Difficult conditions

50 questions

• Before crossing a railroad crossing, you must stop just before it (or just before the stop line if there is one) and check both directions for safety with your own eyes and ears, for example by opening the window.
• Even at a railroad crossing with a traffic light, you must always come to a full stop when the light is green.
• You must not enter a railroad crossing when the warning bell is ringing, or when the barrier is down or starting to come down.
• When following the car ahead across a railroad crossing, you may skip the stop because the car ahead has already checked for safety.
• Inside a railroad crossing, you should not change gears; keep the low gear you started in and cross in one go, to avoid stalling the engine.
• If your car breaks down on a railroad crossing, it is enough to alert the train driver; you do not need to move the car off the crossing.
• On a long downhill slope, it is safer to use the foot brake frequently instead of engine braking.
• On a downhill slope the car picks up speed and the stopping distance grows, so you should keep a longer following distance.
• When two vehicles meet on a narrow slope, as a rule the vehicle going uphill should give way to the vehicle coming downhill.
• On corners and curves, the rear wheels follow a tighter line than the front wheels (the "inner wheel difference"), so you can catch pedestrians or cyclists on the inside. Extra care is needed.
• On a road with a cliff drop on one side, when vehicles cannot pass each other safely, the vehicle on the side away from the cliff must stop and give way.
• When approaching a corner or curve, you should slow down enough while still on the straight section before it.
• On a corner or curve you may overtake the vehicle ahead as long as no oncoming vehicle is approaching.
• On rainy days you should drive slower than on clear days and keep plenty of distance from the car ahead.
• When passing near pedestrians, you must slow down so you do not splash them with mud or water.
• Driving through a deep puddle improves your brakes, so you should go through it on purpose.
• Paved roads at the start of rain, steel plates at construction sites, and tram rails are slippery and dangerous.
• On mountain roads in the rain, do not drive too close to the road shoulder because the ground may be soft.
• When the inside of the windows fogs up, use the defroster or open a side window to clear it.
• On a road where vehicles without tire chains are prohibited, you may still drive without chains if you have studless tires.
• On snowy or icy roads, it is better to drive in the tracks left by other vehicles.
• Spike (studded) tires may be freely used on roads other than snowy or icy ones.
• In fog, turn on your fog lights early, or your headlights if the vehicle has no fog lights, and drive at a reduced speed.
• At night, visibility is poor and it is hard to judge your own speed, so you should drive more slowly and carefully than in daytime.
• If you get sleepy while driving, it is fine to keep driving as long as you open the window for fresh air.
• Because many accidents happen at dusk, you should turn your lights on early so others can see your vehicle.
• Except when driving in built-up areas with heavy traffic, you should use high beams.
• When the headlights of an oncoming car dazzle you, you should look slightly to the right of the road ahead so you are not blinded.
• Before blind intersections or curves, you should flash your headlights or switch to high beam to signal your approach.
• Interior lights may be kept on while driving in any type of vehicle.
• If you must stop or park on an expressway at night, you have to display a warning triangle in addition to turning on your lights.
• If your engine stalls on a railroad crossing or inside an intersection, the trick of putting the car in 1st or 2nd gear and moving it with the starter motor cannot be used on an automatic car.
• If the engine speed of a four-wheeled vehicle will not come down while you are driving, you should switch off the engine immediately on the spot.
• If a tire blows out while you are driving, you should brake hard to stop as quickly as possible.
• When the rear wheels start to skid sideways, you must not apply the brakes.
• When the rear wheels skid to the right, you should steer to the left to correct it.
• If the brakes stop working on a downhill slope or similar, you should quickly shift down to a lower gear and pull the handbrake.
• When there is a danger of a head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle, you should sound the horn and brake at the same time, and swerve as far to the right as possible.
• Mini-cars, small motorcycles (125cc or less), and general motorized bicycles (mopeds) are not allowed on expressways.
• Vehicles that structurally cannot reach 60 km/h or more, such as farm work vehicles, may not use national expressways.
• At a level crossing, just after a train has passed from one direction, another train may be approaching from the other direction.
• Traffic was backed up on the far side of the crossing, but the alarm was not sounding, so I drove onto the crossing.
• When crossing the tracks, it is best to keep as close to the edge of the road as possible to avoid oncoming vehicles.
• If your car stalls on a crossing, use the push-button emergency alert device mounted on the alarm post to warn approaching trains.
• If you are stuck on a crossing with no flare, signal the train by burning something smoky nearby.
• Stopping behind another car on an uphill slope, I pulled up close behind it so I could move off easily.
• When starting on an uphill slope, use the handbrake as much as possible to keep from rolling back.
• Near the crest of a hill visibility is poor, so slow to a crawl — and overtaking there is prohibited.
• At night, your headlights and an oncoming car's can overlap so that a pedestrian near the middle of the road becomes invisible.
• In fog, use the horn as needed to prevent danger.