Assuming the roads are safe and clear, how fast can you legally go? Well, it depends on where you are. In a posted school zone, the speed limit is 20mph. In business or residential districts, the speed limit is 30mph. Outside of those areas, the speed limit is 40mph. Specific sections of highway have a speed limit of 65mph, but most other areas have a speed limit of 50 or 55mph.

Other than that, you are likely to see speed limit signs indicating a wide range of limits based on a variety of conditions, such as constructions zones, school zones, or half-finished-then-abandoned bridge zones. Just remember to always drive no faster than the speed limit (and slower still if conditions are poor) so that you don’t go ramming into the rear end of a hatchback or flying off the back side of the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard.