Defensive Driving Flashcards
7 cards from real NSC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Defensive Driving flashcards as text
Which factor most commonly contributes to hydroplaning?
Answer: Driving too fast on wet roads with worn tires
Hydroplaning occurs when water builds up under tires faster than it can be displaced, and worn tires or excess speed worsen this effect.
What is the 'two-second rule' designed to measure?
Answer: Minimum following distance expressed in time
The two-second rule ensures a minimum safe following distance expressed as time rather than feet, which adjusts automatically for speed.
When driving at night, you should dim your high beams when oncoming traffic is within how many feet?
Answer: 500 feet
NSC guidelines recommend dimming high beams when within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle to prevent blinding the other driver.
What is 'inattentional blindness' in the context of defensive driving?
Answer: Failing to see an object in plain sight because attention is focused elsewhere
Inattentional blindness means the brain misses visible hazards when cognitive attention is diverted, as with phone use.
A vehicle behind you is tailgating. What is the safest defensive response?
Answer: Gradually slow down to increase your own following distance ahead
Increasing your following distance to the car ahead gives you a larger buffer so any sudden stop won't result in a three-car crash.
What is the effect of carbon monoxide (CO) on a driver's ability to operate a vehicle safely?
Answer: It impairs judgment and reaction time, similar to alcohol
Even low CO levels reduce oxygen to the brain, impairing judgment, reaction time, and causing drowsiness.
What percentage of all traffic fatalities does the NSC attribute to human error?
Answer: 94%
NSC research consistently attributes approximately 94% of serious crashes to human error rather than vehicle failure or road conditions.