Driver license the official handbook

48  
©2017 Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
Low Visibility
Smoke from wild fires and 
controlled burning, fog, and heavy 
rain will affect your ability to see. 
When driving in low visibility 
conditions:
  • You must turn on your 
headlights in fog, smoke, and 
rain. Parking lights are not a 
substitute.
  • Drive with lights on low beam. 
High beams will reflect back 
off the fog and impair visibility 
even more. 
  • DO NOT drive using flashing 
hazard lights. Only use when 
your car is broken down/
stopped on the side of the road.  
  • Turn on your headlights 
whenever you turn on your 
windshield wipers. 
  • Use wipers and defrosters for 
maximum visibility. Sometimes 
it is difficult to determine if 
poor visibility is due to fog or 
moisture on the windshield.
  • Use the right edge of the road 
or edge lines and center lines as 
visual guides.
  • Eliminate all distractions in your 
vehicle. Turn off the radio, cell 
phone, etc. 
  • Watch out for slow-moving and 
parked vehicles. 
  • Keep your windshield and 
headlights clean to reduce the 
glare and increase visibility.
Rain
When you turn on your windshield 
wipers, turn on your headlights. Do 
not turn on emergency flashers.
Slow down! Roads become slick 
during rainstorms and especially 
if it has not rained in a while (oil 
build-up on the highway). Wet 
road conditions will increase your 
braking/stopping distance, so be 
sure to increase following distance. 
Hydroplaning happens when your 
car slides on top of a thin layer 
of water between your tires and 
the road. When your tires are not 
touching the road, you can easily 
lose control and skid. Tires with low 
air pressure or bad tread increase the 
risk of hydroplaning— and so does 
speeding.  
Brakes often become wet after 
driving in heavy rain. They may pull 
to one side or the other, or they may 
not hold at all. If this happens, slow 
down and gently push on the brake 
pedal until your brakes are working 
again.
If you come to a roadway that is 
flooded, turn around and find 
another way to go. Do not attempt 
to drive through the water!
 It is 
impossible to determine the depth 
or current and your vehicle could 
become submerged or swept away.
Flashing hazard lights must only be used while your vehicle 
is legally stopped or disabled on the highway or shoulder. 
(exception: funeral processions)

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The Official Florida Driver License Handbook—rev. 051417
  
49  
..............................................................................................................SPECIAL DRIVING SITUATIONS
Animals
There may be times when an 
animal suddenly runs in front of 
your vehicle. Do not swerve into 
oncoming traffic or off the roadway 
to avoid hitting the animal. This 
may result in a more serious crash 
than if your vehicle collided with 
the animal. 
To reduce your chances of colliding 
with an animal:
  • Use caution when driving at 
dawn and dusk; this is when 
animals are most active.
 • Be extra alert when driving on 
roadways marked with animal 
crossing signs and near woods 
and water.
  • Scan the sides of the road. 
Watch for the reflection of 
your headlights in the eyes of 
animals.
  • Deer/vehicle crashes occur most 
frequently from October to 
December.
  • Slow down when approaching 
animals that are standing near 
the roadway, they may bolt out 
or change direction.
  • Flash your headlights to warn 
other drivers when animals are 
spotted on or near the road.
  • If you have time to avoid hitting 
an animal, reduce your speed, 
tap your brakes, and sound 
your horn. Deer tend to fixate 
on headlights so flashing them 
may cause the animal to freeze. 
If there are no vehicles close 
behind you, brake hard without 
locking your wheels.
  • If collision is inevitable, do not 
swerve to avoid the animal. 
Keep your vehicle under control 
and on the roadway.
  • Report the crash to the police if 
it involves a large animal such as 
a bear, deer, or farm animal. 
Following Law 
Enforcement Officer 
Instructions
If you are stopped by a law 
enforcement officer:
 1.  Safely pull off immediately to 
the extreme right, and clear of 
traffic.
 2.  At night, reduce your headlights 
to parking lights and turn on 
your interior light. 
 3.  Stay in the driver’s seat. Do not 
get out of the vehicle unless 
asked to do so. Keep your hands 
visible. Sit calmly and follow the 
officer’s instructions.
 4.  Be prepared to show your driver 
license, vehicle registration, and 
proof of insurance when asked.
If a law enforcement officer is 
directing traffic where there is a 
traffic signal, obey the officer not 
the signal.
  

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50  
©2017 Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles

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8
The Official Florida Driver License Handbook—rev. 051417
  
51  
HANDLING EMERGENCIES
Defensive Driving
Defensive driving is using safe driving strategies to prevent crashes.  This 
means that you alter your driving to fit the weather conditions, the way 
you feel, and the actions of other drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Follow 
these steps to avoid crashes:
 1.  Look for possible danger. For example, if you see school zone signs plan 
what you will do if a child runs or rides into the street.
 2.  Anticipate what another driver might do and make appropriate 
adjustments. For example, you’ve noticed someone aggressively passing 
and changing lanes as they approach you from the rear. You should 
anticipate that they will probably pass you and cut you off—slow down 
and be ready to brake if necessary.
 3.  Crashes happen at intersections more than any other place. Use extra 
caution when approaching an intersection.
 4.  Once you have seen a dangerous situation, act right away to prevent a 
crash. 
 5.  If a crash is unavoidable:
 
◆
 It is better to swerve off the road than into oncoming traffic.
 
◆
 It is better to drive off the road than to skid off.
 
◆
 It is better to hit something that is not moving instead of a vehicle 
moving toward you.
 
◆
 Hitting a vehicle moving in the same direction as you is better than 
hitting a vehicle head-on.
 
◆
 Hitting a “soft object” (e.g., a garden hedge) is better than hitting a 
solid object like a tree or post.
Last year in Florida 5% of teen drivers (1 in 20) were involved in a crash and 
over 100 teen drivers or teen passengers were killed (Source: DHSMV.)
Avoiding Rear-end Collisions
To avoid striking the vehicle in front of you, keep at least four seconds 
following distance and add more time during bad weather or heavy traffic. 
To lower the risk of someone running into the rear of your vehicle:
  • Check your brake lights often to make sure they are clean and working 
properly.
  • Know what is going on around you. Use rear-view and side mirrors.
  • Signal well in advance for turns, stops, and lane changes.
  • Avoid sudden stops; slow down gradually. 
  • Drive with the flow of traffic (within the speed limit). Driving too 
slowly can be dangerous.

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