Driver's License Test Prep
Pennsylvania Practice Speed Limits

You are on a dark road at night using low-beam headlights. What is the fastest the manual says you should drive?

  1. A.
    65 mph
  2. B.
    25 mph
  3. C.
    45 mph Correct
  4. D.
    55 mph
The Why

The answer is "45 mph"

Low-beam headlights light only about 250 feet ahead, and stopping from 55 mph on dry pavement takes more than 250 feet, so the manual caps dark-road speed at 45 mph. A picks up the interstate cruising reflex, near Pennsylvania's highway ceiling, instead of adjusting for the shorter reach of low beams.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. 65 mph

65 mph is near Pennsylvania's highway ceiling; low beams do not light that far ahead, and the manual caps dark-road speed at 45 mph. This answer applies the interstate cruising reflex instead of adjusting for the shorter reach of low beams.

B. 25 mph

The manual sets the dark-road low-beam ceiling at 45 mph, so 25 mph is slower than the rule being tested here. This answer treats a typical residential-street speed limit as if it doubled as the low-beam cap.

D. 55 mph

Even on dry pavement it takes more than 250 feet to stop from 55 mph, and low beams do not light that far. The manual keeps the dark-road cap at 45 mph. This answer reads the 55 mph stopping-distance warning as if it were the recommended dark-road speed.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Speed Limits in Pennsylvania. Source: Pennsylvania Driver Manual, "Driving at Night," p.40..

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