OR DMV OR DMV Special Driving Conditions Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When driving in heavy rain in Oregon, you should:
- Increase your speed to get through the rain faster
- Reduce speed and increase following distance (Correct answer)
- Drive in the center lane to avoid puddles on the edges
- Turn on your hazard lights and maintain normal speed
Correct answer: Reduce speed and increase following distance
Rain reduces traction and visibility, requiring slower speeds and greater following distance to safely stop if needed.
Question 2: What is hydroplaning and how should you respond if it occurs?
- Your engine overheats; turn it off immediately
- Your tires lose contact with the road surface due to water; ease off the gas and steer straight (Correct answer)
- Your brakes fail due to water; pump them rapidly
- Your windows fog up; use defrost and pull over
Correct answer: Your tires lose contact with the road surface due to water; ease off the gas and steer straight
Hydroplaning occurs when tires ride on a film of water; gently releasing the accelerator and steering straight helps regain traction.
Question 3: In Oregon, when driving through dense fog, you should use:
- High-beam headlights
- Low-beam headlights or fog lights (Correct answer)
- Hazard lights only
- No lights, as they reflect off the fog
Correct answer: Low-beam headlights or fog lights
High beams reflect off fog and reduce visibility, while low beams and fog lights are angled to illuminate the road without reflecting back.
Question 4: When driving on icy roads in Oregon, you should:
- Accelerate and brake quickly to maintain momentum
- Increase your following distance to 8–10 seconds (Correct answer)
- Stay in the fast lane for better road condition
- Pump your brakes continuously
Correct answer: Increase your following distance to 8–10 seconds
Ice dramatically increases stopping distance, making a large following distance essential to avoid rear-end collisions.
Question 5: In Oregon, if you are caught in a dust storm with zero visibility, you should:
- Pull off the road as far as possible and turn off all lights (Correct answer)
- Continue driving slowly with hazard lights on
- Speed up to drive through the storm quickly
- Stop in your lane with hazard lights on
Correct answer: Pull off the road as far as possible and turn off all lights
Pulling completely off the road and turning off lights prevents other drivers from mistakenly following your taillights off the road.
Question 6: When driving on mountain roads in Oregon during winter, engine braking is used to:
- Increase speed on downhill grades
- Reduce brake overheating and maintain control on steep descents (Correct answer)
- Engage 4-wheel drive automatically
- Prevent tire chains from falling off
Correct answer: Reduce brake overheating and maintain control on steep descents
Downshifting to use engine braking on steep descents reduces reliance on brakes, preventing brake fade from overheating.
When driving in heavy rain in Oregon, you should: