On a long or steep downgrade, once you have reached your safe speed, brake until you are traveling _____ lower than the safe speed

On a long or steep downgrade, once you have reached your safe speed, brake until you are traveling _____ lower than the safe speed

• A. 5 mph
• B. 10 mph
• C. 2 mph
• D. 8 mph

Answer: (A)

On a long or steep downgrade, you control speed by using braking in short bursts to stay just below the speed you can maintain safely. Once you’ve reached that safe speed, brake until you are traveling 5 mph lower than it. This small cushion gives you room to react if the grade changes or traffic slows, and it helps prevent brake overheating from continuous braking. Then you ease off so the speed can creep back toward the safe speed and you repeat as needed. Dropping only 2 mph leaves too little margin to react, while dropping more—like 8 or 10 mph—causes more brake heat and wasted time braking. Five mph below provides the best balance.

On a long or steep downgrade, you control speed by using braking in short bursts to stay just below the speed you can maintain safely. Once you’ve reached that safe speed, brake until you are traveling 5 mph lower than it. This small cushion gives you room to react if the grade changes or traffic slows, and it helps prevent brake overheating from continuous braking. Then you ease off so the speed can creep back toward the safe speed and you repeat as needed. Dropping only 2 mph leaves too little margin to react, while dropping more—like 8 or 10 mph—causes more brake heat and wasted time braking. Five mph below provides the best balance.