Speed Limits & Following Distance — Vermont
Vermont CDL practice test: 438 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: 6 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 | Vermont CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 6 (1% of 438 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 (6)
1. 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.
2. When traveling through a work zone, you should:
- Slow down. ✓
- Speed up.
- Steer with one hand and keep the other hand free.
Answer: A. Slow down.
When traveling through a work zone, you should slow down. The handbook treats roadway work zones as hazardous. It says speeding traffic is the leading cause of injury and death in work zones, so you should observe posted speed limits when approaching and driving through, watch your speedometer so your speed does not creep up, and decrease speed for bad weather or when a worker is close to the roadway. Another passage says to drive slowly and carefully near work zones when people are working. That supports slowing down rather than speeding up or steering one-handed.
3. If you are being tailgated, you should:
- Drive on the shoulder.
- Allow the vehicle to pass. ✓
- Drive faster.
Answer: B. Allow the vehicle to pass.
If you are being tailgated, allow the vehicle to pass. The handbook's response to a tailgater is to make the situation calmer and give the other driver room. It says to increase your following distance so you have more room ahead, which helps you avoid sudden speed or direction changes and makes it easier for the tailgater to get around you. It also says not to speed up. Allowing the vehicle to pass matches that guidance: you are not making abrupt moves or racing the tailgater; you are opening space so it can go by.
4. When traveling in heavy traffic, the safest driving speed is:
- The posted speed limit.
- The speed of surrounding traffic. ✓
- A speed much slower than the flow of surrounding traffic.
Answer: B. The speed of surrounding traffic.
In heavy traffic, the safest driving speed is the speed of surrounding traffic. The handbook's speed-and-traffic-flow rule says that in heavy traffic the safest speed is the speed of the other vehicles. Vehicles moving the same direction at the same speed are unlikely to run into each other. It also tells you to drive with the traffic flow if you can do so without going at an illegal or unsafe speed. That means matching surrounding traffic is the target, not simply holding the posted limit or crawling far below everyone else.
5. 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.
6. You should maintain at least ____ of following distance per every 10 feet of your vehicle when you are traveling more slowly than 40 mph.
- One second ✓
- Two seconds
- Three seconds
Answer: A. One second
You should keep at least one second of following distance for every 10 feet of your vehicle when traveling below 40 mph. The handbook gives a simple space-ahead rule: below 40 mph, allow at least one second for each 10 feet of vehicle length. It illustrates this with a 40-foot vehicle needing 4 seconds and a 60-foot vehicle needing 6 seconds. When speed goes above 40 mph, the handbook says to add one more second. The bank answer matches that rule for speeds under 40 mph.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook