Which of the following is an example of a safe driving practice?
- Staring only at the middle of the road.
- Always keep your eyes moving to scan the surroundings. ✓
- Using your high-beam headlights in the fog
Answer: B. Always keep your eyes moving to scan the surroundings.
Always keeping your eyes moving to scan the surroundings is the safe driving practice.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says that to drive safely you need to know what is around you, which helps you make good decisions and react to hazards. It tells drivers to keep their eyes moving and scan the road at least 10 seconds ahead instead of making last-minute moves. An active scan gives you time to react, while a fixed stare does not tell you what is happening to the sides or behind you.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Staring only at the middle of the road. — Staring only at the middle of the road leaves you blind to the blind spots, the areas beside you, and what is behind you, so you cannot see hazards coming.
- C. Using your high-beam headlights in the fog — The passages do not mention high-beam use in fog, and nothing there supports it as a safe practice.
Remember it
Think of your eyes as a searchlight that never stops moving, checking ahead, beside, and behind, not a spotlight locked on one spot.
Official handbook: California Driver Handbook (DL 600), Section 8: Safe Driving, p. 57