At what speed is a passenger car permitted to travel on a motorway?
Show the correct answer
Correct answer
A. At a speed of not more than 140 km/h, while maintaining control of the vehicle and taking into account the prevailing traffic conditions.
Explanation
The question is about the speed at which you may drive a passenger car on a motorway. It is a speed that keeps the vehicle under control, taking into account the traffic conditions, and no higher than 140 km/h - answer A.
The Road Traffic Act states that the speed limit for a passenger car on a motorway is 140 km/h, and regardless of this a driver must drive at a speed that keeps the vehicle under control, taking into account the conditions in which traffic is moving: the shape of the land, the condition of the road and its visibility, the condition and load of the vehicle, the weather conditions and the volume of traffic. Answer A combines both rules: the limit is an upper limit, not a speed you are "entitled to" - in rain, fog or heavy traffic the safe speed is lower. Answer B introduces "not less than 40 km/h" as a driving rule; in reality 40 km/h is a design threshold - you are not allowed to enter a motorway with a vehicle that cannot reach this speed - and not a minimum speed you must keep in all conditions. Answer C leaves out the 140 km/h limit, so it is wrong. On a motorway you must also keep a following distance of at least half of your speed in metres.
Legal basis: Art. 20 para. 3 point 1 letter a, Art. 19 para. 1 and 3a and Art. 2 point 3 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)