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Mississippi driving lesson · Speed, Signaling & Following Distance

The Natchez Trace Parkway

A 3-minute lesson from the Mississippi course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Speed, Signaling & Following Distance
Checkpoint questions
4
Source pages
41, 90

The Natchez Trace Parkway is a scenic national parkway run by the National Park Service. It has its own speed limit, bans commercial vehicles and is patrolled by park rangers. Break the law there and you'll answer to a federal court.

Know the rule

The Parkway is administered by the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior. It stretches 450 miles from Natchez, Mississippi, to near Nashville, Tennessee; Mississippi's section is 350 miles long.

Handbook p. 90 ↗
50 mph

Maximum speed on the Natchez Trace Parkway, except where lower speeds are posted

Handbook p. 90 ↗

Know the rule

Radar is used on the Parkway for your protection.

Handbook p. 90 ↗

Know the rule

Commercial vehicles are excluded from the Parkway, and access is limited.

Handbook p. 90 ↗

Know the rule

Federal regulations govern vehicle traffic and public use of Parkway facilities. State traffic laws also apply.

Handbook p. 90 ↗

Know the rule

If you violate any law on the Parkway roadway or at its facilities, you'll be tried in a federal court.

Handbook p. 90 ↗

Report accidents, fires or other emergencies:

  • To the nearest National Park Ranger
  • Or by calling 1-800-300-PARK (7275)
  • Can't find the number? Dial '0' and ask for the nearest Natchez Trace Park Ranger
  • Give your approximate location and describe the circumstances
Handbook p. 90 ↗

Parkway rules:

  • Heed all posted signs
  • Don't hunt or use firearms on Parkway lands
  • Extinguish all lighted cigarettes, cigars and matches
  • Never throw them or other debris from moving vehicles
Handbook p. 90 ↗

Put it into practice

You drive a delivery truck for work and want to use the Trace as a shortcut. You can't: commercial vehicles are excluded. In your own car, stay at or below 50 mph, and lower where lower speeds are posted.

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 the maximum speed limit on the Natchez Trace Parkway, except where posted lower?
  1. 50 mph
  2. 55 mph
  3. 45 mph
  4. 60 mph

Answer: 50 mph

The maximum speed for travel on the Natchez Trace Parkway is fifty miles per hour.

Handbook p. 41 ↗
Who protects and patrols the Natchez Trace Parkway?
  1. The Mississippi Highway Patrol
  2. County sheriffs
  3. The U.S. Department of Transportation
  4. National Park Rangers

Answer: National Park Rangers

The Parkway is protected and patrolled by National Park Rangers.

Handbook p. 90 ↗
Which vehicles are excluded from the Natchez Trace Parkway?
  1. Commercial vehicles
  2. Motorcycles
  3. Recreational vehicles
  4. Vehicles towing boats

Answer: Commercial vehicles

The handbook states that commercial vehicles are excluded from the Parkway and access is limited.

Handbook p. 90 ↗
If you violate a law while on the Natchez Trace Parkway or using its facilities, you will be tried in a federal court.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

The Parkway is federal land, and the handbook says violations there are tried in a federal court.

Handbook p. 90 ↗
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