Driving Situations and Conditions — Maryland Driver's License Practice Test

This section covers driving in challenging situations and conditions: reduced visibility, using your headlights, slippery roads, skids and hydroplaning, railroad crossings, work zones, traffic circles, and limited-access highways. Reduced visibility is most commonly caused by darkness, fog, heavy rain, and snow, and when it happens you can use the lines on the road as a guide — yellow markings should always be on your left, and white markings mark the right edge. Knowing how to adjust for each condition is what keeps you in control when the road is not ideal.

You must turn on your headlights anytime there is not enough light to clearly see at least 1,000 feet ahead, and Maryland law also requires headlights when using your windshield wipers in inclement weather. Use low beams for normal night driving with streetlights and in fog, rain, or snow, and high beams on roads without streetlights; change to low beams at least 500 feet before oncoming vehicles and when following within 300 feet. Wet roads reduce traction, so you need a much greater following distance — even more on snow or ice — and ramps and bridges freeze before roads. If your vehicle begins to skid, release the accelerator or brake, steer in the direction you are skidding, and look where you want to go; if you start to hydroplane, take your foot off the gas, do not brake, keep the vehicle straight, and slow down until you regain control.

At railroad crossings, never start to cross unless you can get completely over before the train comes, remember trains cannot stop quickly and may be closer and faster than they appear, and if gates are down or lights are flashing the road is closed until they clear; after a train passes, look both ways because another may be coming on another track. In work zones, orange is the color to watch for, flashing lights mean workers are present, and you should slow down, minimize distractions, merge carefully, avoid tailgating, and obey the flagger. Roads leading to traffic circles have yield signs and you must always yield to traffic already in the circle. Limited-access highways have no intersections or traffic lights: use the acceleration lane to match traffic when entering, move to the right lane well before your exit and slow in the deceleration lane, and if you miss your exit continue and re-enter rather than stopping or backing up.