Speed limits
Fog has settled over an expressway with a posted limit of 55 mph. You keep driving at 50 mph. Can a police officer give you a speeding ticket?
- Yes, for driving at a speed that is not reasonable for the conditions. Correct answer
- No, because you are below the posted limit.
- No, unless a lower limit for fog is posted on a sign.
Why
The posted number is the most you may drive when conditions are good, not a promise that it is always legal. The manual uses almost this exact situation: on a slippery or fogged-in expressway the legal limit may be 55 mph, yet the safe speed is much lower, and an officer can ticket a driver doing 50 mph for a speed that is not reasonable. Being under the sign therefore does not protect you, and no special fog sign is needed. The same logic shows up in work zones, where you must slow down even if no reduced limit is posted. The number on the sign is a ceiling for good conditions; in fog, a speed well under it can still earn you a ticket, with no new sign needed.
Where this comes from
New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), April 2026 version. The correct answer is Yes, for driving at a speed that is not reasonable for the conditions.
More on speed limits
- What speed limit do New York expressways normally have, and what higher limit may be posted in some rural areas?
- Modern roundabouts are built to hold the speed of every vehicle inside them to what level?
- You speed through a marked work zone at a time when no workers or work vehicles are there. What happens to the fine if you are ticketed?
- Under New York's general rule, what is the highest speed you may drive on a road where no speed limit sign is posted?