Speed Limits and Safe Following Distance
What this domain tests
Speed Limits and Safe Following Distance tests whether you can choose a legal and safe speed and keep enough space to stop. The exam expects you to know that a posted limit is a maximum, not a target.
Speed limits
Typical Jordanian defaults used in theory questions are 40 km/h in dense residential streets, 60 km/h on main urban roads, 80 km/h on rural roads, and 100–120 km/h on expressways. Posted signs always override these defaults. Reduce speed in rain, sand, fog, darkness, traffic, or when carrying a heavy load.
Following distance
Use the two-second rule in dry conditions: watch the vehicle ahead pass a fixed point, then count two seconds before you reach it. Double the gap to at least four seconds in rain, low visibility, or when following a large vehicle. Stopping distance is reaction distance plus braking distance; it rises quickly with speed.
Worked example
You are travelling at 60 km/h on a dry urban road with a two-second gap. A sign shows 40 km/h and rain starts. Reasoning: obey the lower limit, reduce speed further for the wet road, and increase the gap to at least four seconds. The old gap is no longer safe because braking distance has increased.
Traps that cost marks
Treating the speed limit as a target in poor conditions, tailgating to stop others merging, and counting seconds from the wrong landmark are common errors. Candidates also forget that a heavy load increases stopping distance.