DGT Defensive Driving Techniques 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When driving in heavy rain, what is the primary risk of hydroplaning and how should you respond?
- Accelerate to push through the water film
- Ease off the gas, avoid braking hard, and steer straight (Correct answer)
- Turn on hazard lights and brake firmly to slow down
- Shift to a lower gear and steer sharply to regain control
Correct answer: Ease off the gas, avoid braking hard, and steer straight
Hydroplaning occurs when tires lose contact with the road surface; easing off the accelerator without hard braking helps tires regain traction.
Question 2: What does the 'SIPDE' defensive driving process stand for?
- Scan, Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute (Correct answer)
- Stop, Inspect, Proceed, Direct, Evaluate
- Signal, Identify, Pause, Drive, Exit
- Scan, Indicate, Position, Decelerate, Enter
Correct answer: Scan, Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute
SIPDE is a systematic mental process — Scan, Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute — used to anticipate and respond to hazards.
Question 3: A driver approaching from behind is tailgating you on the highway. The safest defensive response is to:
- Brake-check the tailgater to make them back off
- Gradually slow down to increase your following distance ahead, then change lanes when safe (Correct answer)
- Match the tailgater's speed to prevent them from passing
- Flash your brake lights repeatedly as a warning signal
Correct answer: Gradually slow down to increase your following distance ahead, then change lanes when safe
Creating more space ahead gives you a buffer in case of sudden stops and may encourage the tailgater to pass.
Question 4: Which technique best helps a driver maintain awareness of vehicles in blind spots?
- Relying solely on rearview mirrors adjusted to wide angle
- Making frequent head-check glances over the shoulder before lane changes (Correct answer)
- Honking before changing lanes to alert other drivers
- Increasing speed before merging so other cars yield
Correct answer: Making frequent head-check glances over the shoulder before lane changes
Mirrors cannot eliminate blind spots, so a brief head-check over the shoulder is essential before any lane change.
Question 5: When driving at night, you should dim your high-beam headlights when:
- Approaching an oncoming vehicle within 500 feet or following another vehicle within 300 feet (Correct answer)
- Only when inside city limits where streetlights are present
- When traveling faster than 55 mph to reduce glare from the road
- Only when a police vehicle is visible ahead
Correct answer: Approaching an oncoming vehicle within 500 feet or following another vehicle within 300 feet
High beams can blind oncoming and leading drivers; US law generally requires dimming within 500 feet of oncoming and 300 feet of preceding vehicles.
Question 6: What is the safest action when you realize you have missed your highway exit?
- Reverse on the shoulder back to the exit
- Brake sharply and cut across the solid white line to the exit ramp
- Continue to the next exit and reroute from there (Correct answer)
- Stop on the right shoulder and wait for traffic to clear before crossing
Correct answer: Continue to the next exit and reroute from there
Missing an exit is never worth the risk of abrupt lane changes or reversing — proceed to the next exit and reroute safely.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes 'covering the brake' as a defensive driving technique?
- Resting your foot on the brake pedal at all times while driving
- Moving your foot from the accelerator to hover over the brake in anticipation of a hazard (Correct answer)
- Applying gentle brake pressure to maintain a constant slow speed
- Pumping the brakes periodically on wet roads to prevent skidding
Correct answer: Moving your foot from the accelerator to hover over the brake in anticipation of a hazard
Covering the brake reduces reaction time by pre-positioning your foot when a potential hazard is identified.
DGT Defensive Driving Techniques 2
When driving in heavy rain, what is the primary risk of hydroplaning and how should you respond?