You're passing a slower vehicle on a two-lane Oregon road posted at 55 mph. When may you exceed 55 mph during the pass?
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A.
Whenever you stay within 10 mph of the limit.
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B.
Only outside city limits.
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C.
At no time, even while passing. Correct
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D.
Briefly, to complete the pass safely.
The answer is "At no time, even while passing."
Oregon law prohibits exceeding the speed limit at any time, including while passing. Drivers sometimes assume passing is an exception; it isn't. If you cannot complete the pass without exceeding the speed limit, abandon the pass and stay in your lane.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Whenever you stay within 10 mph of the limit.
The manual bars exceeding the limit at any time, with no tolerance band during a pass. This answer imports the informal '10 over' rule of thumb drivers trade among themselves; Oregon law has no such allowance.
B. Only outside city limits.
The rule is not tied to city limits; it applies on every road. This answer confuses the passing-speed rule with location-based speed zones, where the posted number changes but the ban on exceeding it does not.
D. Briefly, to complete the pass safely.
Oregon does not have a passing-speed exception; the speed limit is a hard ceiling. This answer treats 'complete your pass as soon as possible' as authorizing a brief speed-limit exception, which the manual explicitly forbids.
This question tests your knowledge of Passing in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Passing," p.31..
Related Oregon questions
- You're making an ordinary pass of another vehicle on a two-lane Oregon road. On which side do you pass? →
- There's a solid yellow line on your side of the centerline. Are you allowed to pass? →
- In Oregon, under which condition may you legally pass another vehicle on the RIGHT? →
- You're approaching a slower vehicle on a two-lane Oregon road. The centerline is broken yellow on your side now, but you can see it changes to solid yellow on your side a few hundred feet ahead. May you start the pass? →
- You're driving on an Oregon two-lane road in a no-passing zone. Are there ANY circumstances in which you may legally cross the center line? →
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