Speed Limits & Following Distance — Ohio
Ohio permit practice test: 291 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). Official test format: 40 Q, 75%. 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 | Ohio Car learner's permit test |
| Topic questions | 13 (4% of 291 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
Digest of Ohio Motor Vehicle Laws (bmv.ohio.gov) ✓ Verified from official source
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Questions (13)
1. When you are being tailgated:
- Move over to the right, if there is an open lane to your right.
- If there is not an open lane to your right, wait until the way is clear ahead and reduce your speed slowly to encourage the tailgater to drive around you.
- Never slow down abruptly.
- All of the above. ✓
Answer: D. All of the above.
2. Allowing a space cushion between your vehicle and its surroundings is important because it:
- Prevents distractions from other vehicles.
- Allows you time to react to unexpected situations. ✓
- Keeps traffic flowing at a safe pace.
- Keeps other drivers alert.
Answer: B. Allows you time to react to unexpected situations.
A space cushion matters because it allows you time to react to unexpected situations. The Ohio digest defines a space cushion as the space you leave between your vehicle and other roadway users, and it says that space provides time for you to react. It also tells drivers to always try to keep a safe space cushion around the vehicle. That matches the answer directly: the cushion gives you room and time to respond when something unexpected happens.
3. Many crashes are caused by:
- Drivers traveling too fast for conditions. ✓
- Drivers consistently checking their mirrors and blind spots.
- Drivers yielding the right-of-way.
- Drivers maintaining a four-second following distance.
Answer: A. Drivers traveling too fast for conditions.
Many crashes are caused by drivers traveling too fast for conditions. The manual says skids happen when speed is too high for the road conditions, and it places that in its advice about avoiding crashes. When your speed does not fit the conditions, the tires may lose their grip, so speed that is too fast is the hazard listed here. The remaining choices are safe actions: checking mirrors and blind spots, yielding the right-of-way, and leaving a four-second gap.
4. The speed limit in school zones is:
- 20 mph. ✓
- 30 mph.
- 45 mph.
- 50 mph.
Answer: A. 20 mph.
5. The posted speed limit shows:
- Only a recommended driving speed.
- The exact speed at which you must travel to avoid a ticket.
- The maximum safe driving speed under ideal road and weather conditions. ✓
- The maximum safe driving speed under all road conditions.
Answer: C. The maximum safe driving speed under ideal road and weather conditions.
6. In bad weather, increase your following distance to:
- Four or five seconds. ✓
- Three seconds.
- Two seconds.
- One second.
Answer: A. Four or five seconds.
In bad weather you should stretch your following distance to four or five seconds. The Ohio digest tells you to count seconds between your vehicle and the one ahead, using a sign or pole as a fixed marker, and says you are too close if you reach that marker before finishing a four-second count. It also lists lessened visibility from fog, rain or snow, slippery roads and night driving as situations that call for more space in front of you. So when the weather is bad, the gap to aim for grows to four or five seconds, not the shorter spacing you would use in good conditions.
7. A speed limit is:
- The maximum or minimum legal speed you can travel on a road under dangerous conditions.
- The maximum or minimum legal speed you can travel on a road under ideal conditions. ✓
- The suggested speed to travel on a road under ideal conditions.
- None of the above.
Answer: B. The maximum or minimum legal speed you can travel on a road under ideal conditions.
A speed limit is the maximum or minimum legal speed you may travel on a road under ideal conditions. The Ohio speed-limit passage says limits are reasonable speeds set for a road's design, expected traffic volume, and dry weather without fog or other visibility problems. It also says that in bad weather, poor road conditions, or heavy traffic, a reasonable speed can be slower than the posted limit. That matches the idea that the posted limit is tied to ideal conditions, not dangerous ones, and it is a legal limit rather than just a suggestion.
8. A license will be suspended if a driver:
- Refuses to submit to a chemical test. ✓
- Drives 10 mph over the speed limit.
- Does not turn off their high beam lights around another vehicle.
- Sounds their horn in a residential area after midnight.
Answer: A. Refuses to submit to a chemical test.
A license will be suspended if the driver refuses to submit to a chemical test after being arrested for suspected impaired driving. The handbook says that when a driver says no to a chemical test soon after an impaired-driving arrest, the officer takes the license and sends a sworn statement to the BMV about the refusal. The BMV must then impose a suspension of one to five years, starting right away. The passage also says the suspension stands even if the driver is later acquitted of the OVI charge. That makes refusal itself the act that leads to the suspension, which matches the answer.
9. A motorist must maintain a "safety zone" of at least ____ between their car and a motorcyclist.
- One second
- Two seconds
- Three seconds ✓
- Four seconds
Answer: C. Three seconds
Keep a safety zone of at least three seconds behind a motorcyclist — that is the minimum following distance at low speeds in good conditions. The Ohio digest tells drivers to hold a minimum three-second following distance when following a motorcycle at low speeds with ideal conditions. That number is the floor, not the target: the same section says to stretch the gap to four seconds or more when speeds are higher, traffic is heavy, visibility is poor, the weather is bad, the area is unfamiliar, or the driver is tired. The handbook gives the reason too — a rider may have to change speed or lane position suddenly for potholes, gravel, wet pavement, seams, or railroad crossings.
10. On slippery roads, you should:
- Slow down. ✓
- Drive more quickly.
- Drive the speed limit, with caution.
- Not drive more quickly than 20 mph.
Answer: A. Slow down.
On slippery roads you should slow down. The winter driving section says that whatever the road or weather, a slower speed helps you handle the vehicle safely, and that this matters most on snow-covered or icy roads. It also explains that vehicles need more room to stop on slippery surfaces, so you should leave extra distance. Putting those points together, easing off your speed is the right response when traction is poor.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook