Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumDriving in Fog and Reduced Visibility

A driver is traveling along a rural highway with a posted speed limit of 55 mph when a dense patch of fog suddenly reduces forward visibility to approximately 50 feet. Under traffic safety laws and the Basic Speed Law, which action should the driver take regarding their vehicle speed?

  1. Reduce speed to a rate that enables stopping within the clear distance visible ahead, even if that speed is far below the posted limit.Answer
  2. B
    Maintain a speed of 45 mph because traveling 10 mph under the posted speed limit automatically satisfies safe driving requirements.
  3. C
    Increase speed slightly to pass through the dense fog zone as quickly as possible and reduce exposure to hazard.
  4. D
    Maintain the posted minimum speed limit to prevent rear-end collisions from vehicles traveling behind.

Answer

The driver must reduce speed to a rate that allows a complete stop within the visible distance ahead.
Under the Basic Speed Law, drivers must adjust their speed to match current road and weather conditions. In dense fog where sight distance is restricted to 50 feet, the vehicle speed must be reduced to a point where the driver can safely bring the vehicle to a complete stop within that visible space.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Assess the forward visibility distance in the fog.
Forward sight distance is determined to be approximately 50 feet.
Stopping distance must not exceed the line of sight.
2
Apply the Basic Speed Law to adjust vehicle velocity.
The driver reduces speed to a level where braking to a full stop can occur within the 50-foot clear space ahead.
The posted speed limit indicates maximum safe speed under ideal conditions, not under reduced visibility.

Key Concept

Basic Speed Law in Reduced Visibility
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Driving in Fog and Reduced Visibility

More questions from this topic