You enter a work zone with a 35 mph posted limit. No workers or equipment are visible. How fast may you legally drive?
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A.
The statutory default for the road
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B.
The 35 mph work zone limit Correct
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C.
The speed of surrounding traffic
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D.
The speed limit posted before the work zone
The answer is "The 35 mph work zone limit"
The 35 mph work zone limit applies at all times the zone is in effect, and it holds until you see an End Work Zone Speed Limit sign or another posted speed sign. Drivers who pick D are half-remembering that a reduced work-zone limit only applies when workers are visible, so they mentally revert to the pre-zone speed the moment the scene looks empty.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. The statutory default for the road
Statutory defaults do not override a posted work zone limit; the temporary sign controls until the zone ends. This answer falls back on the road's underlying statutory speed once no workers are in sight, treating the orange work-zone sign as advisory rather than the posted limit.
C. The speed of surrounding traffic
Speed limits are set by signs and statute, not by the pace of nearby drivers. This answer leans on the everyday habit of matching flow-of-traffic, a rule of thumb with no standing against a posted work-zone limit.
D. The speed limit posted before the work zone
The previous limit does not return until you see an End Work Zone Speed Limit sign or another posted speed sign. This answer assumes the earlier posted speed quietly resumes wherever workers are out of sight, an intuition carried over from stretches where advance warning signs precede but do not persist through the work area.
This question tests your knowledge of Construction Signs in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Work Zones," p.59..
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