Cover of the Virginia Driver’s Manual, July 2025 Edition

The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) typically updates its Virginia Driver’s Manual at least annually by July 1, to reflect changes in Virginia’s driving laws and driving best practices.  Information must first be covered in the Virginia Driver’s Manual to serve as the basis of a question on Virginia DMV’s written Driver’s Knowledge Exam.

Knowing that schedule for updating the Driver’s Manual, members of the Virginia Bicycling Federation’s advocacy committee reviewed the Driver’s Manual’s 2024 edition, to identify potential changes that would better communicate how drivers can safely share the road with bicycle riders.  On April 21, we emailed our recommended changes to DMV staff members who were working on the Driver’s Manual update.

The July 1, 2025 edition of the Virginia Driver’s Manual is now posted on DMV’s website.  We commend DMV’s leadership for incorporating several of our recent suggestions into this latest edition.  For comparison, the most relevant section of the 2024 edition of the Manual is still posted on the DMV website.

For the section on regulatory traffic signs on Page 7 of the Manual, we suggested adding an illustration and description of the “Bicycles May Use Full Lane” (R4-11) sign, paired with its closely related successor, the “Bicycles Allowed Use of Full Lane” (R9-20) sign, and noted that the R9-20 sign will begin to replace the R4-11 sign nationwide by January 2026.

Bicycles May Use Full Lane Sign (R4-11)–Wikipedia

Bicycles Allowed Use of Full Lane Sign (R9-20)–Wikipedia

DMV did not depict either sign on Page 7, possibly because both signs are similar, and the R9-20 sign is presently nonexistent or rare.  Nevertheless, the updated Driver’s Manual does depict the R4-11 sign on Page 20, in a later section on sharing the road with bicycle riders.  While that depiction does not support including a question about such signs within the Driver’s Knowledge Exam, it does promote the R4-11 sign and its message that bicycle riders may control a full travel lane, at least in some circumstances.

For some time, Page 12 of the Virginia Driver’s Manual has illustrated a shared-lane pavement marking (aka sharrow) within a roadway travel lane.  That marking is depicted off center in the lane, to the right of a motor vehicle, and we noted that sharrows are generally best positioned in the center of the effective travel lane.

Shared-Lane Marking Illustration in the Virginia Driver’s Manual

The Manual’s associated text does correctly explain that shared-lane markings are “…used on travel lanes too narrow for motor vehicles and bicycles to share side-by-side…and…clarify where bicyclists are encouraged to ride in the lane…”   Although DMV did not alter that illustration for this update, we will ask again that this illustration be revised in the future.

Finally, we are pleased that the updated Driver’s Manual incorporates several of our proposed changes to the first of two paragraphs in the section on Sharing the Road with Bicycles on Page 20.  These changes removed imprecise language that can lead to drivers misunderstanding the travel rights and actions of people riding bicycles; namely:

  • The introductory sentence was changed to clarify that—for both bicyclists and drivers—one’s right-of-way on the roadway applies to the operator, not the vehicle, consistent with Code of Virginia section 46.2-800.
  • The fourth and fifth sentences had noted that two-abreast bicyclists may not impede the normal flow of traffic and must move into a single-file formation as soon as they can do so safely when being overtaken from the rear by a faster moving vehicle.  We asked that the emphasized text in this last sentence be removed because a) single-file bicyclists are never impeding traffic under Virginia law and b) the language “when being overtaken from the rear” and “as soon as they can do so safely” is imprecise and subject to varied interpretations.  We are pleased that both of those sentences were removed completely from the updated manual.
  • Finally, at our request, the last sentence of this paragraph was amended to alert drivers that bicyclists may be riding in either direction on shared-use paths and two-way separated bike lanes as well as on sidewalks.

We appreciate the cooperation of DMV staff to better educate motorists on how to safely share Virginia’s roads with bicycle riders, and we look forward to additional collaborations with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles in the near future.

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About the Virginia Bicycling Federation

The Virginia Bicycling Federation works to make Virginia the most bicycle-friendly state in the nation. Through advocacy, education, and community partnerships, we promote safe, accessible, and enjoyable bicycling for people of all ages and abilities. From historic trails to vibrant downtowns, bicycling connects us to our communities—and to Virginia’s rich past and promising future. Learn more at www.vabike.org.