Class A theory course · chapter 17 of 19
Speed, distance and overtaking
The gap to the vehicle ahead, lane choice in roundabouts and one-way streets, merging — and the overtake that is easier and more dangerous on two wheels.
The chapter in numbers
- Lessons
- 3about 12 minutes of reading
- Drawings
- 5diagrams and photographs made for the lessons they sit in
- Exam tips
- 1passages that say what the test tends to ask here
- Terms
- 1words explained where they are first used
Why this chapter
Speed is not just a number on a sign – it is physics, and on a motorcycle the margins are used up fast. This chapter covers speed limits and stopping distance, the gap to the vehicle ahead, lane choice and merging, and overtaking: the manoeuvre a motorcycle does most easily, and the one that costs most when misjudged.
Written against
The lessons are written against these sources, and the explanations cite them.
- Vegtrafikkloven § 6
- trafikkreglene § 13
- skiltforskriften § 26 nr. 2 og § 47 (skilt 544 og 546 ugyldige fra 1. januar 2011)
- læreplan klasse A2 (V850)
- Trafikkreglene § 5 nr. 1 og 3, § 6, § 8 og § 14
- skiltforskriften § 22 (sperreområde)
- temaliste klasse A1, A2 og A
- Trafikkreglene § 12
- vegtrafikkloven § 3
- skiltforskriften § 22 (sperrelinje)
What the test asks
The practice questions for this chapter belong to one of the seven official themes of the theory test.
The mock-exam split is our own – Statens vegvesen publishes none.
The lessons, in order
- 1 Speed limits and stopping distanceThe default limits with no sign, and the arithmetic that shows why double the speed is not double the danger. 4 min
- 2 Distance and lane choiceThe gap to the vehicle ahead, lanes in a roundabout and a one-way street, and merging. 4 min
- 3 OvertakingThe manoeuvre a motorcycle gains most from — and that costs most when misjudged. 4 min
The lessons are part of full access – 149 kr for a week, 299 kr for a month. Chapter 1 is free, so you can see how the course is written first.
All 19 chapters
- 01The motorcycle and the licence
- 02The motorcycle — construction and systems
- 03Clothing and compulsory safety equipment
- 04The motorcycle safety check
- 05Forces, balance and braking
- 06Manoeuvring — low speed, starting and stopping
- 07Positioning and cornering
- 08Observation, where you look, and being seen
- 09Grip, weather and road conditions
- 10Signs, markings and signals
- 11At a traffic accident
- 12The traffic rules and the rider's duties
- 13Motorway, tunnel and level crossing
- 14The rider's and owner's responsibility
- 15Risk, attitudes and riding strategy
- 16Giving way
- 17Speed, distance and overtaking
- 18Environment and consideration
- 19Passenger and load
Read the whole chapter
Full access opens all 19 chapters, mock exams with new questions every time and the sign drill – 149 kr for a week, 299 kr for a month, no automatic renewal.