Speed and positioning on the theory test
The theme people underestimate. They expect speed limits and get questions about braking distance, visibility, road surface and where in the lane the car should be before a bend.
What the test asks
Less about numbers than you think, more about relationships. What happens to braking distance when speed doubles. How much longer the stopping distance gets on a wet road and on ice. Why the right speed in the dark is the one you can stop within your headlight beam – whatever the sign says. The three-second rule, and why it doubles on a slippery surface.
Positioning is the other half: which lane you choose before the junction, where you place the car before a bend, when you may and may not overtake, and how you pass an oncoming car on a narrow road or at night.
From the course
One of the diagrams in the chapter “Speed, distance and braking distance”.
The mock-exam split is our own – Statens vegvesen publishes none.
The traps
Treating the speed limit as a recommended speed. It is an upper limit, and the traffic rules require you to drive according to the conditions – visibility, surface, traffic – even when that means far below the sign. Questions where conditions are poor rarely have the speed limit as the answer.
And underselling the physics. Braking distance grows with the square of speed: double the speed, four times the braking distance. Whoever answers 'twice as long' has used intuition where the test wanted the arithmetic.
How to practise the theme
Five course chapters belong to this theme – start with speed, distance and braking and positioning and lane use, then overtaking and light and road conditions.
Topic practice has 236 questions, each with an explanation. A free account gives you a taste; full access opens the whole theme and lets the practice prioritise what you miss.
The chapters that cover the theme
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Speed, distance and braking distance Full access
Reaction, braking and stopping distance, why speed increases braking distance so much, the three-second rule and adapted speed.
2 lessons · 14 min -
Positioning and lane use Full access
Positioning on the carriageway, choosing a lane, positioning before a turn, and safe lane changes.
2 lessons · 8 min -
Overtaking and meeting Full access
Safe overtaking and when it is prohibited, how you are overtaken, and good meeting on narrow roads and in the dark.
2 lessons · 8 min -
Light and road-surface conditions Full access
Driving in the dark, winter surfaces and the studded-tyre period, and how rain, aquaplaning, fog and low sun change your driving.
3 lessons · 21 min -
Different roads and surroundings Full access
Rural and city driving, motorway and semi-motorway, and safe driving in tunnels and over level crossings.
3 lessons · 13 min
Ready to pass the theory test?
A free account gives you a taste of every theme. Full access opens everything – 299 kr for a month, no auto-renewal.
Frequently asked questions
What are the general speed limits in Norway?
50 km/h in built-up areas and 80 km/h outside them, unless signed otherwise. Higher motorway speeds require a sign. And the limit is always a ceiling – conditions can demand a much lower speed.
How much longer is the braking distance when speed doubles?
Four times as long. Braking distance grows with the square of speed, because kinetic energy does. Reaction distance only grows proportionally – so total stopping distance grows somewhat less than fourfold, but far more than double.
What is the three-second rule?
Keep at least three seconds to the car in front: pick a fixed point it passes and count to three before you reach it. On wet or slippery roads, and in the dark, at least double the gap.
The other themes on the test
- The Norwegian theory test (class B) – how to practise and pass
- Right of way on the theory test
- Signs and road markings on the theory test
- Laws and rules on the theory test
- Driver and owner responsibility on the theory test
- The vehicle on the theory test
- Driver and other road users on the theory test
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