Unit 7
Better Drivers Driver Ed. Course - Unit 7
Driving in Adverse Conditions
Main points to remember:
- Slow down in bad weatehr
- Increase your following distance
- Use headlights when driiving in the rain
- Orange is the color for Construction Zones. When you see orange signs on the road, SLOW DOWN
- Use your headlights when driving at night
- Don't blind people with your high beams when driving at night. Dim your lights when you see other cars ahead of you on the road.
Driving in bad weather and other adverse (bad) conditions is something we all have to do. Since we cannot control the weather, we might as well learn to drive safely in whatever conditions we find ourselves in.
The main thing to learn and remember is to adjust your driving. This could be considered common sense. But it doesn't seem so common. Every time it starts to rain, the ambulance sirens start up. We can do better than that.
Assignment: Read (or re-read) Guam Basic Speed Law (p. 17) and Guam Road Conditions (p. 18). There is a discussion of this in the Survey of the Handbook. (link to the left.)
ASSIGNMENT: Read this artcle on tips for driving in the Rain
Adverse Conditions (Rain, Storms, Night Driving, Construction)
Answers at the bottom.
61. You must lower your headlight beams (dim your lights) when:
a. A car is approaching within 200 feet
b. A car is approaching from the front within 300 feet
c. Your car is approaching another vehicle from the rear within 300 feet
d. Any vehicles are visible on the road in front or behind you
e. A vehicle has blinded you with bright lights
a. Be aware of workers in the vicinity
b. Road maintenance is under way
c. Construction work ahead
d. Exercise extra caution because of unpredictable conditions ahead
e. All of the above
63. In case of an accident you should:
a. Stay away from injured people
b. Stop, help, exchange information
c. Do not stop unless damage is more than $250.00
d. Stay in your car and call the police
e. None of the above
64. If you have rear wheel drive and your car begins to skid,
a. You should hit the brakes and steer in the direction you wish to go
b. You should take your foot off the gas and steer in the direction you wish to go
c. You need to avoid braking, turn into the skid and bring the front wheels in line.
d. Press the gas pedal and steer away from objects in your path
e. Turn into the skid and slam on the brakes
65. Driving in the rain can cause:
a. Hydroplaning
b. Decreased traction and increased stopping distance
c. Limited visibility
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
66. When driving in bad weather, you should:
a. Drive at least 10 MPH below the speed limit
b. Increase following distance
c. Follow the Basic Speed Law
d. B and C above
e. All of the above
67. A driver signaling with his left arm bent at the elbow and hand down intends to:
a. Turn right at the next road
b. Stop
c. Slow down for a turn
d. Slow or stop
e. Make a left turn
68. When approaching a crosswalk, you should be aware that:
a. Pedestrians have the right-of-way at marked crosswalks
b. Intersections are all considered to be crosswalks, even if they are not marked
c. Vehicles must yield to pedestrians in the road at all times
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
69. An emergency vehicle is approaching from the opposite direction on a two-lane highway. You should:
a. Ignore the emergency vehicle as it is going in the opposite direction.
b. Slow down and stop if necessary to ensure the vehicle has room to get past safely.
c. Stop immediately
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
70. You are on a multi-lane highway and an ambulance is approaching from the opposite direction with sirens and flashing lights. You should:
a. Ignore the ambulance as it has plenty of room
b. Stop as fast as you can
c. Slow down and move to the right if necessary
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
Answers:
61. You must lower your headlight beams (dim your lights) when:
a. A car is approaching within 200 feet
b. A car is approaching from the front within 300 feet
c. Your car is approaching another vehicle from the rear within 300 feet
d. Any vehicles are visible on the road in front or behind you
e. A vehicle has blinded you with bright lights
Answer is C. If you are approaching a car from behind, you dim your lights before you are within 300 feet. If you are approaching from the front, you must dim your lights before you are within 500 feet. Answer E. may be correct in some instances, but not always; for example, if a car is blinding you from behind, it will do you no good to dim your lights.
a. Be aware of workers in the vicinity
b. Road maintenance is under way
c. Construction work ahead
d. Exercise extra caution because of unpredictable conditions ahead
e. All of the above
Answer is E. Each of the above answers has a similar meaning: Construction.
Back to Q.
63. In case of an accident you should:
a. Stay away from injured people
b. Stop, help, exchange information
c. Do not stop unless damage is more than $250.00
d. Stay in your car and call the police
e. None of the above
Answer is B.
Back to Q.
64. If you have rear wheel drive and your car begins to skid,
a. You should hit the brakes and steer in the direction you wish to go
b. You should take your foot off the gas and steer in the direction you wish to go
c. You need to avoid braking, turn into the skid and bring the front wheels in line.
d. Press the gas pedal and steer away from objects in your path
e. Turn into the skid and slam on the brakes
Answer is C. Look at page 24. This advice is for rear-wheel drive. In rear-wheel drive, the back wheels are pushing the car straight, and the front wheels are fighting that forward momentum, trying to force the car to turn.
If your vehicle is front wheel drive, you steer in the direction you wish to go. In front wheel drive, your wheels that steer the car are the wheels that are turning the car, so the front wheels actually "pull" the car onto the road.
Question #64 is referring to a rear-wheel drive vehicle. Be sure you know what kind of car you are driving.
Back to Q.
65. Driving in the rain can cause:
a. Hydroplaning
b. Decreased traction and increased stopping distance
c. Limited visibility
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
Answer is D. All of the above. Again, refer to Basic Speed Law. There are many reasons to reduce your speed and otherwise adjust your driving in the rain.
Back to Q.
66. When driving in bad weather, you should:
a. Drive at least 10 MPH below the speed limit
b. Increase following distance
c. Follow the Basic Speed Law
d. B and C above
e. All of the above
Answer is D. There is no rule that insists you go 10 mph below the speed limit. If you are driving through a residential area where the speed limit is 15 mph, this would mean you are going 5 mph. This is not defined in the book. The book specifies only that you adjust your speed for the conditions.
67. A driver signaling with his left arm bent at the elbow and hand down intends to:
a. Turn right at the next road
b. Stop
c. Slow down for a turn
d. Slow or stop
e. Make a left turn
Answer is D. The signal for "slow or stop" just lets you know the driver is about to slow or stop. The other answers are too specific, except for A and E, which are just wrong.
Back to Q.
68. When approaching a crosswalk, you should be aware that:
a. Pedestrians have the right-of-way at marked crosswalks
b. Intersections are all considered to be crosswalks, even if they are not marked
c. Vehicles must yield to pedestrians in the road at all times
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
Answer is D. All of the above. Pedestrians always have the right-of-way. If you are the driver, your only choices are to yield or to hit the pedestrian. Remember that all intersections are crosswalks, even if there are no painted lines. Drivers have an absolute responsibility to avoid collisions with pedestrains. This means do not hit them no matter what.
Back to Q.
69. An emergency vehicle is approaching from the opposite direction on a two-lane highway. You should:
a. Ignore the emergency vehicle as it is going in the opposite direction.
b. Slow down and stop if necessary to ensure the vehicle has room to get past safely.
c. Stop immediately
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
Answer is B. If it is a 2-way, 2 lane road, there is only one lane in each direction. The emergency vehicle may need to cross onto your side of the road to avoid obstructions on the other side of the road. Clear the roadway for emergency vehicles.
Back to Q.
70. You are on a multi-lane highway and an ambulance is approaching from the opposite direction with sirens and flashing lights. You should:
a. Ignore the ambulance as it has plenty of room
b. Stop as fast as you can
c. Slow down and move to the right if necessary
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
Answer is C.
If there are multiple lanes, you may not need to pull all the way over
and stop, but you must be prudent. The book does not make an allowance
for multi-lane roads, but says pull to the right and stop. The best,
safest and most thorough answer is C.
Question? Email us.
betterdrivers@gmail.com Please include your name and date of birth so we know who you are. Thanks.
Congratulations! You are now ready for the Final Exam