Speed & Space Management

Study questions with answers

12 sample Speed & Space Management questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.

1. 1. On snow or ice, you should leave a following distance that is about:

   Correct answer: About ten times the normal space

   On ice- or snow-covered roads, leave roughly ten times the normal space between you and the vehicle ahead because stopping takes much longer.

   Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive

2. 2. Rear-end collisions make up about what portion of fatal highway crashes, largely from following too closely and inattention?

   Correct answer: About 20 percent

   About 20 percent of fatal highway crashes are rear-end collisions, and driver inattention and following too closely cause most of them.

   Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive

3. 3. When you drive into a curve, you should reduce your speed:

   Correct answer: Before you enter the curve

   Slow down before you enter a curve so you can keep control and stay in your lane. Braking hard in the middle of a curve can cause a skid.

   Source: PA Driver's Manual — Signals, Signs and Pavement Markings

4. 4. To use the least fuel, the manual notes that fuel consumption rises about 5 percent for every 5 mph you drive above:

   Correct answer: 60 mph

   Fuel use climbs roughly 5 percent for each 5 mph over 60 mph, so slowing down saves gas and money.

   Source: PA Driver's Manual — References; Learning to Drive

5. 5. A posted speed limit represents the maximum speed that is legal:

   Correct answer: Under ideal road and weather conditions

   The limit is the top legal speed under ideal conditions. Poor weather, heavy traffic, or a rough road may require a slower, safer speed.

   Source: PA Driver's Manual — Signals, Signs and Pavement Markings

6. 6. How much following distance does the manual suggest leaving when you are behind a motorcycle?

   Correct answer: Three or four seconds

   Allow three or four seconds behind a motorcycle so the rider has room to maneuver or stop in an emergency.

   Source: PA Driver's Manual — Sharing the Road with Motorcycles

7. 7. When there is less than about eight feet of open space on either side of your car to serve as an escape path, you should:

   Correct answer: Increase your following distance to the front

   Without roughly eight feet of clearance on one side, make up for it by leaving extra space ahead of you.

   Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive

8. 8. A loaded truck traveling 65 mph on a dry road needs roughly how much distance to stop compared with a passenger car?

   Correct answer: Much more distance than a car

   A loaded truck at 65 mph needs about 600 feet to stop, compared with about 400 feet for a passenger vehicle, so never cut in front of a large truck.

   Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive

9. 9. When roads are wet from rain, the manual advises you to reduce your speed by about:

   Correct answer: 5 to 10 mph

   On wet roads, cut your speed by 5 to 10 mph and increase your following distance to five or six seconds.

   Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive

10. 10. As you enter a highway from an entrance ramp with an acceleration lane, you should:

    Correct answer: Accelerate to the speed of traffic, then merge

    Signal, use the acceleration lane to build up to the speed of highway traffic, and then merge into a gap. It is illegal to pass another vehicle in the acceleration lane.

    Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive

11. 11. The manual says that crashes often happen when some drivers travel much faster or slower than others, so you should generally:

    Correct answer: Move with the flow of traffic within the speed limit

    Try to move with the flow of traffic while staying within the posted limit. Big speed differences between vehicles cause crashes.

    Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive

12. 12. When yellow lights are flashing on a school-zone speed sign, you may travel no faster than:

    Correct answer: 15 mph

    You must not exceed 15 mph while the school-zone lights are flashing. Speeding in a school zone adds three points to your record.

    Source: PA Driver's Manual — Signals, Signs and Pavement Markings