Speed Limits & Following Distance — South Dakota
South Dakota CDL practice test: 460 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: 11 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 | South Dakota CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 11 (2% of 460 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 (11)
1. If being tailgated while driving a large vehicle, you should do all of the following, except:
- Reduce your speed gradually.
- Increase your following distance.
- Speed up. ✓
- Try to let the other vehicle pass.
Answer: C. Speed up.
You should not speed up when a large vehicle is being tailgated; the exception is to speed up. The handbook says that if you are being tailgated, avoid quick changes, signal early, and slow down gradually. It also says to increase your following distance, because more room ahead lets you avoid sudden speed or direction changes and makes it easier for the tailgater to get around you. It specifically says not to speed up, since being tailgated at a low speed is safer than at a high speed. Speeding up is the action that does not belong.
2. What is a bobtail?
- A tractor without a semi-trailer ✓
- A tractor with two semi-trailers
- A tractor that goes faster than the speed limit
- A tractor that goes slower than the speed limit
Answer: A. A tractor without a semi-trailer
A bobtail is a tractor without a semi-trailer. The handbook uses the term for tractors running without semitrailers. It adds that these bobtails can be hard to stop smoothly and may need more distance to stop than a fully loaded tractor-semitrailer. That description matches a tractor without a semi-trailer; nothing in the passage connects bobtail to two trailers or to driving faster or slower than the speed limit.
3. When driving on the expressway during the skills test, you should:
- Switch lanes frequently.
- Use your mirrors to check traffic as needed. ✓
- Drive on the left side of the lane.
- Drive above the posted speed limit.
Answer: B. Use your mirrors to check traffic as needed.
You should use your mirrors to check traffic as needed while driving on the expressway during the skills test. The handbook's expressway instructions tell you to check traffic and your mirrors thoroughly in all directions when you resume, and its general driving section calls for regular mirror checks to stay aware of traffic around you. That makes mirror use the expected habit during the on-road test. The same expressway section also says to merge smoothly and keep your vehicle centered in the proper lane, so the test is not asking you to wander in the lane or change lanes for no reason.
4. A driver should always:
- Stay in their lane.
- Have an emergency plan. ✓
- Stay in the left lane.
- Drive above the speed limit.
Answer: B. Have an emergency plan.
A driver should always have an emergency plan. The handbook says you should always be looking for hazards, because hazards can turn into emergencies. Spotting them early gives you time to think through what could happen and decide what you would do. It then says to be ready to act on those plans. That is exactly the idea behind always having an emergency plan: you are prepared, defensive, and better able to protect yourself and others.
5. A speed limit posted on a curve:
- Is likely acceptable to be driven in a double or triple.
- Is the minimum speed that should be driven in a double or triple.
- Could be too fast to be driven in a double or triple. ✓
- Should be increased when driving a double or triple.
Answer: C. Could be too fast to be driven in a double or triple.
A speed limit posted on a curve could be too fast for a double or triple, so slow down as needed. The handbook says doubles and triples are less stable than other commercial vehicles and that you must steer gently and go slowly around curves. It specifically warns that a safe curve speed for a straight truck or a single trailer combination may be too fast for doubles or triples. Another passage adds that trucks with a high center of gravity can roll over at the posted speed limit for a curve. So the sign is not a guarantee that the speed is safe for a double or triple.
6. Stopping distance can be affected by:
- Speed. ✓
- Number of passengers.
- Time of day.
- Traffic.
Answer: A. Speed.
Stopping distance is affected by speed. The handbook's stopping-distance section is built around speed. It shows that doubling speed makes braking distance four times longer, and tripling speed makes braking distance nine times greater. It also says high speeds increase stopping distances and that slowing down reduces braking distance. Total stopping distance is made of perception, reaction, and braking distance, and the speed you travel changes how far the vehicle covers in those phases.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Since doubles and triples should be driven smoothly to prevent rollover, a driver should:
- Drive on the shoulder whenever possible.
- Drive faster than the posted speed limit.
- Look far ahead of their vehicle to react to problems early. ✓
- Add extra grease to connections.
Answer: C. Look far ahead of their vehicle to react to problems early.
Look far ahead of your vehicle so you can slow down or change lanes gradually. The handbook says doubles and triples are less stable and must be driven very smoothly to avoid rollover or jackknife. Looking far ahead gives you time to slow down or change lanes gradually instead of making a sudden move that could tip a trailer. That is why the correct choice is to watch well ahead for problems and respond early.
10. 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.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook