Driver's License Test Prep
US Road Signs Warning Signs

What does the speed shown on this advisory speed plaque tell a driver?

Yellow horizontal rectangle with black border reading 35 MPH in black text
  1. A.
    The speed at which the hazard ahead can be comfortably negotiated. Correct
  2. B.
    The maximum legal speed limit that applies through the hazard.
  3. C.
    The minimum speed drivers must maintain through the curve.
  4. D.
    The speed limit that applies only in wet or icy conditions.
The Why

The answer is "The speed at which the hazard ahead can be comfortably negotiated."

An advisory speed plaque names the speed at which the hazard ahead can be comfortably negotiated, and it is a recommendation posted with a warning sign rather than a posted limit. The pull toward the legal-limit answer comes from carrying over the habit of reading any number on a roadside sign as enforceable; yellow warning signs advise, and the plaque takes its color and authority from the diamond above it.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. The maximum legal speed limit that applies through the hazard.

A regulatory speed limit rides on a white rectangular sign, not a yellow advisory plaque under a warning. This answer treats the yellow plaque as an enforceable posted limit because a number appears on a roadside sign.

C. The minimum speed drivers must maintain through the curve.

A minimum speed sign is regulatory and sets a floor for lawful travel, which is not what this plaque does. This answer confuses the advisory number with a floor drivers may not drop below on the curve ahead.

D. The speed limit that applies only in wet or icy conditions.

The advisory speed applies to the hazard shown on the sign above, not only when the pavement is slick. This answer assumes the number kicks in only when weather turns the road slick.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Warning Signs on the roads of every US state . Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, sign W13-1aP (Advisory Speed Plaque)..

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