional period (under 21)2 years

Provisional moving violation30-day suspension (1st)

Class C / motorcycle permit fee$35

*Unless accompanied by a licensed operator age 20+ who has held a license 2+ years and is sitting in the front passenger seat.

🛡️ Child Restraint & Safety Belts

Under 55 lbsfederally approved child safety seat

55–79 lbs and under age 8federally approved child restraint

Under 12 and under 100 lbsrear seat if possible

All occupantssafety belt required

Seatbelt enforcementprimary — officer may stop and ticket for the violation alone

🏦 Insurance & Financial Responsibility

Bodily injury (per person)$50,000

Bodily injury (per accident)$100,000

Property damage (per accident)$25,000

Medical-payments coverage$2,000

Uninsured-motorist coveragematches BI limits

Annual vehicle inspectionrequired

Mandatory crash reportany injury OR $2,000+ damage

Uninsured driver — injury / $1,000+ damagelicense & registration suspension

📋 License Fees & Administration

Class C / motorcycle permit exam$35

Class C license (under 65, 6 yr)$30

Class C license (65+, 4 yr)$20

REAL ID Class C (under 65)$55

REAL ID Class C (65+)$40

Address change deadlinewithin 30 days

New residents transfer licensewithin 30 days

Organ donoropt-in at the BMV when applying or renewing your license

🚗 Other Must-Know Rules

→Cell phone / handheld electronic device use: prohibited for ALL drivers in Maine.
→Drivers under 18: any phone use (handheld OR hands-free) is prohibited at all times while driving.
→Headlights required: sunset to sunrise, whenever wipers are in constant use, OR any time visibility falls below 1,000 feet.
→Hill parking — downhill (any) and uphill without a curb: turn wheels TOWARD the right edge / curb.
→Hill parking — uphill WITH a curb: turn wheels AWAY from the curb so the car rolls back into it.
→Skidding: release pressure from brake or accelerator; steer where you want to go.
→Sound system law: must not be audible beyond 25 feet or exceed 85 decibels — $50 / $100 / $150 fines.
→Tire tread minimum: 2/32 inch (4/32 for commercial vehicles 10,000+ lbs).
→Foot brake test: must stop the vehicle within 30 feet at 20 mph.
→Wildlife: deer collisions peak October–November; moose collisions peak May–June.
→Maine Turnpike / I-95 with 3 lanes per direction: trucks (excluding pickups) only in the two right-hand lanes.
→Three types of distraction: visual, manual, cognitive.

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