Special Driving Conditions: Railroad Crossings, Expressways, Night, Rain, Snow, Deer and Emergencies
Written for aiforu2 as the source for a practice-test bank and the on-device tutor for the New York State Class D knowledge (written) test. The facts follow the official manual; the wording is ours.
Source: New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, chapter 10 "Special Driving Conditions" (pp. 61–67).
Railroad crossings
A grade crossing is an intersection: always expect a train, on any track, at any time, from either direction. Never race a train, never drive around lowered gates, never stop on the tracks, and cross in the same lane and gear. At an active crossing (flashing red lights, gates), do not go until the gates are completely up and the lights are off; at a passive crossing (no gates or lights), slow down, be ready to stop, and wait until you can see clearly down every track both ways. A train is closer and faster than it looks and cannot stop quickly.
The round yellow RR sign warns of a crossing ahead. School buses (with or without passengers), buses carrying passengers, and vehicles with explosive or flammable cargo must stop at every crossing, so be careful behind them. Never start across unless your whole vehicle will clear all tracks with room on the other side. Flashing red lights, lowered gates or a bell mean stop at least 15 feet from the tracks, and never drive around or under a moving gate. Where there are no signals, pavement markings warn of the crossing; wait behind the stop line. A crossbuck (the X-shaped RAILROAD CROSSING sign, with the number of tracks if more than one) means yield: look and listen, and never cross when a train is near or fast enough to be dangerous, even with no signals or broken ones.
Stalled on the tracks: get everyone out at once, get away from the tracks even if you see no train, find the Emergency Notification System sign and call the number. Run toward the direction the train comes from, at a 45-degree angle away from the tracks; running down the track means being hit by debris. If you are certain no train is coming, open the window to listen and try to restart, or shift to neutral and push the car off.
Expressway driving
An expressway is a divided highway with one-way traffic on two or more lanes, entered and left by ramps (controlled access): the Thruway, interstates and parkways. The limit is normally 55 mph, posted at 65 in some rural areas. Plan entrances and exits on a map; if you enter in the wrong direction or miss an exit, stay on until the next exit, since backing up on a ramp or crossing a median is dangerous. Unless the ramp has a STOP or YIELD sign or a light, use it to accelerate to expressway speed and blend in, signaling and looking over your shoulder; if the ramp is too short, stop, wait for a large gap, then accelerate quickly. Move out of the right lane near entrances to make room for entering traffic; get into the correct lane for your exit early and signal at least 100 feet before the exit ramp; slow on the ramp, which often has a lower limit, and after leaving check the speed limit and your speedometer, since you are probably no longer on a 55 mph road. Signal every lane change, check over your shoulder, and make sure the signal cancels. Higher speed with heavy traffic demands faster thinking; plan rest stops on long trips and wear sunglasses against glare.
Night driving
About 90 percent of driving decisions depend on sight, and night vision worsens with age. Drive slower than by day, especially on unfamiliar or winding roads. Headlights light about 350 feet ahead; drive within the range of your headlights, at a speed that lets you stop in that distance. Headlights are required from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise, when visibility is under 1,000 feet, and whenever the wipers are on for rain, snow or sleet; use them at dawn, dusk and in fog, and never substitute parking lights or daytime running lights. If an oncoming driver flashes at you in low visibility, your car is hard to see: turn the headlights on.
Use low beams within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle and within 200 feet of a vehicle you follow, even in another lane, and dim for pedestrians; fog and driving lights must not glare. If an oncoming driver keeps high beams on, flash yours briefly and return to low; to escape the glare, look to the right and use the road edge as a guide. Set the inside mirror to its night position against following lights, keep the interior light off and the dashboard dim, adjust the visors, and keep the windshield and lights clean, since dirt multiplies glare.
Rain, fog and snow
A little rain, snow, ice or wet leaves makes roads slippery: slow down, lengthen the following distance, and take extra care on curves, turns and ramps. In heavy rain the tires can hydroplane on the water film, losing traction and steering, usually at higher speed but also with worn or under-inflated tires: slow down, more so if traction fades, and keep good deep tread. The law requires headlights whenever the wipers are in use (daytime running lights do not count), on low beam, because high beams reflect off falling rain, fog and snow. Reduce speed, signal earlier, and brake early. Fog lights must be DMV-approved and correctly installed: front fog lights amber or white, rear fog lights red and possibly larger than the normal rear lights; switch them off when visibility improves.
Winter
Prepare the car before winter with good snow tires fitted before the first storm; never mix radial and non-radial tires; studded tires are allowed only from October 16 through April 30. In ice or snow storms drive only if you must, and first clear ice and snow from the headlights, rear lights, wipers, hood, roof and every window, with freeze-resistant washer fluid. Drive slowly and with the flow. A rear-wheel-drive car usually telegraphs a slide; front-wheel and four-wheel drive handle better but can skid without warning, so do not let them tempt you to speed. Brake early, gently and in slow steady strokes, easing off if the wheels start to lock, and shift down as you slow; bridges, ramps and overpasses freeze first, and slick spots linger after plowing.
Skids: with ABS, keep steady even pressure on the pedal; without it, pump carefully, faster as the car slows, never braking hard. If the front wheels skid, foot off the gas, shift to neutral or clutch in, and do not steer at once; as the sideways skid slows the car and traction returns, steer where you want to go, then re-engage and accelerate gently. If the rear wheels skid, steer in the direction the rear is sliding (left if it slides left), and correct the other way if it swings back, as many times as needed.
Deer
Two-thirds of deer collisions happen in October, November and December, the breeding season, and daily activity peaks at dawn and dusk. Deer travel in groups: one means more. Slow near deer at the roadside, since they bolt unpredictably; after one crosses, expect others; warn other drivers with the emergency lights or headlights; and take care where deer crossing signs mark past collisions.
Emergencies
The most important rule: do not panic; you usually have a second or two to think.
- Tire blowout: a thumping sound may warn of it; get off the road and check. If it blows, hold the wheel tightly, ease off the gas, handle any skid as on ice, do not brake until the car is under control, then leave the road when safe. Loss of a wheel: the same.
- Steering failure: ease off the gas, turn on the emergency lights, keep off the brake while safe, since the car's balance keeps it straight and a sudden speed change could throw it out of control; brake very gently as it slows.
- Brake failure: pump the pedal to build pressure; if that fails, apply the emergency brake gradually and gently; shifting to a lower gear helps slow the car.
- Headlight failure: try the emergency lights, parking lights and turn signals for enough light to leave the road; if the lights dim, drive to a service station or pull off and get help.
- Stuck gas pedal: hook your shoe under it to free it; if not, shift to neutral and brake to a stop off the road; do not turn off the ignition, which can lock the steering.
- Running off the pavement: do not swerve back; ease off the gas, brake gently, and when slowed and clear behind, steer carefully back on.
- Vehicle head-on in your lane: slow, pull to the right and sound the horn; never swerve left, since the other driver may recover into that lane.
- Going into water: the car floats a while; release the belt and escape through a window, since an open door lets water rush in and can roll the car onto you. If it sinks first, move to the back seat where an air pocket forms as the engine pulls the front down, then take a breath and leave through a window, letting air out in small breaths as you rise.
- Fire: smoke from under the hood means pull off, park, turn off the ignition, get away and call the fire department; do not fight it.
- Blocked vision (hood flies up, wipers fail): open the side window to see, turn on the emergency lights, pull off carefully and park.
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