Special Driving Situations and Handling Emergencies

Written for aiforu2 as the source for a practice-test bank and the on-device tutor for the Florida Class E knowledge exam. The facts follow the official handbook; the wording is ours.

Source: Florida Class E Driver License Handbook, rev. 08/2023, chapters "Special Driving Situations" (pp. 71–73) and "Handling Emergencies" (pp. 75–80).

Animals

If an animal runs in front of you, do not swerve into oncoming traffic or off the road; that usually ends worse than hitting the animal. Animals are most active at dawn and dusk, near woods and water, and where crossing signs are posted; deer crashes peak from October to December. Scan the roadsides for the reflection of your headlights in their eyes. Slow down near animals standing by the road, since they may bolt; flash your headlights to warn other drivers; and if there is time, slow down, tap the brakes and sound the horn. Deer fixate on headlights, so flashing them can freeze the animal. With nobody close behind, brake hard without locking the wheels. If a collision cannot be avoided, keep control and stay on the road. Report a crash with a large animal such as a deer, bear or farm animal to law enforcement.

Low visibility, rain and floods

Fog, heavy rain and smoke from wildfires or controlled burns all cut visibility. Turn on the headlights; parking lights are not a substitute. Use low beams, because high beams reflect off fog and make it worse. Whenever the wipers are on, the headlights must be on. Use wipers and defrosters, follow the right edge line and center line as guides, remove distractions such as the radio and phone, watch for slow or parked vehicles, and keep the windshield and headlights clean to reduce glare.

Rain: slow down. Roads are slickest at the start of a storm, especially after a dry spell, when oil rises to the surface. Wet roads lengthen stopping distance, so lengthen your following distance. Hydroplaning is the vehicle riding on a film of water instead of the road; low tire pressure, worn tread and speed all make it likelier. Brakes wet from heavy rain may pull to one side or not hold: slow down and press the pedal gently until they work again. At a flooded road, turn around; you cannot judge the depth or the current, and the car can be submerged or swept away.

Night driving

You cannot see as far, and glare from oncoming headlights reduces your vision further. Florida law requires headlights from sunset to sunrise and whenever the wipers are on; low beams within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle and within 300 feet of a vehicle you are following; never parking lights alone in place of headlights; and parking lights on when parked on a road or shoulder at night outside a city or town.

High beams reveal objects up to 450 feet away and are most useful above 25 mph. Do not "overdrive" your lights by going faster than you can stop within what you see. Leaving a brightly lit area, drive slowly until your eyes adjust. Do not stare into oncoming headlights; use the lane lines as a guide and glance at the other vehicle's position every few seconds. If a single light approaches, keep well right: it may be a car with one headlight out.

Defensive driving

Defensive driving means adjusting to the weather, to how you feel, and to what other road users do. Look for possible danger and plan for it (a school zone sign means planning for a child in the street); anticipate other drivers (someone changing lanes aggressively behind you will probably cut in front, so slow down and be ready to brake); and use extra caution at intersections, where more crashes happen than anywhere else.

If a crash cannot be avoided, choose the lesser harm: better to swerve off the road than into oncoming traffic; better to drive off the road under control than to skid off it; better to hit something stationary than a vehicle coming toward you; better to hit a vehicle moving your way than head-on; and better a soft object such as a hedge than a tree or post.

When police stop you

Signal and pull over as soon as it is safe, switch off the engine and any audio, stay in the vehicle unless told otherwise, keep your hands on the wheel or in plain view, turn on the interior light at night, and roll down tinted windows by day. When the officer approaches, lower the corresponding window, say at once if there is a weapon in the vehicle, and wait for instructions before reaching for your license or papers; if they are out of reach, say where they are first. The officer will show credentials if not in uniform, explain the stop, and ask for license, insurance and registration. Do not argue at the roadside; contest a decision in court instead. Signing a ticket is not an admission of guilt, but refusing to sign can get you arrested. Ask for a supervisor promptly if you believe the officer acted improperly.

After a crash

If a crash causes death, injury or property damage, the law requires you to give information and render aid:

1. Stop and call **911 or \*FHP (\347) or local police. 2. Turn on the hazard lights. 3. Get help immediately for anyone hurt. 4. If the crash is minor and your vehicle blocks traffic, move it* or have it moved. 5. Exchange driver, vehicle and witness information: names, addresses, phone numbers, plate numbers, license and insurance. 6. Photograph or sketch the scene.

Police write the report when a crash involves a DUI charge, death or injury, or damage severe enough that a vehicle must be towed. Otherwise, a crash with vehicle or property damage must be reported in writing to FLHSMV within 10 days. If you hit an unattended vehicle or other property, try to find the owner and notify police; if you cannot, leave a note with your name, contact information and plate number.

Hit and run

Leaving the scene of a crash involving death, injury or property damage is a crime. Leaving after a death is a first-degree felony with a minimum four years in prison; after serious bodily injury, a second-degree felony; after any injury, a third-degree felony; all three bring a license revocation of at least three years. Leaving after damage to an attended vehicle or property is a second-degree misdemeanor.

First aid

Coming upon a crash, call 911 or \*FHP and do not assume someone else has; several calls are better than none. Protect yourself first: pull well off the road, hazard lights on, and stay out of traffic. Do not move anyone who may have a neck or spinal injury, and do not remove an injured rider's helmet. Treat every injured person for shock, whether or not they seem to be in it: keep them calm, give nothing to drink, lay them flat with the legs raised, cover them to keep body heat, and keep the airway open.

Emergency scenarios

• Avoiding rear-end crashes: keep four seconds behind, more in bad conditions; keep your brake lights working; watch your mirrors; signal early; slow gradually; drive with the flow, since driving too slowly is dangerous too.
• Breakdown: get all four wheels out of the traffic lanes as soon as possible, or have the vehicle moved; if you can, park where it can be seen for 200 feet each way; hazard lights on; passengers out on the side away from traffic; call \*FHP or police.
• Emergency braking: with conventional brakes, pump them when traction is lost. With ABS, press hard, hold, and steer; releasing or pumping turns the system off. Some light trucks have rear-wheel ABS only: the rear stays straight but the front wheels can lock and stop steering, so ease off the pedal just enough for the front wheels to roll again.
• Fire: get out, call 911, fight the fire only if it is small and you have an extinguisher, and never use water on a gasoline or diesel fire. If you cannot put it out, get well away: the fumes are toxic and the vehicle can explode.
• Jammed accelerator: foot off the gas; press the clutch or shift to neutral; press, do not slam, the brakes; steer to a safe stop. Switch the engine off only if those steps fail, because without the engine you lose power steering.
• Overcorrection is steering too sharply in reaction to an event; it causes rollovers and head-on crashes. Leaving the road unintentionally: stay calm, hold the wheel firmly, foot off the gas, no hard braking, and steer where you want to go.
• Power outage: dark signals are a four-way stop; first to arrive goes first, and the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.
• Right wheels off the pavement: foot off the gas, hold the wheel and steer straight, brake lightly, wait for a gap, signal, and ease back onto the road at low speed.
• Skid or hydroplane: foot off the gas; avoid the brakes if you can; turn the front wheels in the direction you want to go, which is the direction of the skid.
• Stalled on railroad tracks: everyone out at once and away from the car. Once the crossing lights start flashing, a train can arrive in as little as 20 seconds. Run at a 45-degree angle away from the tracks, toward the direction the train is coming from, so the wreckage flies away from you. Call 911 or \*FHP, and use the number on the blue Emergency Notification System sign posted at every crossing to reach the railroad. Keep a window escape tool within reach.
• Tire blowout: foot off the gas and no brakes; concentrate on steering; slow gradually; brake gently once under control; pull completely off the road.
• Vehicle coming at you in your lane: sound the horn and flash the high beams, brake hard, and steer to the side of the road.
• Wet brakes: test them lightly; they may pull or fail to hold; dry them by driving slowly in low gear with the brakes lightly applied.
• Submerged vehicle: the car floats only 30 to 60 seconds. Get out before calling 911: unbuckle, open the window before the car sinks (an open door floods it instantly), and if the window will not open, kick out a side window.

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