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?
- 30 mph. Correct answer
- 45 mph.
- 55 mph.
Why
Visibility sets your speed. The handbook's rule for heavy rain or snow is that if you cannot see farther than 100 feet in front of your vehicle, it is not safe to drive faster than 30 mph, whatever the posted limit says. Forty-five and fifty-five leave you no room to stop for whatever appears at the edge of what you can see. Turn on the wipers, low-beam headlights and defroster, and stop from time to time if mud or snow builds up on the windshield, headlights or taillights. Remember too that the pavement is at its most slippery when rain first begins, especially after a long hot, dry spell, because oil and dust have not yet washed away.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is 30 mph.
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
- 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?
- You are towing a trailer on a divided highway that is posted at 65 mph. How fast may you drive?