Key points
Glance at your speedometer about once a minute.
Source: Handbook p. 49
“Make it a habit to glance at the speedometer about once a minute to ensure you are driving at a safe and legal speed.”
Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 49Unposted limit on interstates and parkways: 65 mph.
Source: Handbook p. 49
“65 MPH - Sixty-five miles per hour is the speed limit on interstate highways and parkways.”
Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 49Unposted limit on all other state highways: 55 mph.
Source: Handbook p. 49
“55 MPH - Fifty-five miles per hour is the speed limit on all other state highways.”
Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 49Unposted limit in a business or residential district: 35 mph.
Source: Handbook p. 49
“35 MPH - Thirty-five miles per hour is the speed limit in a business/residential district.”
Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 49The limit in a public off street parking facility is 15 mph.
Source: Handbook p. 49
“The speed limit in an off-street parking facility offered for public use, whether publicly or privately owned, shall be fifteen miles per hour.”
Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 49The secretary of transportation may raise specific highways to 70 mph.
Source: Handbook p. 49
“70 MPH - The secretary of transportation may increase the speed limit of specific highways to seventy miles per hour.”
Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 49If heavy rain, snow or fog limits your view to 100 feet, you cannot safely go faster than 25 mph.
Source: Handbook p. 50
“In a heavy rain, snowstorm, or a thick fog, you may not be able to see more than 100 feet ahead. When you cannot see any farther than that, you cannot safely drive faster than 25 miles per hour.”
Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 50In a school zone with flashing lights or children present, obey the slower limit.
Source: Handbook p. 58
“In a school zone when lights are flashing or children are present, you must obey a slower speed limit.”
Kentucky Driver Manual, Handbook p. 58
Numbers to know
| Number | What it means | Manual |
|---|---|---|
| 1 time per minute | how often to glance at the speedometer | Handbook p. 49 |
| 65 mph | interstates and parkways when unposted | Handbook p. 49 |
| 55 mph | other state highways when unposted | Handbook p. 49 |
| 35 mph | business or residential districts when unposted | Handbook p. 49 |
| 15 mph | public off street parking facilities | Handbook p. 49 |
| 70 mph | maximum the secretary of transportation may set | Handbook p. 49 |
| 100 feet: 25 mph | top safe speed when you can see only this far | Handbook p. 50 |
Recognize these signs
Speed limit
3 questions from the Kentucky practice test
1. When no sign posts another number, what is the Kentucky speed limit on interstate highways and parkways?
- 55 mph
- 60 mph
- 65 mph
- 70 mph
Show answer
65 mph. The unposted Kentucky limit for interstate highways and parkways is 65 mph. The 55 mph figure belongs to other state highways, while 60 mph is not the listed default. Although the manual allows an authorized increase to 70 mph on specific highways, that possibility does not change the ordinary number asked here. Identify the road as an interstate or parkway, check for a posted sign, and then use 65 mph only when no different limit controls.
2. What is the unposted Kentucky speed limit in a business or residential district?
- 25 mph
- 35 mph
- 45 mph
- 55 mph
Show answer
35 mph. Kentucky's listed unposted speed limit for a business or residential district is 35 mph. The 25 mph and 45 mph choices do not match the manual's category table, and 55 mph is assigned to other state highways. A posted sign can change the applicable limit, so first identify the district and then check the roadway signs. The useful memory cue is the category pairing: business and residential districts share the 35 mph default in this Kentucky rule.
3. What unposted speed limit applies in a Kentucky off street parking facility open for public use?
- 10 mph
- 20 mph
- 15 mph
- 25 mph
Show answer
15 mph. The manual sets the default for an off street parking facility offered for public use at 15 mph, whether the property is public or private. The 10 mph option is lower than the stated figure, while 20 mph and 25 mph are higher and have no support in this rule. The practical cue is the location: this limit concerns a public use parking facility, so do not automatically carry a nearby roadway limit into the lot when no sign is posted.
Practice this topic
Lock it in with speed limits questions from the free Kentucky practice test. Every answer comes with a plain English explanation.
Source: the Kentucky Driver Manual, Section Eight: Safe Driving Tips. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.