NV DMV Weather and Hazardous Conditions 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When driving in heavy rain, your tires can ride on a thin layer of water and lose contact with the road. This is called:
- Hydroplaning (Correct answer)
- Fishtailing
- Oversteering
- Skidding
Correct answer: Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning occurs when tires lose traction due to a layer of water between the tire and road surface.
Question 2: In Nevada's desert climate, dust storms can reduce visibility to near zero. If you encounter a dust storm while driving, you should:
- Speed up to drive through it quickly
- Pull completely off the road, turn off lights, and keep foot off the brake (Correct answer)
- Turn on your hazard lights and keep driving slowly
- Stop in your lane and wait for it to pass
Correct answer: Pull completely off the road, turn off lights, and keep foot off the brake
You should exit the roadway completely, shut off lights so other drivers don't follow your lights into traffic, and remove your foot from the brake.
Question 3: Black ice is especially dangerous because:
- It forms only at night
- It is nearly invisible and looks like wet pavement (Correct answer)
- It only forms on bridges and overpasses
- It causes tires to overheat
Correct answer: It is nearly invisible and looks like wet pavement
Black ice is a thin, transparent coating of ice that blends with the road surface, making it nearly impossible to detect visually.
Question 4: When driving in fog, you should use:
- High-beam headlights to see farther ahead
- Low-beam headlights or fog lights (Correct answer)
- Hazard lights only
- No lights, since they reflect off fog and worsen visibility
Correct answer: Low-beam headlights or fog lights
Low-beam headlights or fog lights aim downward and reduce glare caused by light reflecting off fog particles.
Question 5: In Nevada, when roads are wet or icy, you should increase your following distance to at least:
- 2 seconds
- 3 seconds
- 4 seconds or more (Correct answer)
- 1.5 seconds
Correct answer: 4 seconds or more
Wet or icy roads significantly increase stopping distance, so Nevada recommends at least 4 seconds of following distance in these conditions.
Question 6: If your vehicle begins to hydroplane, you should:
- Brake hard to slow down quickly
- Steer sharply to one side
- Ease off the accelerator and steer straight (Correct answer)
- Accelerate to regain tire contact with the road
Correct answer: Ease off the accelerator and steer straight
Gently releasing the accelerator allows the vehicle to slow naturally until the tires regain road contact; sudden braking or steering can cause loss of control.
Question 7: When driving in strong crosswinds, which vehicles are most at risk of being pushed out of their lane?
- Low-profile sports cars
- Heavy SUVs
- High-profile vehicles like trucks and RVs (Correct answer)
- Compact sedans
Correct answer: High-profile vehicles like trucks and RVs
High-profile vehicles such as trucks, RVs, and vans present a large surface area to wind, making them most vulnerable to being pushed sideways.
NV DMV Weather and Hazardous Conditions 2
When driving in heavy rain, your tires can ride on a thin layer of water and lose contact with the road.
This is called: