Speed Limits & Following Distance — California
California DMV practice test: 617 free practice questions (38 official sample questions · Official driver handbook). The official format is not yet verified; check the official site before your test. Speed Limits & Following Distance: 48 questions.
Posted speed limits, school and construction zones, stopping and following distance.
This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines.
| Topic / Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Topic | Speed Limits & Following Distance |
| License test | California Car learner's permit test (Class C) |
| Topic questions | 48 (8% of 617 total) |
| Review status | This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines. |
Official handbook
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Questions (48)
1. When a railroad crossing is not controlled, what is the speed limit when you are within 100 feet and cannot see for 400 feet in both directions?
- 15 mph. ✓
- 10 mph.
- 25 mph.
Answer: A. 15 mph.
The speed limit is 15 mph when you are within 100 feet of an uncontrolled railroad crossing and cannot see the tracks for 400 feet in both directions. The handbook sets a 15 mph limit for exactly this situation: you are within 100 feet of the crossing and your view of the tracks is blocked for 400 feet each way. It also notes you may drive faster than 15 mph only when the crossing is controlled by gates, a warning signal, or a flagman. Since the crossing here is uncontrolled, the lower limit applies, so you slow down enough to stop, look, and listen before going across.
2. A highway has a posted speed limit of 65 mph. What does this mean?
- You must always drive 65 mph on that highway.
- You may drive faster only if there are no other vehicles.
- You must drive 65 mph only if driving conditions are ideal. ✓
Answer: C. You must drive 65 mph only if driving conditions are ideal.
3. Which of the following is a requirement of California’s Basic Speed Law?
- Always drive the speed limit, regardless of conditions.
- Match your speed to that of your surrounding traffic.
- Never drive faster than is safe for current conditions. ✓
Answer: C. Never drive faster than is safe for current conditions.
The Basic Speed Law requires that you never drive faster than is safe for the current road conditions. The handbook states plainly that in California you may never drive faster than what is safe for the road conditions at that moment, and it names this rule the Basic Speed Law. It tells you to manage your speed and slow down when conditions call for it. The posted speed limit does not settle the question by itself; your speed should depend on how many vehicles are on the road, how fast they are moving, the road surface, bicyclists or pedestrians, weather, and congestion. So the safe speed can be below the posted limit.
4. When you are driving the speed limit, you can be given a speeding ticket:
- If road or weather conditions require a slower speed. ✓
- Under no circumstances because it is always legal.
- Only if you are approaching a sharp curve in the road.
Answer: A. If road or weather conditions require a slower speed.
You can get a speeding ticket even when you are driving the posted speed limit if road or weather conditions require a slower speed. The handbook's Basic Speed Law says you may never drive faster than is safe for the road as it is right now. The posted limit does not override that rule: when rain, fog, traffic, road surface, or other conditions call for a lower speed, you must slow down even if you are already at the limit. The handbook also says you may be cited if you drive faster or slower than the speed limit, so matching the number is not enough when conditions demand less.
5. Which of the following should you do if you are being followed by a tailgater?
- Change lanes and allow the tailgater to pass. ✓
- Tap the brakes to signal you are moving at a slower pace.
- Increase your speed to match the speed of the vehicle.
Answer: A. Change lanes and allow the tailgater to pass.
When a tailgater is behind you, keep your course and speed and, once it is safe, move right into another lane so the tailgater can go past. The California Driver Handbook lists a tailgater behind you as one reason to open up more space in front of your car. It tells you to hold your course and speed first, then merge right into another lane when it is safe and let the tailgater pass. Holding a steady speed keeps your car predictable, and moving over gives the impatient driver room to get by without you having to react to them. Nothing in the passage says to brake at them or speed up.
6. You can help keep the driver behind you a safe distance away from your vehicle by:
- Driving 10 mph faster than the car behind you.
- Driving 10 mph slower than the car behind you.
- Maintaining a steady speed. ✓
Answer: C. Maintaining a steady speed.
You can help keep the driver behind you at a safe distance by maintaining a steady speed. The handbook's guidance for a tailgater is to hold your course and speed, and then move right when it is safe so the other driver can get past you. Keeping a steady pace makes your car predictable, so the person behind you can judge the gap and adjust instead of closing in. The handbook also lists driving at a steady speed as a smooth-driving practice. What it never suggests is changing your speed to manage the driver behind you.
7. After you have passed a vehicle moving in the same direction, it is safe to move back into the right lane:
- After about three seconds.
- When you can no longer see the passed vehicle over your right shoulder.
- When you can see the entire front of the passed vehicle in your rearview mirror. ✓
Answer: C. When you can see the entire front of the passed vehicle in your rearview mirror.
8. The maximum posted speed limit should be driven only:
- During the night.
- During the day.
- Under ideal conditions. ✓
Answer: C. Under ideal conditions.
Drive at the maximum posted speed limit only when conditions are ideal. The handbook's Basic Speed Law says you may never go faster than is safe for the road as it is right now. It lists traffic, road surface, bicyclists or pedestrians, weather, and congestion as reasons to slow down. It also calls the posted maximum an ideal maximum speed limit. So the top posted number is a limit for good conditions, not a speed to keep when rain, traffic, or a rough road makes the safe speed lower.
9. If you drive 55 mph in a 55 mph zone, you can be given a speeding ticket:
- Under no circumstances because it is always legal.
- If the road or weather conditions require a slower speed. ✓
- Only if you are approaching a sharp curve in the road.
Answer: B. If the road or weather conditions require a slower speed.
You can get a speeding ticket even at 55 mph in a 55 mph zone if the road or weather conditions require you to drive slower. The handbook's Basic Speed Law says you may never drive faster than is safe for the current road conditions, no matter what sign is posted. It lists road surface, weather, traffic, bicyclists, and pedestrians as things that should shape your speed. A separate passage adds that you must slow down in heavy traffic or bad weather and that driving faster or slower than the limit can get you cited. So the posted number is a ceiling only when conditions allow it; if conditions call for less, 55 can still be too fast.
10. You are driving on a freeway posted for 65 mph. Most of the other vehicles are driving 70 mph or faster. You may legally drive:
- 70 mph or faster to keep up with the speed of traffic.
- etween 65 mph and 70 mph.
- No faster than 65 mph. ✓
Answer: C. No faster than 65 mph.
You may legally drive no faster than 65 mph. The handbook says the ideal maximum speed limit on most California highways is 65 mph unless signs post something different. Here the freeway is posted for 65 mph, so that posted number is your legal ceiling. Other vehicles traveling 70 mph or faster does not raise it. The Basic Speed Law still requires you to drive no faster than is safe for conditions, and the speed of other vehicles is only one factor to consider. Keep your speed at or below 65 mph.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Not yet verified
Updated: · 38 official sample questions · Official driver handbook