Special Driving Conditions
Special Driving Conditions tests Nevada hazards: desert heat, dust storms, flash floods, mountain snow and ice, fog, and high wind. The exam looks for the specific survival action, not a vague instruction to be careful.
Dust and heat
When visibility drops in blowing dust, slow down and pull completely off the pavement. Turn off your lights, set the parking brake, and take your foot off the brake so a following driver does not steer toward your taillights. Never stop in the travel lane. In extreme heat, check tires and coolant, carry water, and never leave children or pets in a parked vehicle.
Water and ice
Flash floods are the deadliest desert hazard. Turn around, do not drown. Six inches of moving water can knock a person down, and a foot can float many vehicles. Do not drive around barricades or into a flooded wash. In snow and ice, slow down, increase following distance, brake gently, and avoid cruise control. Use low beams in fog; high beams reflect back and reduce visibility.
Wind
In high wind, grip the wheel with both hands, reduce speed, and watch for blowing dust and high-profile vehicles.
Worked example
Visibility drops to about 100 feet in a dust storm. The correct response is to slow, pull fully onto the shoulder, turn off the lights, and set the parking brake. Stopping in the lane or leaving lights on invites a rear-end crash.
Traps that cost marks
Stopping in the travel lane during dust; using high beams in fog; driving through a flooded wash because it looks shallow; using cruise control on wet roads.