Kansas speed limits and key traffic laws

By the end of this topic you can

• You can state the Kansas default speed limits for each type of road.
• You can explain when you must drive slower than the posted limit.
• You can say when passing is not allowed.
• You can describe what to do for a stopped school bus and a stopped emergency vehicle.

What you need to know and understand

• Urban districts: 30 mph unless posted otherwise.
• County and township roads: 55 mph.
• Other highways: 65 mph.
• Separated multilane highways designated and posted by the secretary of transportation: up to 75 mph.
• The handbook gives 20 mph in properly marked school zones and business districts.
• Driving so slowly that you block normal traffic is also illegal, unless slower speed is needed for safety.
• Signal at least 100 feet before turning or changing lanes.
• Move over, or slow down if you cannot, for stopped emergency vehicles, road maintenance vehicles and, since 2025, any stationary vehicle with its hazard lights on.

Matching speed to the road

Watch for signs that change the limit, and remember the default when none is posted. A school speed limit sign that says when flashing applies only while its lights are flashing. In work zones, slow down and be ready to stop; the handbook warns that fines for speeding in a work zone are doubled.

• In town with no sign: 30 mph.
• Gravel county road with no sign: 55 mph, and often slower is safer.
• Two-lane state or US highway with no sign: 65 mph.
• Posted interstate or divided multilane highway: up to 75 mph where signed.

When you must not pass

On two-lane roads you pass on the left only if you can finish safely without breaking the speed limit. The handbook lists places where passing is not allowed:

• Within 100 feet of an intersection or railroad crossing.
• Within 100 feet of a bridge, viaduct or tunnel when your view is blocked.
• On hills and curves, or where a solid yellow line is on your side.
• Wherever signs prohibit passing.

School buses and stopped emergency vehicles

When a school bus is stopped with red lights flashing and its stop arm out, drivers meeting or overtaking it from either direction must stop. Wait until the bus moves or the lights and arm are switched off. You need not stop if the bus is on a separate roadway of a divided highway.

If you approach a stationary emergency vehicle with its lights flashing, Kansas law requires you to move into a lane not next to it when you have two or more lanes going your way and it is safe. If you cannot, slow down and proceed with care. The same applies to highway maintenance vehicles working with flashing lights. A 2025 law (Senate Bill 8) extended the duty to any stationary vehicle showing hazard warning lights, such as a broken-down car on the shoulder: move over if you safely can, or slow down and pass with care.

Common mistakes

• Driving at 65 mph in heavy rain because the sign says 65. The limit is for good conditions only.
• Forgetting that unsigned county roads default to 55, not 65.
• Driving past a stopped school bus from the opposite direction on an undivided road. Both directions must stop.
• Staying in the lane next to a stopped patrol car on a four-lane road when you could safely move over.

Test yourself: Kansas speed limits and key traffic laws

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Kansas 50 Hour Supervised Driving Affidavit
• Kansas Driving Test and the Driver’s Ed Waiver
• Kansas Farm Permit for Teen Drivers