Speed Limits & Following Distance — Delaware
Delaware CDL practice test: 443 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: 14 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 | Delaware CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 14 (3% of 443 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 (14)
1. If you are being tailgated, you should:
- Drive on the shoulder.
- Pull off the roadway.
- Drive faster.
- Allow the vehicle to pass. ✓
Answer: D. Allow the vehicle to pass.
If you are being tailgated, allow the vehicle to pass by holding a steady, low speed and leaving extra room in front of you so the tailgater can get around. The handbook lists specific responses for a tailgater: avoid quick changes by signaling early and slowing gradually, open up your following distance, and do not speed up. It notes that extra room ahead both reduces your need for sudden moves and makes it easier for the tailgater to get past you. So the goal is not to escape the tailgater but to make passing them easy and predictable. The handbook also warns against tricks like flashing brake lights or turning on taillights.
2. Stopping distance can be affected by:
- Speed. ✓
- Temperature.
- Time of day.
- Traffic.
Answer: A. Speed.
Stopping distance can be affected by speed; as speed increases, the distance needed to stop increases. The handbook's stopping-distance figure shows that braking distance grows sharply with speed: doubling speed makes braking distance four times longer, and tripling it makes it nine times longer. It also says high speeds increase stopping distances, while slowing down reduces braking distance. The total stopping-distance formula is perception distance plus reaction distance plus braking distance, and the air-brake section adds brake lag for those systems. Temperature and time of day do not appear as parts of that formula or as factors in the speed discussion.
3. If being tailgated, you should:
- Increase your speed.
- Increase the amount of space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. ✓
- Make quick movements.
Answer: B. Increase the amount of space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.
You should increase the amount of space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. The handbook says that when someone is tailgating you, opening up room ahead helps you avoid sudden speed or direction changes. It also gives the tailgater an easier chance to get around you. The same passage says not to speed up and to avoid quick changes, so the safe response is to create more following distance in front rather than reacting sharply or going faster.
4. When traveling in heavy traffic, the safest driving speed is:
- The posted speed limit.
- The speed of surrounding traffic. ✓
- A speed much slower than the flow of surrounding traffic.
Answer: B. The speed of surrounding traffic.
In heavy traffic, the safest driving speed is the speed of surrounding traffic. The handbook's speed-and-traffic-flow rule says that in heavy traffic the safest speed is the speed of the other vehicles. Vehicles moving the same direction at the same speed are unlikely to run into each other. It also tells you to drive with the traffic flow if you can do so without going at an illegal or unsafe speed. That means matching surrounding traffic is the target, not simply holding the posted limit or crawling far below everyone else.
5. A sign indicating a maximum safe speed:
- Is suggesting a driving speed, but vehicles may travel faster than the posted speed.
- Is suggesting a speed limit to be followed only by vehicles weighing more than 26,000 pounds.
- Should be followed and no vehicle should travel faster than the posted speed. ✓
- Is only applicable to automobiles.
Answer: C. Should be followed and no vehicle should travel faster than the posted speed.
A sign indicating a maximum safe speed should be followed, and no vehicle should travel faster than the posted speed. The handbook says that when there is a sign indicating "Maximum Safe Speed," you should never exceed the speed shown. It treats that sign as a speed you must stay at or below, not as a casual suggestion. So the safe and proper action is to follow the posted maximum safe speed and not go faster than it.
6. Avoid needing to make sudden lane changes by:
- Using your horn to encourage other drivers to move out of your lane.
- Only driving slower than the posted speed limit.
- Watching the road ahead while driving. ✓
- Pulling off the road and waiting when there is high traffic.
Answer: C. Watching the road ahead while driving.
7. When driving:
- You should always drive at the posted speed limit.
- You should always drive slightly below the posted speed limit.
- You should adjust your speed according to conditions. ✓
- You should drive as fast as possible.
Answer: C. You should adjust your speed according to conditions.
You should adjust your speed according to conditions, not simply hold to the posted limit. The handbook says driving too fast is a major cause of fatal crashes, and it tells you to adjust your speed to conditions such as traction, curves, visibility, traffic, and hills. It also says most serious skids come from driving too fast for road conditions, and that drivers who adjust their driving avoid too much acceleration and avoid having to over-brake or oversteer. That is why the correct approach is to set speed by what the road and traffic are doing, not to treat the posted limit as a fixed target.
8. If you are braking on dry pavement while traveling at 55 mph, how much distance will brake lag add to your overall stopping distance?
- 32 feet ✓
- 45 feet
- 20 feet
Answer: A. 32 feet
Brake lag adds 32 feet to your overall stopping distance. The handbook explains that with air brakes there is a delay while air flows through the lines before the brakes actually work. At 55 mph on dry pavement, that brake lag distance is about 32 feet. The handbook also lists brake lag as one of the four parts of total stopping distance, along with perception, reaction, and braking distance. So the added distance from brake lag is 32 feet.
9. If another driver is tailgating you, you should:
- Move into the left lane.
- Speed up.
- Increase the distance between you and the vehicle ahead. ✓
Answer: C. Increase the distance between you and the vehicle ahead.
When someone is tailgating you, increase the distance between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you. The handbook lists increasing your following distance as one of the things to do when you are being tailgated. Opening up room in front of you means you won't have to make sudden speed or direction changes, and it also gives the tailgater an easier chance to get around you. The same section warns against speeding up, since being tailgated at a low speed is safer than at a high speed, and it says to avoid tricks like flashing brake lights or turning on taillights.
10. The weight of a truck:
- Usually has no impact on stopping distance.
- Is a major factor affecting stopping distance. ✓
- Is not as important as the type of cargo in determining stopping distance.
Answer: B. Is a major factor affecting stopping distance.
The weight of a truck is a major factor affecting stopping distance. The handbook's section on speed and stopping distance includes a discussion of how vehicle weight affects stopping distance. It says the heavier the vehicle, the more work the brakes have to do to stop it, and the more heat they absorb. That means a loaded or heavy truck takes more braking effort than a light one, so weight is a big factor in how long it takes to stop, not a minor detail you can ignore when judging your following distance and speed.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Not yet verified
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook