42.15. What is the maximum permitted speed for mopeds on all roads outside populated areas?
UAЗ якою максимальною швидкістю дозволено рух мопедів на всіх дорогах за межами населених пунктів?
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This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine concerns traffic safety and speed selection on rural roads. For a moped driver, adhering to established limits is especially important due to the lower power and stability of such a vehicle, longer acceleration times, and increased vulnerability in the event of an accident. That is why the traffic rules separately regulate the maximum allowable speed for mopeds outside populated areas.
The question tests knowledge of the section of the Traffic Rules regarding speed, specifically clause 12.6, which sets limits outside populated areas for different categories of vehicles. Subclause 12.6(c) directly establishes a separate restriction for mopeds on all roads outside populated areas (as well as on sections through populated areas marked with sign 5.51), regardless of the general permitted speed for other vehicles on that road. Additionally, it is useful to remember the definition from clause 1.10: in the traffic rules, a moped is a two-wheeled vehicle with an engine up to 50 cc or an electric motor up to 4 kW, meaning that this special limit applies specifically to it.
During the theoretical exam, it is important not to confuse speed limits for different categories: the 50 km/h option is usually associated with typical conditions in populated areas, but it is not the norm for a moped outside them; 70 km/h refers to the restriction for drivers with less than 2 years of experience (12.6(b)), not for mopeds; 80 km/h in 12.6(a) is provided for motorcycles and certain cases, but a moped is not equated to a motorcycle; 90 km/h is the general limit for most other vehicles on regular roads outside populated areas, but it does not apply to mopeds due to the special restriction in 12.6(c). In practice, this means that even if the traffic flow is moving faster, the moped driver must adhere to their own established limit to avoid violating the traffic rules and not create dangerous situations.
Clause 12.6 (speed outside populated areas)
Outside populated areas on all roads and on roads passing through populated areas marked with sign 5.51 "Beginning of populated area," the following speed limits apply: a) buses (minibuses) transporting organized groups of children, passenger cars with trailers, and motorcycles — no more than 80 km/h; b) vehicles driven by drivers with less than 2 years of experience — no more than 70 km/h; c) trucks carrying people in the cargo bed, and mopeds — no more than 60 km/h; d) buses (except minibuses) — no more than 90 km/h; e) other vehicles: on a motorway marked with road sign 5.1 "Motorway" — no more than 130 km/h, on a road with separate carriageways divided by a median strip — no more than 110 km/h, on other roads — no more than 90 km/h.
(Application: in subclause "c" a direct speed limit for mopeds outside populated areas is set — 60 km/h.)
Clause 1.10 (term "Moped")
Moped — a two-wheeled vehicle with an engine displacement up to 50 cc or an electric motor with a power up to 4 kW.
(Application: this definition is needed to clearly classify a vehicle as a "moped," for which a separate speed limit is set in clause 12.6(c).)
Clause 33.5.1 — 33 "Road signs", 5 "Informational and guiding signs", sign 5.51 "Beginning of populated area"
5.51 "Beginning of populated area".
(Application: clause 12.6 states that the specified speed limits also apply to roads passing through populated areas marked with sign 5.51.)
Therefore, the correct answer is "60 km/h", considering that according to the Traffic Rules definition, a moped is a separate category of vehicle, and clause 12.6 (subclause "c") directly sets the maximum speed for mopeds outside populated areas at no more than 60 km/h.
To answer this question correctly, it is first important to understand what is considered a moped under the Traffic Rules. A moped is a two-wheeled vehicle with a small engine (up to 50 cc) or with an electric motor of limited power. The Rules set a separate speed limit specifically for such vehicles.
Next, we refer to clause 12.6 of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine, which defines the maximum speeds outside populated areas for different categories of vehicles. In this clause, mopeds are singled out separately and have their own speed limit — regardless of the general permitted speed on a specific road outside a populated area.
This means that even if other vehicles are allowed to go faster on the same section (for example, 90 km/h on a regular road outside a populated area), the moped driver is not allowed to exceed the speed limit set for mopeds. For example, if you are riding a moped on a country road between villages or on a road passing through a populated area marked with sign 5.51, — in any of these cases, the upper speed limit for a moped remains the same.
Therefore, the correct answer is "60 km/h," since clause 12.6 of the Traffic Rules sets the maximum speed for mopeds outside populated areas on all roads at no more than 60 km/h.