Weather, Winter, Rural Roads, Avoiding Crashes and Roadside Emergencies: Bald Tires, Reduced Visibility, Bridges That Freeze First, Pumping Non-ABS Brakes, Spotting Ice, Hydroplaning, Skidding, Winter Checklist and Snowplows, Farm Equipment and Livestock, Stopping, Turning or Speeding Up to Avoid a Crash, Warning Drivers Behind You, What to Do After a Crash, When a Crash Must Be Reported, Brake, Tire, Engine, Headlight and Gas Pedal Failures
Written for aiforu2 as the source for a practice-test bank and the on-device tutor for the Wisconsin knowledge test. The facts follow the official manual; the wording is ours.
Source: Wisconsin Motorists' Handbook (WisDOT DMV, BDS126, 2026 edition), Section 7 "Driving Conditions" (pages 44–45) and Section 8 "Handling Emergencies" (pages 46–48).
Planning and tires
Plan ahead, stay home if the roads look icy or unsafe, and check the vehicle before leaving. Worn, bald tires cut traction and lengthen stopping distance, which is dangerous in bad weather.
Reduced visibility and severe weather
In poor visibility other vehicles seem slower than they are, and at night distance and speed of oncoming traffic are harder to judge. In fog, rain or other low visibility, drive slower, be ready to stop and use your headlights. On slippery, icy, snowy or rain-soaked roads the best choice is not to drive; if you must, slow down, stay alert, and avoid hard braking and sharp turns. Bridges and overpasses freeze before the rest of the road. Without anti-lock brakes, gently pump the brakes to avoid skidding. Expect ice in shady spots and on bridges on cold wet days, when the temperature is near freezing, on pavement as rain begins, and where water stands near the shoulder.
Hydroplaning and skidding
Hydroplaning is the tires sliding on top of water, possible even at low speed with bald tires. If you feel it, ease off the gas, keep the wheel straight, and do not try to stop or turn until the tires grip again. In a skid, stay off the brake, turn the wheel in the direction you want to go, and as the car begins to straighten turn the wheel back the other way.
Winter
Drivers are rusty on the first snowfall, so be extra cautious. Clear snow and ice from every window, lamp, mirror and the license plates before driving; drive slowly with extra space ahead; do not use cruise control on slippery roads; turn on the headlights but not the high beams; and give a snowplow with red, amber or green flashing lights at least 200 feet of room.
Farm and rural driving
Country roads bring slow tractors, farm equipment and livestock; farmers may not see or hear you and their equipment may lack brake lights and signals. Be patient, yield to livestock on or beside the highway, do not honk (it can frighten the animals), slow down and keep your distance. No one under 16 may operate a farm tractor or self-propelled farm machinery on a highway.
Avoiding a crash
Most crashes are avoidable if you watch your surroundings. A teen driver's crash risk doubles with another teen in the car. Warn drivers behind you of a vehicle stopped on the roadside by tapping the brake pedal three or four times. You have three options: stop, applying firm, continuous pressure to an ABS pedal until stopped or the danger passes (ABS prevents lock-up and skidding) while minding the cars behind; turn, with both hands gripping the wheel, steering in the direction you want to go, staying in control afterward and never into the oncoming lane; or speed up, when a vehicle is about to hit you from the side or behind, slowing again once clear.
After a crash
Call 911 if anyone is hurt, stay at the scene, and turn on your flashers or set flares. With an injury or death, call 911, stay at the scene, do not move the vehicles, stay in the vehicle if it is safe, and remember that leaving is a crime. With no injuries but a vehicle that cannot move, call 911, follow their directions and stay clear of traffic. With no injuries and a movable vehicle, move it off the road when safe rather than blocking traffic, exchange license, vehicle and insurance information, record the damage, write down how the crash happened, and get any witnesses' information. You must report a crash to police when someone is injured or killed, when property damage reaches $1,000 or more, when government property such as signs or guard rails is damaged $200 or more, when a vehicle cannot be moved, or when a driver seems under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Roadside emergencies
Call 911 for injuries and turn on the flashers. If the brakes fail, pump the pedal several times, pull the parking brake (releasing it if you start to skid) and look for a safe place to stop. In a tire blowout, hold the wheel to keep straight, lift off the gas and slow gradually, then pull off when safe. If the engine quits, hold the wheel with the key in the "on" position, expect heavy steering, and pull to the side when safe. If the headlights fail, flip the switch off and on in case only the parking lights are on, turn on the flashers and low lights, and pull off. If the gas pedal sticks, keep your eyes on the road, shift to neutral, pull off when safe and turn off the engine.
Practise this with Wisconsin Driver License questions
More of this guide
The 20/40 vision standard, the 15-question signs test and 50-question knowledge test, required documents, sponsorship, the instruction permit's supervising-driver rules, the 50 practice hours, the nine-month GDL restrictions, renewal every eight years, points, habitual offenders, occupational licenses, seat belts, child seats and insurance.
Who you yield to, the four-second rule, the 25, 15 and 35 mph default limits, merging, seeing 10 to 15 seconds ahead, mirrors every six to eight seconds, tailgaters, left turns with the wheels straight, U-turns, the Y-turn, passing and blind spots, backing, hill and parallel parking, headlights and hand signals.
Warning, regulatory, construction, destination, service, mile-marker, route and railroad signs as the Wisconsin handbook presents them, with the doubled work-zone fines, the 25 mph slow-moving vehicle triangle, reserved parking, and what to do at gates and flashing lights.
Every signal light and arrow, turning right and left on red, dark signals, white and yellow line rules and their exceptions, shared center, reversible, reserved and flex lanes, one- and two-lane roundabouts, metered ramps, the diverging diamond, traffic stops, deer and funeral processions.
The 0.00 percent limit under 21, drugs and medicines, implied consent and the one-year refusal penalty, headphones and phones, drowsiness, pedestrians, emergency vehicles and the Move Over law, stopping 20 feet from a school bus, motorcycles, three feet for bicycles and truck No-Zones.