Speed Limits & Following Distance

Stay within the posted maximum speed limit, yet always pick a pace that leaves you able to stop safely. In practice that means easing off below the maximum whenever you face:

• Bad weather
• Heavy traffic
• Construction zones

Reduced limits are common in school zones and work zones precisely to safeguard children and the people working on or beside the road.

If no speed limit is signposted at all:

• The cap is 50 km/h inside cities, towns and villages
• The cap is 80 km/h on roads outside those built-up areas

Treat these figures as the fallback limits any time no sign sets a different number.

As a driver aid, cruise control can help your fuel economy and keep you from drifting over the limit without noticing.

Even so, there are situations where you should switch it off:

• Poor road conditions (wet, icy or slippery surfaces)
• Heavy traffic
• Any time you feel fatigued

Ontario bans speed measuring warning devices (radar detectors). Get pulled over with one in your vehicle and you will face a fine plus demerit points.

Whenever an officer is directing traffic, do as they instruct -- comply even when those instructions conflict with the signs or signals.

If an officer signals you to pull over:

• Move as far to the right as is safe and come to a complete stop
• Remain inside your vehicle and wait for the officer to approach
• The moment the officer asks, hand over your driver's licence, vehicle permit (or a copy) and proof of insurance

Despite a common myth, there is no 24-hour window in which to produce these documents. Ignoring an officer's order to pull over can leave you fined, your licence suspended, or even facing jail time.

Any time you trail another vehicle, leave yourself room to brake safely should the car ahead stop abruptly. Keep a gap of at least two seconds between you and the vehicle in front.

To measure a two-second gap:

1. Choose a fixed marker ahead, like a road sign or a telephone pole
2. As the back of the car ahead clears that marker, start counting "one thousand and one, one thousand and two"
3. Stop counting the instant your front bumper reaches the marker. Get there before you finish "one thousand and two" and you are tailgating

Keep in mind that two seconds is only the bare minimum gap, and it holds up just under ideal conditions. Stretch that gap out and give yourself more room when:

• The weather is bad
• You are behind a motorcycle or a large truck
• You are hauling a heavy load

Generally, match the flow of traffic around you while staying under the limit, and surround your car with a buffer to the front, rear and both sides. Never obstruct the normal, reasonable flow of traffic.