A speed limit is the upper limit, not a target. The driver chooses a speed no higher than the limit, taking account of the traffic, the state of the vehicle and load, the road and the weather, and above all visibility. On seeing a danger, the driver does everything possible to slow down, if necessary to a full stop (Article 50.I).
Speed limits
| Who and where | Limit, km/h |
|---|---|
| Everyone — in built-up areas | 60 |
| Everyone — in residential zones and yards | 20 |
| Cars and lorries ≤ 3.5 t — toll motorways | 130 |
| Cars and lorries ≤ 3.5 t — motorways | 110 |
| Cars and lorries ≤ 3.5 t — other roads | 90 |
| Intercity and small buses, motorcycles — all roads outside built-up areas | 90 |
| Other buses, cars with a trailer, lorries > 3.5 t — motorways | 90 |
| The same vehicles — other roads | 70 |
| A lorry carrying people in the body; a vehicle towing a motor vehicle | 50 |
Following distance and stopping distance
Keep a distance that lets you stop without a collision if the vehicle ahead brakes hard or stops suddenly (50.III). The law gives no figure in metres — the distance depends on speed and conditions. Outside built-up areas, drivers of slow, heavy or long vehicles leave enough room to the vehicle ahead for those overtaking them to pull back in safely (50.IV).
Where
- s
- stopping distance, m
- v
- speed, m/s (km/h ÷ 3.6)
- tᵣ
- reaction time, s (about 1 s)
- a
- braking deceleration, m/s²
Double the speed and the braking distance becomes four times longer.
Before a speed camera, sign 6.14 «Information board» (with an extra plate) or sign 3.24 must be put up: 150–1000 m before it outside built-up areas, 50–200 m inside (50.VII). Vehicles with priority may drive as fast as necessary but must do everything to prevent a crash (50.V).
A car with a trailer outside town
Problem
You are towing a trailer with your car on a motorway. There are no signs. What is your maximum speed? And after you unhitch the trailer?
Show solutionHide solution
Solution
Twice the speed
Problem
On dry asphalt the braking distance at 50 km/h is about 14 m. What is it at 100 km/h?
Show solutionHide solution
Solution
Remember
- 60 km/h in built-up areas, 20 km/h in residential zones and yards.
- Cars outside built-up areas: 90, motorways 110, toll motorways 130.
- Car with trailer, heavy lorry, ordinary bus: 90 on motorways, 70 elsewhere; motorcycles and small buses: 90.
- People in a lorry body or towing a vehicle — 50 km/h.
- Keep a distance that lets you stop even if the vehicle ahead stops suddenly; double speed — four times the braking distance.