Weather and Hazardous Conditions Flashcards

You approach a flooded section of road where water covers the pavement and you cannot judge its depth. What should you do?

Answer: Turn around and find another route

You should never drive into water of unknown depth; as little as 12 inches of moving water can carry a car away.

After driving through a large puddle, your brakes feel weak. How can you dry them out?

Answer: Apply the brakes gently while driving slowly until braking power returns

Lightly applying the brakes at low speed creates friction heat that dries the brake surfaces and restores stopping power.

What is 'black ice' and why is it especially dangerous?

Answer: A thin, nearly invisible layer of ice that makes the road look merely wet

Black ice is a thin, transparent ice layer that looks like wet pavement, so drivers often fail to slow down for it.

You are driving on ice and need to stop, but your car has conventional (non-ABS) brakes. What is the correct technique?

Answer: Gently pump the brakes to avoid locking the wheels

With non-ABS brakes, gentle pumping prevents wheel lockup and helps maintain steering control on ice.

Strong crosswinds are most likely to affect your vehicle when:

Answer: Crossing bridges, driving through open areas, or passing large trucks

Open stretches, bridges, and gaps around large vehicles expose your car to sudden gusts that can push it off course.

When snow is falling at night, why should you use low-beam headlights instead of high beams?

Answer: High beams reflect off the falling snow and reduce your visibility

High-beam light bounces off falling snow or fog back into your eyes, so low beams actually let you see farther.

Before starting a trip in freezing weather, you should clear snow and ice from:

Answer: All windows, mirrors, lights, and the roof of the vehicle

All glass, mirrors, and lights must be clear for full visibility, and roof snow must be removed so it cannot slide onto your windshield or other vehicles.