Speed Limits & Following Distance — Tennessee
Tennessee CDL practice test: 468 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: 17 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 | Tennessee CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 17 (4% of 468 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 (17)
1. 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.
2. If another driver is tailgating you, you should:
- Move into the left lane.
- Speed up.
- Increase the space in front of your vehicle. ✓
- Flash your lights.
Answer: C. Increase the space in front of your vehicle.
Increase the space in front of your vehicle. The handbook's advice for being tailgated is to open up room ahead of you. That larger following distance means you will not have to brake or steer suddenly, and it gives the tailgater an easier chance to get around you. The same section says not to speed up and to avoid tricks such as flashing lights, so the safe response is to manage the space in front rather than react to the driver behind.
3. What is reaction distance?
- The distance traveled between seeing a hazard and physically hitting the brakes ✓
- The distance traveled between a hazard becoming visible and a driver seeing the hazard
- The distance traveled before a driver realizes they must brake
- The distance traveled between physically hitting the brake and coming to a complete stop
Answer: A. The distance traveled between seeing a hazard and physically hitting the brakes
Reaction distance is the distance you keep traveling from seeing a hazard until you physically hit the brakes. The handbook defines reaction distance as the distance you continue to travel in ideal conditions before you physically hit the brakes in response to a hazard seen ahead. It also gives an average reaction time of ¾ second to 1 second, and says that at 55 mph this accounts for 61 feet. That definition places reaction distance after the hazard is seen and before the brakes are applied, which matches the answer.
4. If braking at a speed of 55 mph while driving on dry pavement, the brake lag can add ____ to your vehicle's total stopping distance.
- 32 feet ✓
- 15 feet
- 50 feet
- 10 feet
Answer: A. 32 feet
Brake lag at 55 mph on dry pavement adds about 32 feet to your total stopping distance. The handbook explains that with air brakes there is a delay called brake lag, the time it takes for air to move through the lines and reach the brakes after you push the pedal. Because of that delay, the vehicle keeps rolling a little before the brakes actually work. The handbook puts that added lag distance at roughly 32 feet when you are going 55 mph on dry pavement, and it lists brake lag distance as one of the four pieces of total stopping distance.
5. To prevent trailers from rolling over, a driver should do all of the following, except:
- Steer gently.
- Drive slowly around corners.
- Drive slowly on curves.
- Exceed the speed limit. ✓
Answer: D. Exceed the speed limit.
The exception is exceeding the speed limit; that is not a way to prevent trailer rollover. The handbook's curve warning is direct: enter a curve too fast and the tires may lose grip and the vehicle may skid off the road, or the vehicle may roll over. It says trucks with a high center of gravity can roll over even at the posted speed for a curve, so you should slow to a safe speed before entering and never go above the posted limit for that curve. Exceeding the speed limit works against rollover prevention.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. When traveling down a downgrade, the speed of a vehicle will likely:
- Decrease.
- Not change.
- Increase. ✓
- Match the speed of traffic.
Answer: C. Increase.
9. Avoid needing to make sudden lane changes by:
- Using your horn to encourage other drivers to move out of your lane.
- Only driving slower than the posted speed limit.
- Watching the road ahead while driving. ✓
- Pulling off the road and waiting when there is high traffic.
Answer: C. Watching the road ahead while driving.
10. 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.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook