If you find that the roadway ahead of you is flooded, you should:
- Slam on the brakes.
- Not drive through the flooded area. Turn around and find another route. ✓
- Drive only in the center of the roadway.
Answer: B. Not drive through the flooded area. Turn around and find another route.
Do not drive through the flooded area — turn around and find another route.
Why this is the answer
The handbook explains that water on a road can hide real dangers: you can be swept off the road, hit floating debris or unseen hazards, or the road itself may collapse. It also says looking at the water may not tell you how deep it is, and if the water is deep the road may be too dangerous to cross. That is why the handbook says it is best to find another route. Only if you have no other choice should you drive through slowly, then test your brakes afterward.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Slam on the brakes. — Braking hard is not what the handbook advises here; it tells you to avoid the flooded road by turning around and taking another route, not to stop abruptly in it.
- C. Drive only in the center of the roadway. — The handbook never says the middle of the road is safer, and it warns that you may not be able to judge the water's depth by looking, so unseen hazards and being swept off the road remain risks.
Remember it
Water you can't measure isn't worth the risk — take the long way around instead of testing the depth.
Official handbook: California Driver Handbook (DL 600), Section 8: Safe Driving, p. 63