Speed Limits & Following Distance — New Hampshire
New Hampshire CDL practice test: 461 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 | New Hampshire CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 13 (3% of 461 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. Trailers with low underneath clearance may be difficult to drive:
- On interstate highways.
- Over railroad crossings. ✓
- On dirt roads.
- At the posted speed limit.
Answer: B. Over railroad crossings.
Trailers with low underneath clearance can be hard to drive over railroad crossings, where the trailer may get hung up on the tracks. The handbook points to railroad crossings as a special problem for trailers that sit low to the ground. It warns that you should not gamble on getting hung up halfway across the tracks. The clearance between the trailer's underside and the road surface is what matters at the raised rails and crossing surface, and that same warning appears both in the driving safely section and in the combination vehicles section, so the risk is tied to crossings rather than to open highway driving.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. How many seconds of following distance per every 10 feet of vehicle should you maintain when traveling more slowly than 40 mph?
- One second ✓
- Two seconds
- Three seconds
- Four seconds
Answer: A. One second
When you are traveling slower than 40 mph, keep one second of following distance for every 10 feet of vehicle length. The handbook states the space-ahead rule directly: at least one second for each 10 feet of vehicle length at speeds below 40 mph, and at higher speeds you add one more second. So a 40-foot vehicle needs 4 seconds under 40 mph, and a 60-foot rig needs 6 seconds, matching the examples given. The passages also explain the reason for the rule: space ahead is what lets you stop if traffic in front of you slows suddenly, and following too closely is the most common cause of rear-end crashes for large vehicles.
5. What is the number one cause of death and injury in work zones?
- Speeding drivers ✓
- Careless behavior by construction workers
- Drivers driving too slowly
- Equipment placed in the roadway
Answer: A. Speeding drivers
Speeding drivers are the number one cause of death and injury in work zones. The handbook states plainly that speeding traffic is the leading cause of injury and death in roadway work zones. That is why it tells you to watch the posted limits when you approach and drive through a work zone, to keep an eye on your speedometer so it does not creep up through long construction sections, and to slow further in bad weather or when a worker is close to the road.
6. Stopping distance can be affected by:
- Speed. ✓
- Sunshine.
- Time of day.
- Traffic.
Answer: A. Speed.
Speed affects stopping distance: the faster you drive, the longer the braking distance becomes. The handbook's stopping-distance section says that when speed goes up, braking distance grows, and it gives the example that doubling speed makes braking distance four times longer. It also says slowing down reduces braking distance. The stopping-distance formula adds perception, reaction, and braking distance, so the speed-related braking part is a direct factor. The handbook does not present sunshine or time of day as factors in stopping distance.
7. A curve's posted design speed is:
- Safe for buses.
- Safe for all vehicles, including buses.
- The minimum speed at which the curve should be driven.
- Not always safe for buses. ✓
Answer: D. Not always safe for buses.
A curve's posted design speed is not always safe for buses. The handbook says every banked curve has a safe design speed, and in good weather the posted speed is safe for cars. It may be too high for many buses. With good traction a bus may roll over; with poor traction it may slide off the curve. That is why you reduce speed for curves and treat the posted number as a car benchmark, not a guarantee for your bus. Another section adds that high-center-of-gravity trucks can roll over at a curve's posted speed limit.
8. If you are being tailgated while driving a large vehicle, do all of the following, except:
- Reduce your speed gradually.
- Increase your following distance.
- Increase your speed. ✓
Answer: C. Increase your speed.
Increase your speed is the one thing you should not do when a vehicle is tailgating you. The handbook's advice for a tailgater starts with avoiding quick changes: signal early and bring your speed down gradually rather than suddenly. It also says to open up the room in front of you, because that extra space means you won't have to make abrupt speed or direction changes and it gives the tailgater an easier chance to pass. On speeding up, the handbook is direct: don't. Being followed closely is safer at a low speed than at a high speed. So the item that does not belong on the list is increasing your speed.
9. When traveling at speeds under 40 mph, you should maintain at least ____ of following distance for every 10 feet of your vehicle's length.
- One second ✓
- Two seconds
- Three seconds
Answer: A. One second
At speeds under 40 mph, keep at least one second of following distance for every 10 feet of your vehicle's length. The handbook's space-ahead rule says that at speeds below 40 mph you need at least one second for each 10 feet of vehicle length. It gives the example of a 40-foot vehicle needing 4 seconds, and a 60-foot rig needing 6 seconds. Only when you go above 40 mph do you add another second. So the minimum at lower speeds is one second per 10 feet, not two or three.
10. On a curve, the posted speed limit:
- Is safe to be driven in any vehicle.
- Can still permit a vehicle to tip over. ✓
- Is understood to be the minimum legal speed limit.
Answer: B. Can still permit a vehicle to tip over.
The posted speed limit on a curve can still permit a vehicle to tip over. The handbook says drivers must adjust their speed for curves. If you enter too fast, either the tires lose grip and you skid off the road, or they keep grip and the vehicle rolls over. It notes that tests showed a truck with a high center of gravity may roll over even when traveling at the curve's posted limit. So the posted number is not a guarantee that every vehicle can take the curve safely; slow to a safe speed before entering and do not exceed the posted limit.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook