You feel your vehicle begin to hydroplane on a wet road. What does the manual tell you to do with the gas pedal?
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A.
Slowly take your foot off the gas pedal. Correct
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B.
Turn the steering wheel sharply toward the shoulder.
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C.
Accelerate to push through the water.
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D.
Slam on the brakes to stop quickly.
The answer is "Slowly take your foot off the gas pedal."
The manual's hydroplaning steps say to keep both hands on the wheel and slowly take your foot off the gas pedal so the vehicle slows and the tread reconnects with the road. Drivers falling back on the off-road habit of powering through a puddle reach for C, while the panic-brake instinct drilled for dry-pavement emergencies pulls other test-takers toward D.
The traps in the wrong answers
B. Turn the steering wheel sharply toward the shoulder.
Turning suddenly while the tires are riding on water spins the vehicle out; the manual says to turn slowly and only as much as necessary to keep the vehicle on the road. This answer treats hydroplaning like a fixed hazard to swerve around, borrowing the evasive-steering reflex that only works when the tires still grip the pavement.
C. Accelerate to push through the water.
The manual explains that the faster you drive on a wet roadway, the less effective your tires become at wiping water from the road, so more speed makes hydroplaning worse. This answer borrows the off-road habit of powering through mud or standing water, which does not apply on paved wet roads where extra speed reduces tire contact.
D. Slam on the brakes to stop quickly.
The manual warns not to slam on the brakes during hydroplaning because sudden braking will send the vehicle into a skid. This answer reaches for the panic-brake reflex drivers fall back on when something surprises them, missing that the tires are already riding on a film of water and have nothing to bite when the brakes clamp.
This question tests your knowledge of Emergencies in Pennsylvania. Source: Pennsylvania Driver Manual, "Hydroplaning," p.41..
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