Safe Driving Practices

Study questions with answers

12 sample Safe Driving Practices questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.

1. 1. On dry pavement, what following interval does Pennsylvania recommend to keep a safe space ahead of your vehicle?

   Correct answer: Four seconds

   A four-second following distance on dry roads gives you time to steer or brake around a hazard safely.

   Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive

2. 2. According to the manual, what is the most effective single action you can take to cut your risk of death or injury in a crash?

   Correct answer: Wear your seat belt

   Wearing your seat belt is described as the single most effective step to lower your risk of death or injury in a crash.

   Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive

3. 3. If fog becomes so thick you can barely see, the safest choice is to:

   Correct answer: Pull off the road and turn on your hazard lights

   In dense fog it is best to pull completely off the road, ideally into a parking lot, turn on your hazard lights, and wait until visibility improves.

   Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive

4. 4. When you drive into fog, you should use your:

   Correct answer: Low-beam headlights

   Use low-beam headlights in fog. High beams reflect off the fog and bounce light back into your eyes, making it harder to see.

   Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive

5. 5. On roads packed with snow, Pennsylvania advises drivers to:

   Correct answer: Cut your speed roughly in half

   On packed snow, cut your speed by about half, and on ice crawl along. Keep roughly ten times your usual gap from the vehicle ahead.

   Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive

6. 6. Compared with daytime, driving at night in Pennsylvania is more dangerous, and traffic death rates are about:

   Correct answer: Three to four times higher than in daylight

   Fatality rates are roughly three to four times higher at night than in daylight because vision is limited and glare, fatigue, and impaired drivers are more common.

   Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive

7. 7. For safety around an air bag, a driver should sit at least how far from the steering wheel?

   Correct answer: At least 10 inches away

   Position yourself at least ten inches away from the air bag, and always wear your lap and shoulder belts, since the air bag is only a supplemental device.

   Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive; Laws and Important Issues

8. 8. Where is the best place to keep a cushion of space around your vehicle?

   Correct answer: On all sides of the vehicle

   It is safest to maintain space on all sides of your vehicle so you always have an escape path if another driver makes a sudden move.

   Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive

9. 9. A head restraint gives the most protection against neck injury in a crash when it is adjusted so that its top is:

   Correct answer: Even with or above the tops of your ears

   Adjust the head restraint so its top reaches at least the height of the tops of your ears; this cushions your head and lowers the chance of neck injury in a crash.

   Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive

10. 10. "Black ice" is especially dangerous because it often forms when:

    Correct answer: The road looks wet but tires throw no spray

    Black ice is a thin, clear layer of ice on the road. It may be present when the pavement looks merely wet but no spray comes off other vehicles' tires.

    Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive

11. 11. Before backing your vehicle out of a parking space, the safest habit is to:

    Correct answer: Check behind the vehicle and turn to look through the rear window

    Look behind the vehicle before you even get in, since kids and small objects are hard to spot. Then twist around to see out the back window instead of trusting mirrors or sensors alone.

    Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive

12. 12. You watch the car ahead pass a road sign and then count how long until you reach the same spot. If it takes fewer than four seconds, you are:

    Correct answer: Following too closely

    Counting the seconds between a fixed point and your vehicle is how you check your gap. Less than four seconds means you are following too closely.

    Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive