Special Driving Situations and Hazard Awareness
What this domain tests
This domain tests hazard recognition in Florida conditions: thunderstorms, heavy rain, lightning, fog, hurricanes, flooding, construction, school zones, pedestrians, and downed power lines. The exam rewards early speed reduction and choosing not to proceed when conditions are unsafe.
Core rules
- In rain, fog, or smoke, slow down, increase following distance, and use low-beam headlights. Do not use cruise control on wet roads.
- If you hydroplane, ease off the accelerator and steer straight; do not brake hard or jerk the wheel.
- Never drive through moving floodwater or water of unknown depth. Turn around and report the hazard.
- In lightning, stay inside the bus when possible. In a tornado warning, leave the bus and seek a sturdy building or low area, not an overpass.
- Treat downed power lines as energized. Stay inside the bus and call for help unless fire forces evacuation; if you must leave, keep away from the lines.
- In school zones and near stops, cover the brake and scan for children who may run out from between vehicles.
Worked example
Heavy rain has covered a low section of your route with muddy water, and you cannot see the road surface. Reasoning: depth and current are unknown, and a school bus can stall or be swept off the road. Correct action: stop before the water, do not enter, notify dispatch, and wait for instructions or reroute. Do not follow a car through just because it made it.
Traps that cost marks
- Driving into floodwater to stay on schedule.
- Using cruise control in heavy rain.
- Braking hard while hydroplaning.
- Sheltering under an overpass during a tornado warning.
- Assuming a downed line is dead because it is not sparking.
Key points
- Slow down and increase following distance in rain, fog, and smoke; use low beams.
- Do not use cruise control on wet roads, and ease off if you hydroplane.
- Never drive through moving or unknown-depth floodwater.
- Treat downed power lines as energized and stay inside the bus unless fire forces you out.
- In school zones and near stops, cover the brake and scan for children.