A 3-minute lesson from the Alabama course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Speed may not always cause a crash, but it often turns a minor mishap into a fatal one. The biggest danger of excessive speed is more severe crashes, not more frequent ones. Alabama has a basic speed law plus set limits.
Know the rule
Basic speed law: never drive faster than is reasonable under existing conditions. Consider the road, the weather, your vehicle's condition and your own physical condition.
Driving faster than a speed limit is prima facie evidence that your speed is unlawful, and you may be arrested. All speed limits in municipalities are maximum speeds.
Never drive so slowly that you interfere with vehicles moving at normal safe speeds. Many crashes are caused by drivers who block traffic by driving too slowly.
SPEED LIMIT 70: the posted limit under normal conditions
Put it into practice
You're on an unpaved county road with no speed signs, in dense fog. The statutory limit is 35 mph, but the basic speed law comes first. In fog, a reasonable speed may be well below 35.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
What is Alabama's statutory speed limit in an urban district, unless otherwise posted?
30 mph
35 mph
45 mph
25 mph
Answer: 30 mph
The statutory speed limit in an urban district is 30 mph.
