A Texas highway is posted at 70 mph on a clear afternoon. The manual's basic speed law tells you what?
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A.
You may not drive faster than is safe for existing conditions. Correct
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B.
The posted number is your minimum during clear weather.
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C.
You may drive faster than 70 if traffic is moving faster.
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D.
The posted number applies day and night without exception.
The answer is "You may not drive faster than is safe for existing conditions."
The basic speed law caps you at whatever speed is safe for actual conditions, no matter what number the sign shows. Choice B tempts drivers who confuse the posted maximum with a required minimum, because Texas does post separate minimum-speed signs on some higher-speed routes and drivers who saw one can blur the two authorities together.
The traps in the wrong answers
B. The posted number is your minimum during clear weather.
This answer reverses the direction of the law; the posted number is a cap, not a floor a driver must meet. Confused maximum-speed signs with the separate minimum-speed signs that appear on some Texas highways.
C. You may drive faster than 70 if traffic is moving faster.
This answer removes the safety check the basic speed law imposes on the posted number. Followed a 'go with the flow' habit and treated other drivers' speeds as legal cover.
D. The posted number applies day and night without exception.
This answer ignores the conditions half of the law; posted limits do not override the safety cap. Treated the posted number as an absolute rule and never encountered the basic speed law in prior training.
This question tests your knowledge of Speed Limits in Texas. Source: Texas Driver Handbook, "Appendix A: Glossary of Terms - basic speed law," p.71..
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