Speed Limits & Following Distance — Nevada
Nevada CDL practice test: 457 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: 13 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 | Nevada CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 13 (3% of 457 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 (13)
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. 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.
3. On a slippery surface, stopping distance:
- Is longer than on a regular driving surface. ✓
- Is not as long as on a regular driving surface.
- Is about the same as on a regular driving surface.
Answer: A. Is longer than on a regular driving surface.
On a slippery surface, stopping distance is longer than on a regular driving surface. The handbook says traction is the friction between tires and the road, and slippery conditions reduce it. It states directly that it will take longer to stop when the road is slippery, and wet roads can double stopping distance. That is why you must slow down to stop within the same distance you would need on a dry road. The correct choice simply matches that rule: a slippery surface makes the stop take more distance, not less.
4. 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.
5. After two violations of any state law regarding hand-held mobile phone use:
- You will need to cancel your mobile phone service.
- Your CDL will be disqualified. ✓
- You will be required to drive 10 mph under the posted speed limit for a period of time.
Answer: B. Your CDL will be disqualified.
After two or more convictions for violating a state law on hand-held mobile phone use, your CDL will be disqualified. The handbook states that a CDL is disqualified after two or more convictions of any state law on hand-held mobile telephone use while operating a CMV. It adds that the disqualification lasts 60 days for a second offense within three years, and 120 days for three or more offenses within that period. The same section also bars motor carriers from requiring or letting drivers use hand-held phones, and it notes the first and later violations can bring civil penalties on the driver.
6. 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.
7. What is the average driver’s reaction time?
- One-sixteenth of a second
- One-eighth of a second
- Between three-quarters of a second and one second ✓
- Two seconds
Answer: C. Between three-quarters of a second and one second
The average driver’s reaction time is between three-quarters of a second and one second. The handbook defines reaction distance as how far you keep moving before you hit the brakes after seeing a hazard. In ideal conditions, it says the average driver takes three-quarters of a second to one second to react. That is the range the question asks for. The same passage notes that at 55 mph this reaction time accounts for 61 feet traveled, which shows why the range matters when judging stopping distance.
8. What is the number one cause of death and injury in a work zone?
- Drivers speeding ✓
- Slow drivers
- Animals crossing the road
Answer: A. Drivers speeding
The number one cause is drivers speeding. The work zone section of the handbook names speeding as the leading source of injuries and deaths in roadway work zones. It tells you to watch the posted limit when you approach and drive through the zone, to keep checking your speedometer so your speed does not creep up on long construction stretches, and to slow further for bad weather, poor road conditions, or a worker close to the roadway. That is why speeding is the answer.
9. If a speed limit is posted, the posted speed:
- Should never be exceeded. ✓
- May be exceeded if passing another vehicle.
- May be exceeded if driving in a rural area.
Answer: A. Should never be exceeded.
When a speed limit is posted, you should never exceed it. The handbook states plainly that if a speed limit is posted, or a sign shows a "Maximum Safe Speed," you must never go faster than the speed shown. The same section tells you to watch your speedometer so your speed does not creep up through long work zones, and to slow further for bad weather or road conditions. So the posted number is a ceiling you stay under, not a target to beat when it suits you.
10. 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.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook