Which term describes a curve you can take at a slightly higher speed?

• A. Crowned road
• B. Visual lead time
• C. Banked curve
• D. Central vision

Answer: (C)

Banked curves are designed so the road tilts toward the curve’s center. That tilt provides a horizontal component of the road’s normal force that helps push the car toward the center of the turn, supplying the needed centripetal force. Because of this assistance, you can negotiate the curve at a higher speed than you could on a flat surface, up to the limit set by the banking angle and road radius. If you go too fast, you can still break grip and slide, but a properly banked curve lets a steady driver take the turn more safely at higher speeds than a flat curve.

Crown in the road is about drainage, not curve speed. Visual lead time and central vision relate to where you look and what you see while driving, not to the physical design of curves.