The manual's defensive-driving scanning rule tells you to look how far ahead on the roadway?
-
A.
10 to 15 seconds ahead, roughly one city block Correct
-
B.
Just past the vehicle directly in front of you
-
C.
Three to five car lengths, matching the two-second rule
-
D.
As far as the headlights reach at night
The answer is "10 to 15 seconds ahead, roughly one city block"
The manual sets the defensive scanning rule at 10 to 15 seconds ahead, about one city block, so you have enough lead time to avoid sudden stops or quick lane changes. Drivers who carry the two-second following habit over to the forward look land on choice C, confusing a gap behind the car ahead with how far to scan.
The traps in the wrong answers
B. Just past the vehicle directly in front of you
Stops at the lead car, where the eye settles on its own. This answer trades the rule's city-block reach for the nearest thing in view, which is what leaves no time to react to a stop further up the road.
C. Three to five car lengths, matching the two-second rule
Following gap and scanning horizon are two different measures: the following rule sets how much space to keep behind the car ahead, while the manual's scanning rule names how far to look down the road. A time-based gap also covers different distances at different speeds, so two seconds does not translate to a fixed three to five car lengths. This answer carries the two-second following habit over to forward scanning and locks it to a fixed car-length figure.
D. As far as the headlights reach at night
Headlight reach describes how far you can see, while the manual sets scanning in time (10 to 15 seconds), not in beam distance. This answer reaches for the night-driving rule of thumb to never outdrive your headlights and applies it to the manual's general forward-scanning target.
This question tests your knowledge of Defensive Driving in North Carolina. Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, "Defensive Driving - Scanning," p.68..
Related North Carolina questions
- The manual's advice for lane discipline in heavy city traffic is: →
- On a one-way street with three lanes, which lane should through-traffic use? →
- Which parts of the roadway does the manual say are often the first to freeze as temperatures drop? →
- The manual's Snow and Ice section says that when you stop on a snowy or icy road, you should do what? →
- Aside from the risk of parked vehicles pulling out or pedestrians darting from between them, what other hazard does the manual say parked vehicles create in the city? →
You just took one North Carolina question apart. The book does it for the whole test.
The North Carolina book unlocks a free companion: an adaptive study plan, progress synced across your devices, a denser laminate cheat sheet, and a test-day walkthrough. Verify your copy once, usually in seconds; there's nothing extra to buy.
Paperback, free companion included.