NV DMV Defensive Driving Techniques 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A car suddenly merges into your lane without signaling. The best defensive response is to:
- Accelerate past the vehicle to avoid being hit
- Brake and honk to alert the driver, then adjust your position (Correct answer)
- Swerve into the next lane immediately
- Tailgate the vehicle until they move over
Correct answer: Brake and honk to alert the driver, then adjust your position
Braking to create space while alerting the driver is safer than swerving, which can create new hazards.
Question 2: The 'two-second rule' in defensive driving is used to:
- Determine when it is safe to run a yellow light
- Maintain a minimum following distance from the vehicle ahead (Correct answer)
- Time gap checks when changing lanes on a highway
- Measure safe passing distance on a two-lane road
Correct answer: Maintain a minimum following distance from the vehicle ahead
The two-second rule ensures you stay far enough behind the car ahead to stop safely in normal conditions.
Question 3: What does 'scanning the road ahead' mean in defensive driving?
- Looking only at the car directly in front of you
- Continuously looking 10-15 seconds ahead for potential hazards (Correct answer)
- Checking your mirrors every 30 seconds
- Monitoring only your speedometer and dashboard gauges
Correct answer: Continuously looking 10-15 seconds ahead for potential hazards
Scanning 10-15 seconds ahead gives you early warning of hazards, allowing more time to respond safely.
Question 4: When approaching a school bus with flashing red lights stopped on a Nevada road, you must:
- Stop at least 25 feet away and wait until the lights stop flashing (Correct answer)
- Slow to 15 mph and pass carefully on the left
- Stop only if you are traveling in the same direction
- Yield to pedestrians but continue driving at reduced speed
Correct answer: Stop at least 25 feet away and wait until the lights stop flashing
Nevada law requires all drivers on both sides of an undivided road to stop at least 25 feet from a school bus with red lights flashing.
Question 5: Hydroplaning is most likely to occur when:
- Driving slowly through a deep puddle
- Driving at higher speeds over a thin layer of water (Correct answer)
- Braking hard on a dry road surface
- Accelerating quickly from a stopped position
Correct answer: Driving at higher speeds over a thin layer of water
Hydroplaning occurs when water builds up under tires faster than it can be displaced, causing the vehicle to ride on water rather than road.
Question 6: A defensive driver entering a freeway on-ramp should:
- Stop at the end of the ramp and wait for a gap in traffic
- Match freeway traffic speed before merging (Correct answer)
- Merge immediately without adjusting speed
- Use the emergency lane if no gap is available
Correct answer: Match freeway traffic speed before merging
Matching the speed of freeway traffic before merging allows for a smooth, safe entry without disrupting traffic flow.
Question 7: When driving through a work zone in Nevada, a defensive driver should:
- Maintain normal speed since workers are responsible for their own safety
- Slow down, increase following distance, and stay alert for workers and equipment (Correct answer)
- Switch lanes frequently to find the fastest path through
- Use hazard lights to warn other drivers and proceed at normal speed
Correct answer: Slow down, increase following distance, and stay alert for workers and equipment
Work zones have increased hazards including narrowed lanes, uneven surfaces, and workers on foot, requiring slower speeds and more attention.
NV DMV Defensive Driving Techniques 3
A car suddenly merges into your lane without signaling.
The best defensive response is to: