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Difficulty: EasySpace Ahead and Following Distance

According to commercial driver licensing (CDL) safety standards, a driver operating a 50-foot vehicle at 50 mph under good road conditions needs a minimum following distance of 5 seconds.

Answer: Answer

Answer

False
The statement is false because the CDL rule specifies 1 second for each 10 feet of vehicle length (5 seconds for a 50-foot vehicle) plus an additional 1 second for speeds of 40 mph or greater, giving a required total of at least 6 seconds.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Calculate the base following distance based on vehicle length.
5 seconds (50 feet÷10 feet per second=5 seconds50\text{ feet} \div 10\text{ feet per second} = 5\text{ seconds}).
The standard formula requires 1 second for every 10 feet of vehicle length.
2
Apply the speed adjustment for traveling at or above 40 mph.
Add 1 additional second (5+1=6 seconds5 + 1 = 6\text{ seconds}).
At speeds of 40 mph or higher, an extra second must be added for safety.
3
Evaluate the statement against the calculated total.
The statement claims 5 seconds is required, but the actual minimum is 6 seconds.
The statement omits the required 1-second adjustment for higher speed, making it false.

Key Concept

CDL following distance formula requires 1 second per 10 feet of vehicle length plus 1 additional second at speeds of 40 mph or higher.
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Space Ahead and Following Distance

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