33.3.59. Which of the depicted road signs indicates the end of the zone of the 'Maximum Speed Limit Zone' sign?
UAЯкий із зображених дорожніх знаків позначає кінець зони дії знака «Зона обмеження максимальної швидкості»?
This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine tests the driver's attentiveness to prohibitory road signs and the ability to correctly determine where the established speed limit ends. Understanding the boundaries of 'zonal' restrictions directly affects road safety: a mistake here often leads to speeding in areas where the restriction is still in effect, even if the driver has already passed an intersection or exited from an adjacent area.
According to the content of the task, this is a test of knowledge from section 33 of the Traffic Rules, specifically group 3 'Prohibitory signs': the difference between a regular maximum speed limit and a 'zone' restriction. In the theoretical exam, it is important to remember that sign 3.31 'Maximum Speed Limit Zone' applies within a defined zone and does not end automatically under typical conditions, as is the case with regular restrictions; its requirements are canceled specifically by sign 3.32 'End of Maximum Speed Limit Zone' (or 3.42 'End of All Prohibitions and Restrictions').
Among the proposed options, only one directly indicates the end of the zonal restriction: sign 4 is 3.32 and directly marks the end of the zone established by 3.31. The other images relate to different traffic rules: sign 1 ends the minimum speed limit (4.13), sign 2 cancels the overtaking prohibition (3.26), sign 3 cancels the regular maximum speed limit introduced by sign 3.29, but not the 'zone' (3.30), and sign 5 prohibits movement without maintaining distance (3.20) and is not related to the end of the zonal speed restriction. This knowledge helps to accurately determine the boundaries of restrictions while driving and confidently answer similar exam questions.
Clause 33.3.31 — 33 "Road signs", 3 "Prohibitory signs", sign 3.31 "Maximum speed limit zone"
"Maximum speed limit zone." Prohibits the movement of vehicles at a speed exceeding that indicated on the sign, within the zone.
(Knowledge of this clause is necessary to understand which sign has a “zonal” effect and what exactly it limits — the maximum speed within a defined zone, not just on a separate section of the road up to an intersection.)
Clause 33.3.32 — 33 "Road signs", 3 "Prohibitory signs", sign 3.32 "End of maximum speed limit zone"
"End of maximum speed limit zone." Indicates the end of the zone of effect of sign 3.31.
(This is the key clause for the question: it is this sign that terminates the effect of sign 3.31 within the “zone”.)
Clause 33.3.30 — 33 "Road signs", 3 "Prohibitory signs", sign 3.30 "End of maximum speed limit"
"End of maximum speed limit." Cancels the maximum speed limit imposed by sign 3.29.
(Necessary for distinction: 3.30 cancels the “regular” speed limit (sign 3.29), not the “zone” limit (sign 3.31).)
Clause 33.3.42 — 33 "Road signs", 3 "Prohibitory signs", sign 3.42 "End of all prohibitions and restrictions"
"End of all prohibitions and restrictions." Simultaneously cancels all prohibitions and restrictions imposed by prohibitory signs.
(Additionally: within the speed limit zone (3.31), its effect can also be terminated by sign 3.42, but directly the “end of the zone” is indicated specifically by 3.32.)
That is, the correct answer is "Sign 4.", given that according to the definition in the Traffic Rules, sign 3.32 "End of maximum speed limit zone" indicates the end of the zone of effect of sign 3.31 "Maximum speed limit zone".
The question specifically concerns the end of the zone of effect of the sign “Maximum Speed Limit Zone.” In the Traffic Rules of Ukraine, this is the zonal prohibitory sign 3.31, which sets a speed limit not for a short section, but within a defined zone.
An important feature of a “zone” is this: its effect does not end automatically at an intersection, when exiting from an adjacent area, or in other typical cases that may terminate the effect of an ordinary speed limit sign. The restriction in the zone remains in force until the driver passes a sign that directly indicates the end of this zone.
This is why Section 33 of the Traffic Rules provides for sign 3.32 “End of Maximum Speed Limit Zone.” It cancels the requirements of sign 3.31 and clearly indicates the point from which the speed limit within the zone no longer applies.
The other options are not suitable: one sign ends the minimum speed limit, another cancels the overtaking prohibition, another only ends an ordinary maximum speed limit (not a “zone”), and there is also a sign prohibiting movement without maintaining distance. Therefore, they do not correspond to the wording about the end of the maximum speed limit zone.
Thus, the correct answer is “Sign 4,” because it is the one that marks the end of the zone of effect of the “Maximum Speed Limit Zone” sign (3.31) according to sign 3.32 of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine.