Florida Driver License: Special Situations and Emergencies

20 questions with the correct answer and an explanation for each. Topic: Emergencies. Free, no account needed.

1. A deer darts into the road right in front of you and there's no time to stop. What should you do?

Swerve into the oncoming lane to avoid it
Keep control and stay on the road, accepting the collision if it can't be avoided
Brake hard and lock the wheels to stop immediately
Swerve onto the shoulder

Answer: B — Keep control and stay on the road, accepting the collision if it can't be avoided

Swerving off the road or into oncoming traffic usually turns out worse than hitting the animal, so the safest choice is to keep control and stay on the road.

2. You're driving past a wooded area around dusk, when animals are most active. What is a good way to spot a deer near the road before it enters your path?

Watch for the reflection of your headlights in its eyes
Listen for movement in the brush over your engine noise
Flash your high beams at the roadside to make deer move away
Rely on the deer crossing sign to mark exactly where they'll cross

Answer: A — Watch for the reflection of your headlights in its eyes

The document's specific spotting technique is scanning the roadside for the eye-shine created by your own headlights.

3. You're driving through thick fog at night. Which headlights should you use?

Low beams, since high beams reflect back and make visibility worse
Parking lights, to cut down on glare
High beams, for maximum reach
Alternate between high and low beams

Answer: A — Low beams, since high beams reflect back and make visibility worse

High beams reflect off fog particles and worsen visibility, so low beams are the correct choice.

4. You reach a stretch of road covered in floodwater and can't tell how deep it is. What should you do?

Follow another vehicle that has already crossed
Drive through slowly in low gear
Turn around
Cross if the water surface looks calm

Answer: C — Turn around

You cannot judge floodwater depth or current, and the vehicle can be swept away or submerged, so the correct response is to turn around.

5. An oncoming vehicle is approaching you at night. At what distance should you switch to low beams?

300 feet
500 feet
450 feet
200 feet

Answer: B — 500 feet

Florida law requires dimming to low beams within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle.

6. You're driving at night fast enough that you couldn't stop within the distance your headlights let you see. What is this practice called?

Tailgating
Overcorrecting
Overdriving your lights
Hydroplaning

Answer: C — Overdriving your lights

Going faster than you can stop within your headlights' range is called overdriving your lights.

7. A crash is unavoidable, and your only choice is between hitting a parked car or a vehicle moving toward you head-on. Which should you choose?

The moving vehicle, since hitting it at an angle spreads the impact
Whichever is closer, since there is less time to build up speed
The parked, stationary car
The moving vehicle, since it can get out of the way

Answer: C — The parked, stationary car

Among unavoidable collisions, hitting something stationary is the lesser harm compared to a vehicle coming toward you.

8. A driver behind you is weaving aggressively between lanes and closing in on you. What should you expect and do?

Expect them to cut in front of you, so slow down and be ready to brake
Speed up to open distance from them
Expect them to stay behind you and maintain your speed
Move into their lane to block the pass

Answer: A — Expect them to cut in front of you, so slow down and be ready to brake

Aggressive lane changes behind you usually mean the driver will cut in front, so the safe response is to slow down and be ready to brake.

9. You're pulled over and there is a weapon in the vehicle. When should you tell the officer?

As soon as the officer approaches
Only if asked directly
Never volunteer it
After you receive the ticket

Answer: A — As soon as the officer approaches

You should disclose a weapon in the vehicle immediately when the officer approaches, without waiting to be asked.

10. An officer hands you a ticket to sign and you refuse. What can happen?

You can be arrested
You have protected yourself, since signing would have been an admission of guilt
Nothing, signing is optional
The ticket becomes void

Answer: A — You can be arrested

Signing a ticket isn't an admission of guilt, but refusing to sign can lead to arrest.

11. You've just been in a crash that injured another driver. What must you do first?

Stop and call 911 or the highway patrol
Photograph the damage before contacting anyone
Exchange insurance information first
Wait for police to arrive before doing anything

Answer: A — Stop and call 911 or the highway patrol

The first required step after a crash causing injury is to stop and call 911, *FHP, or local police.

12. A crash caused only vehicle damage, no injuries, and no police report was written. What are you required to do afterward?

Report it within 24 hours
Report it only if your insurer asks
Report it in writing to FLHSMV within 10 days
Nothing further is required

Answer: C — Report it in writing to FLHSMV within 10 days

When police don't write a report, a crash with vehicle or property damage must still be reported in writing to FLHSMV within 10 days.

13. A driver leaves the scene of a crash in which someone was killed. How does the law treat that offense?

A mandatory three-year license revocation, with no additional prison time
A first-degree felony with at least four years in prison
A second-degree misdemeanor
A third-degree felony

Answer: B — A first-degree felony with at least four years in prison

Leaving the scene after a death is a first-degree felony carrying a minimum four years in prison, on top of the license revocation.

14. You reach a crash victim who seems calm and shows no signs of shock. What should you still do?

Just monitor them, since they show no symptoms
Treat them for shock anyway
Give them water to keep them hydrated
Sit them upright to help them breathe

Answer: B — Treat them for shock anyway

Every injured person should be treated for shock whether or not they appear to be in it, and never given anything to drink.

15. In good conditions, how many seconds of following distance should you keep behind the vehicle ahead to avoid rear-ending it?

Four seconds
Three seconds
Two seconds
Six seconds

Answer: A — Four seconds

Keeping four seconds of following distance, more in bad conditions, helps avoid rear-end crashes.

16. Your vehicle has ABS and you need to brake hard in an emergency. What should you do?

Release the brake periodically to avoid locking it
Press hard, hold, and steer
Press lightly so the ABS doesn't engage
Pump the brake pedal rapidly

Answer: B — Press hard, hold, and steer

With ABS you press hard, hold, and steer; pumping or releasing the brake actually turns the anti-lock system off.

17. Your engine catches fire and you don't have an extinguisher. What should you do?

Try to smother it with a blanket
Pour water on it to cool the flames
Get out, call 911, and move well away from the vehicle
Keep driving to the nearest gas station for help

Answer: C — Get out, call 911, and move well away from the vehicle

Without an extinguisher you can't safely fight the fire, so you should get out, call 911, and get well away, since the fumes are toxic and the vehicle can explode.

18. You reach an intersection where the traffic signals are dark from a power outage, and another car arrives at the same time from your right. Who goes first?

The driver on the left
The driver on your right
Neither has to stop; a dark signal means treat the intersection as a yield
You, since you're proceeding straight

Answer: B — The driver on your right

Dark signals are treated as a four-way stop, and when two drivers arrive together, the one on the left yields to the one on the right.

19. Your car stalls on railroad tracks and the crossing lights start flashing. Which way should you run?

Straight down the tracks, away from the train
At a 45-degree angle away from the direction the train is coming from
Back toward the car to try to push it clear
At a 45-degree angle toward the direction the train is coming from

Answer: D — At a 45-degree angle toward the direction the train is coming from

Running at a 45-degree angle toward the oncoming train sends any wreckage flying away from you rather than toward you.

20. Your car has just gone into a canal and is sinking. What should you do first?

Wait for the cabin to fill with water so the doors will open
Open a door right away to get out quickly
Call 911 immediately, then unbuckle and open a door
Unbuckle and get out through a window before calling 911

Answer: D — Unbuckle and get out through a window before calling 911

You should get out before calling 911: unbuckle and open a window, since opening a door instead floods the car instantly.