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Tennessee driving lesson · Speed, Space & Stopping

Speed limits & the Basic Speed Rule

A 3-minute lesson from the Tennessee 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, Space & Stopping
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
60, 61

Speed decides how much time you have to spot a hazard and how far you travel before stopping. Posted limits are the most you may drive in ideal conditions — the Basic Speed Rule says conditions can make a legal speed unsafe.

Basic Speed Rule (BSR)

A safety principle, not a Tennessee law: your speed is limited by current conditions, and you must be able to stop within the clear distance ahead.

Handbook p. 60 ↗

Adjust your speed for:

  • Amount of traffic
  • Speed of traffic
  • Pedestrians, especially children near schools
  • Road surface (rough, smooth, gravel)
  • Road width (one, two or four lanes)
  • Road structure: curves, bridges, narrow shoulders
  • Visibility
  • Weather: rain, snow, ice, fog
  • Your own driving ability
Handbook p. 60 ↗

Know the rule

Driving too fast for conditions breaks the Basic Speed Rule even when you're under the posted limit. So does driving so slowly you block traffic moving at normal speeds.

Handbook p. 60 ↗

Tennessee speed limits

Tennessee speed limits
RoadLimit
State and federal highways (unless posted)55 mph
Interstate maximum (most rural sections)70 mph
Congested urban interstates (typical)55 mph
Interstate far-left lane — minimum55 mph unless congestion prevents it
Interstate right lane(s) — minimum45 mph
Some residential and city streetsAs low as 25 or 35 mph
Handbook p. 61 ↗

Know the rule

If the interstate minimum speed is too fast for you, use another road.

Handbook p. 61 ↗

Know the rule

Keep pace with traffic as long as it's within the limit. Slow drivers are as likely to crash as speeders; if most cars go 50–55 mph, you're safest in that range.

Handbook p. 61 ↗

Know the rule

The state, counties and cities each set speed limits on the roads they control, and TDOT uses variable limits on some interstate sections — watch for changes.

Handbook p. 61 ↗

Know the rule

School zone limits apply when children are going to or from school or at recess. Exceeding them is reckless driving by law: an automatic 6 points and an advisory letter.

Handbook p. 61 ↗
6 points

Automatic penalty for speeding in a school zone (treated as reckless driving)

Handbook p. 61 ↗

Put it into practice

The limit is 65 mph, but it's night on a two-lane highway and fog is rolling in. 65 is legal on paper and still too fast — slow down until you can stop within the distance you can see.

Put it into practice

Downtown, the car ahead stops suddenly and you rear-end it while going under the limit. You were either breaking the Basic Speed Rule or following too closely.

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.

Unless otherwise posted, what is the speed limit on Tennessee's primary and secondary state and federal highways?
  1. 45 m.p.h.
  2. 65 m.p.h.
  3. 55 m.p.h.
  4. 35 m.p.h.

Answer: 55 m.p.h.

Unless otherwise posted, the speed limit on primary and secondary state and federal highways is 55 m.p.h.

Handbook p. 61 ↗
What is the maximum speed limit set by Tennessee law on rural interstate highways?
  1. 55 m.p.h.
  2. 65 m.p.h.
  3. 75 m.p.h.
  4. 70 m.p.h.

Answer: 70 m.p.h.

The maximum speed on rural interstate highways in Tennessee is 70 m.p.h., posted on most rural sections.

Handbook p. 61 ↗
In more congested urban interstate areas of Tennessee, the typical posted speed limit is:
  1. 55 m.p.h.
  2. 70 m.p.h.
  3. 45 m.p.h.
  4. 35 m.p.h.

Answer: 55 m.p.h.

In congested urban or metropolitan interstate areas, the typical posted limit is 55 m.p.h.

Handbook p. 61 ↗
On an interstate, what is the minimum speed allowed in the right lane(s) under normal conditions?
  1. 55 m.p.h.
  2. 45 m.p.h.
  3. 35 m.p.h.
  4. There is no minimum

Answer: 45 m.p.h.

The minimum speed limit in the right lane(s) of an interstate is 45 m.p.h. under normal driving conditions.

Handbook p. 61 ↗
The Basic Speed Rule (BSR) means that:
  1. The posted limit is always a safe speed
  2. It sets an exact speed limit for each road
  3. You must always drive at the posted limit
  4. Speed must suit conditions, even under the limit

Answer: Speed must suit conditions, even under the limit

The BSR is a general safety principle: your speed must be reasonable for conditions, even if you're within the posted limit.

Handbook p. 60 ↗
Exceeding a posted school zone speed limit is legally treated in Tennessee as:
  1. Speeding, with 3 points
  2. Reckless driving, with 6 points
  3. Careless driving, with 4 points
  4. Speeding, with 2 points

Answer: Reckless driving, with 6 points

Speeding in a school zone is considered reckless driving by law and results in an automatic six points.

Handbook p. 61 ↗
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