Driver's License Test Prep
Oregon Practice Emergencies

You're approaching an emergency scene in Oregon. Fire hoses are running across the road. May you drive over them?

  1. A.
    When you can cross them at low speed.
  2. B.
    When officials at the scene direct you to. Correct
  3. C.
    When no other route is available.
  4. D.
    When you can drive over them carefully.
The Why

The answer is "When officials at the scene direct you to."

When you approach emergency scenes, slow down and be prepared to stop. Do not drive over fire hoses unless told to do so by officials at the scene. Driving over a charged hose can collapse it, cutting off water to firefighters during an active fire. Officials may direct traffic over a hose temporarily, but only on their explicit direction. Driving carefully on your own initiative, as D proposes, substitutes personal caution for the official direction the manual actually requires.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. When you can cross them at low speed.

Slow speed does not authorize crossing; only direction from officials at the scene does. This answer reads the rule as a speed-based condition; the manual conditions crossing on official instruction, not on how slowly you drive.

C. When no other route is available.

Lack of an alternate route does not authorize crossing fire hoses; you still need an official's direction. This answer treats necessity as an exemption; the manual gives no such exception, requiring official direction regardless of available routes.

D. When you can drive over them carefully.

Driving carefully on your own initiative does not authorize crossing a fire hose; only an official's direction does. This answer treats personal caution as a substitute for the manual's required condition that officials at the scene tell you to cross.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Emergencies in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Approaching Stopped Vehicles," p.57..

More from this topic

Related Oregon questions

More than a book

You just took one Oregon question apart. The book does it for the whole test.

The Oregon 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.

Get the book on Amazon

$18.99 paperback, free companion included.

Free study plan

Your free Oregon study plan

A short run of study emails for the Oregon DMV test: what to drill, the rules people trip on, and a final pre-test checklist. The printable cheat sheet is free to grab either way.

One email a few times a month. No spam, unsubscribe anytime. Privacy.