Speed limits
An intersection has no STOP signs on any corner and your view of the cross street is blocked. What is the speed limit as you approach?
- 15 mph. Correct answer
- 25 mph.
- 10 mph.
Why
The handbook defines a blind intersection as one with no stop signs at any corner, and sets its speed limit at 15 mph. With the view blocked, creep forward until you can see. Fifteen belongs to a small family of California limits: blind intersections and alleys. Twenty-five is the default in business and residential districts. Ten mph is the maximum for passing a bus or streetcar stopped at a safety zone. Each number goes with one situation, and the situations are what the limits are really about.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is 15 mph.
- Section 7. Laws and Rules of the Road › Blind Intersections, page 51
- Section 7. Laws and Rules of the Road › Alleys, page 51
- Section 7. Laws and Rules of the Road › Business or Residential Districts, page 52
- Section 7. Laws and Rules of the Road › Sharing the Road › Buses, Streetcars, Trolleys, page 43
The rule behind this one
California speed limits and the basic speed law goes through the whole topic, with the page of the California Driver's Handbook behind every rule.
More on speed limits
- In a heavy rainstorm you cannot see farther than 100 feet ahead. According to the handbook, what is the fastest it is safe to drive?
- The road is covered in ice. By how much does the handbook say you should reduce your speed?
- You turn into an alley behind a row of shops. Unless a sign says otherwise, how fast may you drive?
- You are driving on a residential street and there are no speed limit signs posted. What is the speed limit?