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New Hampshire driving lesson · Basic Driving

Speed limits and safe speed

A 2-minute lesson from the New Hampshire 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
2 minutes
Course unit
Basic Driving
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
21, 22

A speed limit is the maximum under ideal conditions, not a target. NH sets default limits by type of area and road, plus a minimum on interstates and a reduced limit in posted school zones.

Safe speed is determined by:

  • Road conditions
  • Visibility (night driving, rain, fog, snow, etc.)
  • Heavy traffic
  • Fast moving traffic
  • The condition of the vehicle
Handbook p. 21 ↗

NH maximum speed limits

NH maximum speed limits
WhereLimit
Business or urban residence district30 mph
Rural residence district; Class V hwy outside compact area35 mph
Other locations45 or 55 mph
Interstate & central/eastern turnpikes, 4+ lane divided65 mph
I-93, mile marker 45 to the Vermont border70 mph
Handbook p. 22 ↗
45 mph

Minimum speed on an interstate, unless conditions make it unsafe

Handbook p. 22 ↗

Know the rule

Driving far slower than traffic is also a hazard: it blocks drivers behind you and tempts them into lane-hopping or unsafe passing.

Handbook p. 22 ↗

Know the rule

Posted school zone: the limit is 10 mph below the usual posted limit, from 45 minutes before school opens until it opens, and from closing until 45 minutes after.

Handbook p. 22 ↗

Posted school zone

Posted school zone
ItemRule
Reduction10 mph below usual posted limit
Morning45 min before opening until opening
AfternoonClosing until 45 min after closing
Handbook p. 22 ↗

Put it into practice

A posted school zone on a 35 mph road; school opens at 8:00. From 7:15 to 8:00 the limit is 25 mph. At 8:10, once school has opened, the normal 35 mph applies again.

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 speed limit in a business or urban residence district unless otherwise posted?
  1. 25 mph
  2. 40 mph
  3. 35 mph
  4. 30 mph

Answer: 30 mph

The limit in a business or urban residence district is 30 mph.

Handbook p. 22 ↗
What is the speed limit in a rural residence district unless otherwise posted?
  1. 25 mph
  2. 45 mph
  3. 35 mph
  4. 30 mph

Answer: 35 mph

The limit in a rural residence district is 35 mph.

Handbook p. 22 ↗
What is the maximum speed limit on the eastern and central New Hampshire turnpikes where they are 4-lane divided highways?
  1. 70 mph
  2. 65 mph
  3. 60 mph
  4. 55 mph

Answer: 65 mph

Where they are 4-lane divided highways, the turnpikes and interstate allow up to 65 mph.

Handbook p. 22 ↗
On what stretch of I-93 is the speed limit 70 mph?
  1. From mile marker 10 to mile marker 45
  2. From mile marker 45 to the Vermont border
  3. From the Massachusetts border to Concord
  4. The entire length of I-93

Answer: From mile marker 45 to the Vermont border

The 70 mph limit applies from I-93 mile marker 45 to the Vermont border.

Handbook p. 22 ↗
What is the minimum speed a driver may travel on an interstate highway under normal conditions?
  1. 25 mph
  2. 55 mph
  3. 35 mph
  4. 45 mph

Answer: 45 mph

The minimum interstate speed is 45 mph unless conditions make that unsafe.

Handbook p. 22 ↗
A posted school zone speed limit applies starting how long before school opens?
  1. 45 minutes before opening
  2. 1 hour before opening
  3. 30 minutes before opening
  4. 15 minutes before opening

Answer: 45 minutes before opening

The reduced school zone speed applies from 45 minutes before opening until opening, and again after closing.

Handbook p. 22 ↗
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