CDT Driver Safety & Risk Management 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a pre-trip inspection lesson, a trainer finds a tire with a tread depth of 2/32 inch on a student's vehicle. What action should be taken?
- Allow driving in dry conditions only
- Reduce highway driving speed by 10 mph
- Remove the vehicle from service until the tire is replaced (Correct answer)
- Inflate the tire to maximum PSI to compensate
Correct answer: Remove the vehicle from service until the tire is replaced
2/32 inch is the legal minimum tread depth in the US; a tire at this level must be replaced before the vehicle is safely operated.
Question 2: A student driver approaches a green traffic light at an intersection. According to risk management principles, the student should:
- Accelerate through quickly to clear the intersection
- Cover the brake and scan cross traffic before entering (Correct answer)
- Honk to alert crossing pedestrians
- Maintain speed and yield only if a vehicle enters
Correct answer: Cover the brake and scan cross traffic before entering
Covering the brake and scanning cross traffic at green lights reduces risk from red-light runners and pedestrians entering unexpectedly.
Question 3: Which environmental factor MOST significantly reduces a driver's stopping distance performance?
- Light fog
- Wet pavement (Correct answer)
- Bright sunlight
- Low ambient temperature on dry roads
Correct answer: Wet pavement
Wet pavement dramatically reduces tire-road friction, increasing stopping distances by up to 50% compared to dry conditions.
Question 4: A CDT candidate should know that 'overdriving headlights' means:
- Leaving headlights on during daylight hours
- Driving at a speed where stopping distance exceeds headlight illumination range (Correct answer)
- Using high beams when low beams are required
- Driving with misaligned headlights
Correct answer: Driving at a speed where stopping distance exceeds headlight illumination range
Overdriving headlights occurs when a vehicle travels too fast to stop within the distance the headlights illuminate, a major nighttime crash factor.
Question 5: When a student is merging onto a freeway, the trainer should emphasize that the student must:
- Stop at the end of the acceleration lane if no gap is available
- Match freeway traffic speed and find an appropriate gap before merging (Correct answer)
- Merge immediately regardless of traffic speed
- Use the emergency lane to build speed if necessary
Correct answer: Match freeway traffic speed and find an appropriate gap before merging
Matching traffic speed and identifying a safe gap before merging prevents rear-end collisions and lane change conflicts.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of teaching the 'commentary driving' technique to student drivers?
- To entertain passengers during long drives
- To help students verbalize their hazard scanning and decision-making process (Correct answer)
- To practice communication with passengers about route choices
- To reduce in-vehicle radio distractions
Correct answer: To help students verbalize their hazard scanning and decision-making process
Commentary driving requires students to narrate what they see and plan to do, making the thought process visible so trainers can identify perception gaps.
Question 7: A driver trainer is evaluating a student who consistently brakes late in curves. The FIRST corrective priority should be:
- Adjusting tire pressure for better cornering
- Teaching the student to brake before entering curves, not during (Correct answer)
- Selecting routes with wider curves only
- Increasing the following distance behind other vehicles
Correct answer: Teaching the student to brake before entering curves, not during
Braking during a curve reduces tire grip available for cornering, increasing skid risk; drivers should complete braking before entering any curve.
CDT Driver Safety & Risk Management 3
During a pre-trip inspection lesson, a trainer finds a tire with a tread depth of 2/32 inch on a student's vehicle.
What action should be taken?