Speed Limits & Following Distance — Connecticut
Connecticut CDL practice test: 466 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). The official format is not yet verified; check the official site before your test. Speed Limits & Following Distance: 20 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 | Connecticut CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 20 (4% of 466 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
Not yet verified
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Questions (20)
1. Stopping distance can be affected by:
- Speed. ✓
- Engine oil.
- Time of day.
- Traffic.
Answer: A. Speed.
Stopping distance can be affected by speed. The handbook ties stopping distance to how fast you are going. Figure 2.11 shows that when you double your speed, braking distance becomes four times longer, and high speeds greatly increase stopping distances. It also says that slowing down reduces braking distance. So among these choices, speed is the factor that directly changes the distance your vehicle needs to stop.
2. While operating on a downgrade, you should brake until you reach a speed that is:
- 5 mph below your safe speed. ✓
- 10 mph below your safe speed.
- 15 mph below your safe speed.
Answer: A. 5 mph below your safe speed.
Brake until you are about 5 mph below your safe speed, then release the brakes. The handbook describes the braking technique for a long or steep downgrade. With the vehicle in the proper low gear, the engine does most of the slowing and the brakes are only a supplement. You apply the brakes enough to cause a clear slowdown, then release them once your speed is roughly five mph under your safe speed. When speed rises back to the safe speed, you repeat the process. That makes five mph below safe speed the release point.
3. To help control liquid surge, a driver should:
- Make quick stops.
- Decrease their following distance.
- Brake rapidly.
- Brake well in advance of a stop. ✓
Answer: D. Brake well in advance of a stop.
You should brake well in advance of a stop to help control liquid surge. The tank-vehicle rules say to drive smoothly and keep steady brake pressure. For surge control, the handbook tells you to brake far ahead of a stop and to increase your following distance. Braking early gives you room to slow gradually instead of making a sharp stop that lets the liquid shift. The passage also says a quick stop should be used only to avoid a crash, using controlled or stab braking, not as a normal way to manage surge.
4. If a worker is present in a work zone, you should:
- Continue driving at the posted speed limit.
- Slow to a speed under the posted speed limit. ✓
- Drive in the grass.
Answer: B. Slow to a speed under the posted speed limit.
You should slow to a speed under the posted speed limit when a worker is present in a work zone. The handbook's work-zone section says speeding traffic is the leading cause of injury and death there. It tells you to observe posted limits and watch that your speed does not creep up. It also says to decrease speed for bad weather or road conditions, and to decrease it even further when a worker is close to the roadway. That extra reduction means going below the posted limit around workers.
5. When traveling down a downgrade, the speed of a vehicle will likely:
- Decrease.
- Not change.
- Increase. ✓
- Match the speed of traffic.
Answer: C. Increase.
6. An Individual Vehicle Distance Record (IVDR) does not need to include which of the following?
- The dates of a trip
- The total distance traveled
- The number of vehicles passed ✓
Answer: C. The number of vehicles passed
An Individual Vehicle Distance Record does not need to include the number of vehicles passed. The handbook describes the IVDR as a trip record that shows the distance traveled and the fuel purchased for a vehicle running interstate under apportioned registration and IFTA credentials. It also says that although the layout of the form can differ, the information required for proper record keeping stays the same, and the licensee must keep records that back up the quarterly tax return. Counting the vehicles you pass has nothing to do with miles driven or fuel burned, so it falls outside what the record is meant to capture.
7. How does doubling your speed from 20 mph to 40 mph affect your vehicle's braking distance?
- It stays about the same.
- It increases slightly.
- It doubles.
- It quadruples. ✓
Answer: D. It quadruples.
Doubling your speed from 20 mph to 40 mph makes the braking distance four times longer. The handbook's stopping-distance figure says that when you go from 20 to 40 mph, the impact is four times greater and the braking distance is also four times longer. So the increase is not a small change or just double; it is four times the distance. The same passage shows the pattern continues at higher speeds, which reinforces that speed has a strong effect on braking distance.
8. You should maintain at least ____ of following distance per every 10 feet of your vehicle when you are traveling more slowly than 40 mph.
- One second ✓
- Two seconds
- Three seconds
Answer: A. One second
You should keep at least one second of following distance for every 10 feet of your vehicle when traveling below 40 mph. The handbook gives a simple space-ahead rule: below 40 mph, allow at least one second for each 10 feet of vehicle length. It illustrates this with a 40-foot vehicle needing 4 seconds and a 60-foot vehicle needing 6 seconds. When speed goes above 40 mph, the handbook says to add one more second. The bank answer matches that rule for speeds under 40 mph.
9. When you double your speed from 20 to 40 mph, your vehicle's braking distance will become ____ times longer.
- Two
- Three
- Four ✓
- 10
Answer: C. Four
When you double your speed from 20 to 40 mph, your braking distance becomes four times longer. The handbook's chart on speed and stopping distance says that doubling speed from 20 to 40 mph makes the impact four times greater, and adds that braking distance is also four times longer. The same chart shows the pattern keeps climbing as speed rises: tripling speed gives nine times the distance, and 80 mph gives sixteen times. So the jump is not a simple doubling; it grows much faster than the speed itself.
10. When in heavy traffic, the safest driving speed is:
- Slower than the speed being driven by surrounding traffic.
- The same speed being driven by surrounding traffic. ✓
- Faster than the speed being driven by surrounding traffic.
Answer: B. The same speed being driven by surrounding traffic.
In heavy traffic, the safest speed is the same speed the surrounding traffic is driving. The handbook says directly that when traffic is heavy you should travel at the speed of other vehicles, because vehicles moving the same direction at the same speed are not likely to run into one another. It adds that you should drive with the flow of traffic if you can do so without going at an illegal or unsafe speed. That is why matching surrounding traffic is the correct choice, not picking a speed above or below the pack.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook