Sharing the road
A neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) pulls out in front of you. What does the handbook say about which roads these vehicles may use?
- They are kept off roads where the speed limit is greater than 35 mph. Correct answer
- They are kept off roads where the speed limit is greater than 25 mph.
- They may be driven on any public road, freeways included.
Why
Two numbers, two different jobs, and swapping them is the whole trap here. Twenty-five mph is the maximum speed a neighborhood electric vehicle or low-speed vehicle can reach. Thirty-five mph is the posted limit above which it is not allowed on the road at all. So the vehicle's own top speed is not the same as the road limit that excludes it. NEV USE ONLY and NEV ROUTE signs and markings are the warning that these vehicles are about. They belong to the handbook's group of slow-moving vehicles, along with scooters and golf carts, and the instruction it gives you for all of them is the same one: adjust your speed to share the road.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is They are kept off roads where the speed limit is greater than 35 mph.
The rule behind this one
Sharing the road in California goes through the whole topic, with the page of the California Driver's Handbook behind every rule.
More on sharing the road
- A bicyclist ahead of you holds their left arm straight out to the side, pointing left. What are they telling you?
- A bicycle lane runs along the right side of the street you are on. Which of these is a time you may drive in it?
- Two trucks of the same size are traveling at the same speed. One is fully loaded and the other is empty. Which statement is correct?
- You want to get past a large truck on the freeway. What does the handbook tell you to do?