Speed Limits & Following Distance — Kentucky
Kentucky CDL practice test: 427 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: 12 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 | Kentucky CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 12 (3% of 427 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 (12)
1. Stopping distance can be affected by:
- Driving speed. ✓
- Temperature.
- Time of day.
Answer: A. Driving speed.
Driving speed affects stopping distance: as speed rises, the braking distance becomes much longer. The handbook's stopping-distance figure ties speed directly to braking distance. Going from 20 to 40 mph makes braking distance four times longer; going from 20 to 60 mph makes it nine times longer. It also says high speeds greatly increase stopping distances and that slowing down can reduce braking distance. The passage lists conditions such as traction, curves, visibility, traffic, and hills for speed adjustment, but it does not name temperature or time of day as stopping-distance factors.
2. Scan the road ____ ahead of your vehicle.
- Two to three seconds
- Five to six seconds
- 12 to 15 seconds ✓
Answer: C. 12 to 15 seconds
Scan the road 12 to 15 seconds ahead of your vehicle. The handbook says most good drivers look far enough ahead to cover the distance they will travel in 12 to 15 seconds. At lower speeds that is roughly one block, and at highway speeds it is about a quarter mile. Looking that far gives you room to stop or change lanes without sudden moves. It also says you should not ignore nearby traffic; good drivers move their attention between near and far. A two-to-three-second or five-to-six-second scan is shorter than the handbook's guideline.
3. When driving a triple on a mountainous road, you:
- Should not be concerned about the terrain.
- Should drive at or above the speed limit.
- Should exercise special caution. ✓
Answer: C. Should exercise special caution.
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. 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.
6. 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.
7. What is reaction distance?
- The distance you will travel between realizing you must brake and when you physically hit the brakes ✓
- The distance you will travel between a hazard becoming visible and you seeing the hazard
- The distance you will travel between seeing a hazard and realizing you must brake
Answer: A. The distance you will travel between realizing you must brake and when you physically hit the brakes
Reaction distance is the distance you travel after you realize you must brake until you physically hit the brakes. The handbook separates total stopping distance into perception, reaction, and braking parts. Reaction distance is the ground you cover after you have seen and recognized a hazard and decided to brake, up until the brakes actually take hold. The perception part is already over by then. That matches the choice about traveling between realizing you must brake and physically hitting the brakes.
8. The leading factor resulting in death and injury in work zones is:
- Speeding. ✓
- Stopping.
- Under-inflated tires.
Answer: A. Speeding.
Speeding is the leading factor in deaths and injuries in work zones. The work zone section of the handbook states plainly that speeding traffic is the number one cause of injury and death in roadway work zones. Because of that, it tells drivers to obey posted limits when approaching and moving through a work zone, to keep an eye on the speedometer so their speed does not creep up during long construction stretches, and to slow further in bad weather or when a worker is near the road.
9. How does doubling your speed from 20 mph to 40 mph affect your vehicle's braking distance?
- It stays about the same.
- It doubles.
- It quadruples. ✓
Answer: C. It quadruples.
Doubling your speed from 20 mph to 40 mph makes your braking distance four times longer, so it quadruples. The handbook's stopping-distance figure states that when you double speed from 20 to 40 mph, the impact is four times greater and the braking distance is also four times longer. It gives the same pattern for higher speeds, and it says slowing down can reduce braking distance. So the change from 20 to 40 mph is not a small increase or a doubling; the distance needed to stop grows to four times its earlier length.
10. What is the average driver’s reaction time?
- 1/16 of a second
- 1/8 of a second
- 3/4 of a second ✓
Answer: C. 3/4 of a second
The average driver's reaction time is 3/4 of a second, which is the low end of the range the handbook gives. The handbook's discussion of stopping distance breaks the total into perception distance, reaction distance and braking distance. For reaction distance, it states that the average driver takes 3/4 second to 1 second to react before physically hitting the brakes, and notes that at 55 mph this accounts for 61 feet of travel. Since 3/4 of a second is the figure the handbook lists first for an average driver, it is the answer here. Reaction time is separate from perception time, which the handbook puts at 1 3/4 seconds for an alert driver.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook