Speed limits
Can a school zone have a speed limit lower than 25 mph?
- Yes; some school zones have limits as low as 15 mph. Correct answer
- Yes; some school zones have limits as low as 10 mph.
- No; 25 mph is the lowest limit a school zone can have.
Why
The familiar school rule is 25 mph when you are within 500 feet of a school and children are outside or crossing the street. That is the baseline, and the handbook adds that some school zones go lower, down to 15 mph, so a lower posted limit is the one that applies. Ten mph is a real figure in the handbook, but it is the cap for passing a bus, streetcar or trolley stopped at a safety zone or traffic light. The answer that puts the floor at 25 ignores those lower limits. Near a school, also watch for bicyclists, pedestrians and crossing guards, and always do what the guards tell you.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is Yes; some school zones have limits as low as 15 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
- Near a railroad crossing where you cannot see far down the tracks, the limit is normally 15 mph. When may you drive faster than 15 mph there?
- Which of these does the handbook define as an alley?
- You reach an intersection with no stop signs on any corner, and buildings block your view of the cross street. Besides keeping within the speed limit, what does the handbook tell you to do?
- At night you drive out of a brightly lit parking lot onto a dark road. What does the handbook advise?