On wet pavement, how much following distance does the manual tell you to keep behind the vehicle ahead?
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A.
The same spacing you keep on dry pavement
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B.
At least twice the normal following distance Correct
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C.
Ten times the dry-pavement stopping distance
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D.
Half of what you'd keep in dry weather
The answer is "At least twice the normal following distance"
On wet pavement, the manual says to allow at least twice the normal following distance. The trap is choice C, where drivers lift the two-to-ten-times figure from the stopping-distance sentence a line above and treat it as the following-distance rule.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. The same spacing you keep on dry pavement
The manual tells you to allow at least twice the normal following distance in rain, not the same spacing you would hold on dry pavement. This answer treats rain as a visibility problem only, missing the longer stopping distance that forces extra spacing.
C. Ten times the dry-pavement stopping distance
Ten times is the top of the stopping-distance range the manual names in the sentence just before, not the following-distance rule. This answer lifts the two-to-ten-times figure from the stopping-distance line and reads it as the spacing rule.
D. Half of what you'd keep in dry weather
Closing the gap gives you less room to react on slippery pavement, which is the opposite of what the manual tells you to do. This answer trusts a tighter follow as the way to catch a brake light sooner, when the wet surface demands the opposite.
This question tests your knowledge of Adverse Conditions in North Carolina. Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, "Rain," p.72..
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