Hydroplaning happens when a vehicle's tires skim or float over a wet road surface, reducing or eliminating steering and braking. What does the Oregon manual recommend to reduce the risk?
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A.
Pump the brakes lightly while driving in rain to keep them dry.
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B.
Engage cruise control to keep your speed steady through wet conditions.
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C.
Brake firmly and later than usual the moment you feel the tires skim.
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D.
Slow down when roads are wet, because the ability to steer and stop can be reduced or lost. Correct
The answer is "Slow down when roads are wet, because the ability to steer and stop can be reduced or lost."
The rule is plain: slow down when roads are wet, because the ability to steer and stop can be reduced or lost when tires skim the surface. Lower speed means less water for the tires to displace and a smaller loss of control if a brief skim does happen. Choice B treats cruise control as a way to hold a safe steady speed, but the Rain section flatly says not to use cruise control in wet conditions.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Pump the brakes lightly while driving in rain to keep them dry.
The manual's brake-drying advice ("gently apply the brakes while driving slowly until they begin to respond") is for after driving through water, not a hydroplaning preventive while driving in rain. This answer misapplies the manual's after-water brake-drying step ("gently apply the brakes while driving slowly until they begin to respond") as a hydroplaning preventive while driving in rain.
B. Engage cruise control to keep your speed steady through wet conditions.
The Rain section states plainly, "Do not use cruise control in wet conditions." Using cruise control on wet roads is the opposite of the manual's rule, not a hydroplaning preventive. This answer inverts the manual's wet-conditions rule ("Do not use cruise control in wet conditions") by treating cruise control as a way to manage hydroplaning risk.
C. Brake firmly and later than usual the moment you feel the tires skim.
The Rain section says, "When roads are wet, apply the brakes sooner and more gently than usual." Braking later and harder is the opposite of the manual's wet-road braking rule. This answer inverts the manual's wet-road braking rule ("apply the brakes sooner and more gently than usual") by treating later, firmer braking as a hydroplaning response.
This question tests your knowledge of Adverse Conditions in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Hazardous Conditions, Rain," p.78..
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