SAAQ Adverse Driving Conditions 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When driving in heavy fog, you should use:
- High-beam headlights to see farther ahead
- Low-beam headlights or fog lights (Correct answer)
- Hazard lights only
- No lights, as they reflect back and worsen visibility
Correct answer: Low-beam headlights or fog lights
Low-beam headlights or fog lights reduce glare caused by light reflecting off fog particles, improving visibility.
Question 2: On a snowy road, you should increase your following distance to at least:
- 2 seconds
- 4 seconds
- 8 to 10 seconds (Correct answer)
- 1 car length
Correct answer: 8 to 10 seconds
On snow or ice, stopping distances can triple, so a following distance of 8–10 seconds is recommended.
Question 3: What is 'black ice'?
- Ice that forms only at night on dark roads
- A thin, nearly transparent layer of ice that is very slippery (Correct answer)
- Ice with dirt frozen in it that darkens the road
- A term for ice that forms in shaded areas
Correct answer: A thin, nearly transparent layer of ice that is very slippery
Black ice is a thin, transparent ice layer that blends with the road surface, making it nearly invisible and extremely slippery.
Question 4: When should you activate your vehicle's four-wheel drive (4WD) on icy roads?
- Only after you begin to skid
- Before entering slippery conditions, at low speed (Correct answer)
- At highway speed when traction is lost
- 4WD provides no benefit on ice
Correct answer: Before entering slippery conditions, at low speed
Four-wheel drive should be engaged before slippery conditions at low speed; engaging it mid-skid or at high speed is less effective and can damage the system.
Question 5: During a whiteout snowstorm, the safest action is to:
- Drive at 40 km/h with hazard lights on
- Pull completely off the road, turn off driving lights, and keep hazard lights on (Correct answer)
- Follow the taillights of the vehicle ahead closely
- Speed up to get through the storm faster
Correct answer: Pull completely off the road, turn off driving lights, and keep hazard lights on
In a whiteout, the safest option is to pull completely off the road so other drivers don't follow your lights and crash into you.
Question 6: Hydroplaning occurs when:
- Your tires overheat on hot pavement
- A thin layer of water lifts your tires off the road surface (Correct answer)
- Your windshield wipers can't keep up with rain
- Rainwater enters the engine air intake
Correct answer: A thin layer of water lifts your tires off the road surface
Hydroplaning happens when water builds up faster than your tires can disperse it, causing the vehicle to glide on water and lose steering control.
Question 7: If you begin to hydroplane, you should:
- Brake hard to regain traction quickly
- Accelerate to push through the water
- Ease off the accelerator gently and steer straight until traction returns (Correct answer)
- Turn the steering wheel sharply to one side
Correct answer: Ease off the accelerator gently and steer straight until traction returns
Gently releasing the accelerator slows the vehicle without inducing a skid, allowing the tires to re-establish contact with the road.
SAAQ Adverse Driving Conditions 2
When driving in heavy fog, you should use: