When driving in bad weather, drivers should:
- Increase their speed to reach their final destination more quickly.
- Decrease their following distance.
- Increase their following distance. ✓
- None of the above.
Answer: C. Increase their following distance.
When driving in bad weather, drivers should increase their following distance.
Why this is the answer
The manual says that in bad weather you should add to the two-second space cushion and count at least three or four seconds behind the vehicle ahead. It also explains that rear-end crashes usually happen when a driver follows too closely, and that leaving enough room lets you stop safely if the car in front stops suddenly. Under poor conditions, more space gives you more time to react, so increasing your following distance fits the rule.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Increase their speed to reach their final destination more quickly. — The manual calls for extra caution in hard-to-see conditions and following the speed limit, not speeding up to arrive sooner.
- B. Decrease their following distance. — A shorter following distance is the tailgating behavior the manual links to rear-end crashes; bad weather calls for more space, not less.
- D. None of the above. — The manual does give a clear answer for bad weather: add at least three or four seconds of following space, so none of the above does not fit.
Remember it
In rain, snow, or fog, count slower behind the car ahead: three or four seconds, not two.