California · Rules
Speed decides how much time you have to react and how far you travel before you stop. A limit is a ceiling, not a target: rain, fog, schools and traffic make the safe speed lower.
Roadfeel’s road-sense principles
Tags show the kind of rule and whether it’s a written-test point or matters on the drive test (our tagging). Each rule links to its official source.
Basic Speed Law: whatever the posted limit, your speed must be safe for current conditions, including traffic, road surface and width, pedestrians and cyclists, and weather.
Changed 2024-01-01: Speed cameras can now ticket by mail: Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, San Francisco, Glendale and Long Beach (AB 645, from 2024; on high-injury streets, racing hot spots and school zones), Malibu on PCH, up to 5 cameras (SB 1297, from 2025), and Caltrans in state-highway work zones, up to 35 (AB 289, from 2026). Cameras flag 11+ mph over the limit. The registered owner gets a civil fine: $50 (11–15 over), $100 (16–25), $200 (26+), $500 (100 mph or more). No points, no suspension. Each program starts with 60 days of warnings, and a car’s first 11–15 mph violation is a warning. ‘Photo Enforced’ signs come first. From 2027 (SB 1279) Long Beach may add 2 cameras on PCH and cameras must blur bystanders. The handbook doesn’t say this yet. California bill AB 645 (2023-24)
Unless posted otherwise, 65 mph is the maximum speed on most California highways.
New York differs: Expressways are divided highways with two or more lanes each way, usually entered and left by ramps, like the Thruway, interstates and parkways. The limit is normally 55 mph, posted up to 65 mph in some rural areas. New York rule
New York differs: Where no speed limit is posted, the maximum anywhere in New York State is 55 mph. New York rule
The limit drops to 55 mph on two-lane undivided highways and for any vehicle towing a trailer.
Within 500 feet of a school when kids are outdoors or crossing, the limit is 25 mph; some school zones go as low as 15 mph. Always obey crossing guards.
Changed 2026-01-01: Since 2026 a city or county may post 20 mph school zones (within 500 feet of a school). From 2031-01-01 the default school-zone limit drops from 25 to 20 mph when the sign’s condition applies: beacons flashing, ‘children present’ and children are present, or the posted hours. Locals may also set 15 mph in some residential school zones. Until then the default stays 25 mph; always obey the posted sign. The handbook doesn’t say this yet. California bill AB 382 (2025-26)
Business and residential districts have a 25 mph limit unless a sign says otherwise.
New York differs: New York City’s speed limit is 25 mph unless a sign says otherwise, and other cities may have lower limits that aren’t always posted. New York rule
A blind intersection, one with no stop signs on any corner, has a 15 mph limit. If your view is blocked, creep forward until you can see.
An alley, a road no more than 25 feet wide serving the backs or sides of buildings, has a 15 mph speed limit.
Near a railroad crossing (within 100 feet) where you can’t see 400 feet down the tracks in both directions, keep to 15 mph unless gates, signals, or a flagger control it.
Slow down in heavy traffic or bad weather, but don’t crawl so slowly that you block normal traffic. If you’re slower than others, keep right and let faster drivers by.
3 of our 26 practice questions for this chapter, with explanations. The rest are in the app.
Answer: C. 25 mph
Inside that 500-foot zone, with kids outdoors or crossing, the limit is 25 mph unless a lower one is posted. That way you can stop in time for a child. Some school zones go as low as 15 mph.
California Driver Handbook: Laws and Rules of the Road (cont.)
Answer: D. You should slow down; the Basic Speed Law still applies
The Basic Speed Law forbids driving faster than is safe for current conditions, no matter what the sign says. Children near the road, parked cars, and a narrow street all call for a slower speed. The posted number is a ceiling, not a target.
Answer: B. 15 mph
The limit is 15 mph within 100 feet of a crossing when you can’t see 400 feet down the tracks both ways. That way you can stop in time if a train appears. Gates, signals or a flagger lift this limit.
California Driver Handbook: Laws and Rules of the Road (cont.)
23 more practice questions for this chapterKeep practicing in Roadfeel
Restated in our own words from the California Driver Handbook (DL 600, rev. 6/2025) and dmv.ca.gov. The handbook is licensed CC BY-NC 4.0, which bars commercial reuse, so we don’t reproduce it; we quote short phrases and link to it.