A road is closed with signs due to flooding. Under Pennsylvania law, what happens if you drive around the signs?
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A.
It is legal if your vehicle has four-wheel drive.
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B.
It is illegal and adds 2 points to your driving record. Correct
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C.
It is legal if no emergency responders are present.
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D.
It is legal if you drive slowly and use flashers.
The answer is "It is illegal and adds 2 points to your driving record."
The 2012 conditions law makes it illegal to drive around signs closing a road for hazards. A conviction adds 2 points and up to a $250 fine, climbing to $500 plus response costs when emergency responders are called out. The law names no capability, scene, or driving-style exception, so drivers who assume four-wheel drive, an empty scene, or a slow-and-cautious approach earns a pass (choices A, C, and D) are the ones who miss it.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. It is legal if your vehicle has four-wheel drive.
Vehicle capability is not a defense; the closure applies to every vehicle regardless of drivetrain. This answer extends four-wheel-drive capability into a legal exemption, borrowing the off-road habit that treats capable vehicles as excused from restrictions written for ordinary cars.
C. It is legal if no emergency responders are present.
The violation is complete once you pass the signs; a responder call-out only raises the fine to $500. This answer confuses the 'if emergency responders are called out' fine escalator with the trigger of the offense, treating an empty scene as though there is nothing left to violate.
D. It is legal if you drive slowly and use flashers.
Slow speed and hazard lights create no exception; a posted closure is absolute. This answer borrows the disabled-vehicle flasher habit, treating hazard lights and slow driving as a general 'proceed with caution' pass that a posted road closure recognizes.
This question tests your knowledge of Emergencies in Pennsylvania. Source: Pennsylvania Driver Manual, "Obedience to Traffic-Control Devices Warning of Hazardous Conditions Law," p.93..
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