If there is a deep puddle on the road ahead, you should:
- Maintain the posted speed to make it through the water.
- Avoid the puddle if possible. ✓
- Shift into neutral as you drive through the water.
Answer: B. Avoid the puddle if possible.
Avoid the puddle if possible.
Why this is the answer
The handbook warns that heavy water on a road can hide hazards, cause the road to collapse, or damage the vehicle, and that you may not be able to judge depth just by looking. If the water is deep, crossing can be too dangerous, so the best move is to find another route. Only when there is no other choice should you drive through, and then slowly, testing your brakes afterward.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Maintain the posted speed to make it through the water. — Keeping the posted speed is not supported; the handbook says that if you must drive through flooded water, you should go slowly.
- C. Shift into neutral as you drive through the water. — Shifting into neutral is not given as a water-crossing step; the guidance is to avoid deep water or, if forced, drive slowly and then check your brakes.
Remember it
Depth is hard to judge from the driver's seat, so treat a deep puddle as a reason to choose another route.
Official handbook: California Driver Handbook (DL 600), Section 8: Safe Driving, p. 63