While driving, you should look 10 to 15 seconds ahead of you:
- And focus on the middle of the road.
- Because it is a legal requirement.
- To see potential hazards early. ✓
Answer: C. To see potential hazards early.
You look 10 to 15 seconds ahead while driving so you can see potential hazards early.
Why this is the answer
The handbook's safe driving section says you should keep your eyes moving and scan the road at least 10 seconds ahead of your vehicle. It explains that knowing what is around you helps you make good decisions, react to hazards, and avoid last-minute moves. Scanning well down the road is how that time and space get created, which is exactly what looking ahead for hazards means.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. And focus on the middle of the road. — Staring at the middle of the road fixes your view close to the car and stops the eyes from moving and scanning far ahead, which is what the handbook tells you to do.
- B. Because it is a legal requirement. — The handbook presents looking ahead as a safe driving habit that gives you time to react, not as something done because the law requires it.
Remember it
Aim your eyes far down the road, not at the pavement right in front of your bumper; the farther out you look, the sooner trouble shows up.
Official handbook: California Driver Handbook (DL 600), Section 8: Safe Driving, p. 57