Maryland permit test: speed limits & control
Posted and basic speed laws, statutory limits and adjusting speed to conditions. 4 questions.
What does the posted speed limit mean?
Keyboard: press 1–4 or A–D to answer, Enter for the next question, S to save, R to read aloud, P to pause reading, L to listen and answer.
Sample speed limits & control questions
What does the posted speed limit mean?
- A The speed you should drive in all weather
- B The highest legal speed under ideal conditions
- C The lowest speed allowed on that road
- D A suggested speed you may go over briefly when passing
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B. The highest legal speed under ideal conditions
The posted speed limit is the maximum legal speed under ideal conditions. You may drive slower when conditions are poor, but it is illegal to drive faster than the posted limit.
A vehicle ahead displays a slow-moving vehicle emblem. What does the emblem tell you about its speed?
- A It travels 35 miles per hour or less
- B It travels 15 miles per hour or less
- C It travels 25 miles per hour or less
- D It travels 45 miles per hour or less
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C. It travels 25 miles per hour or less
The orange triangle slow-moving vehicle emblem warns that the vehicle travels 25 mph or less. Farm equipment, horse-drawn vehicles and similar vehicles use it. Slow down early because you will close the gap quickly.
According to the NHTSA figures in the Maryland manual, how much deadlier is a crash on a road with a 65 mph or higher limit than one on a 45 or 50 mph road?
- A More than twice as likely to result in death
- B About 10 percent more likely to result in death
- C About the same chance of death
- D Nearly ten times as likely to result in death
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A. More than twice as likely to result in death
A crash on a road with a limit of 65 mph or higher is more than twice as likely to result in death as a crash on a 45 or 50 mph road. Crash forces rise sharply with speed, which is why the manual urges you to be the Slow Down Driver.
You are driving through a Maryland business district and no sign shows a different speed limit. What is the maximum lawful speed?
- A 25 mph
- B 35 mph
- C 30 mph
- D 40 mph
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C. 30 mph
Unless a different limit is set, Maryland's maximum speed is 30 mph on all highways in a business district and on undivided highways in a residential district. Busy streets with shops, crossings and parked cars need a low default speed.
Source: Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration website