roadwise.Open study app

Arizona driving lesson · Weather, Night Driving & Crash Avoidance

Sun glare, wind & dust storms

A 3-minute lesson from the Arizona course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

Study this lesson in the app Back to the course
Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Weather, Night Driving & Crash Avoidance
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
54, 55

Bad weather often cuts visibility and traction at the same time, and it shortens your time to react. The first rule in any bad weather is to slow down. Arizona adds a hazard most states don't: dust storms that can drop visibility to zero.

Know the rule

When weather reduces visibility and traction, the first rule is to slow down to make up for reduced visibility and reaction time.

Handbook p. 54 ↗

Know the rule

Driving into the early-morning or late-afternoon sun creates glare. Reduce it with sunglasses, clean windows and sun visors.

Handbook p. 54 ↗

Know the rule

When the sun is behind you, oncoming drivers may have the glare problem and may not see your signals or your car.

Handbook p. 54 ↗

Know the rule

Strong winds, especially crosswinds, make control harder — worst for campers, large RVs, towed trailers and lightweight vehicles. Slow down to gain control.

Handbook p. 54 ↗

Know the rule

Leaving a protected area for open space, expect crosswinds that push you to the side or middle of the road.

Handbook p. 54 ↗

Know the rule

Towing a trailer, wind can cause sway or even a jackknife. When a truck or bus passes on your left, move as far right in your lane as possible and slow down; as it passes, accelerate slowly.

Handbook p. 55 ↗

Know the rule

A headwind may need more gas and makes steering harder. A tailwind raises your speed, so slow down and start braking earlier.

Handbook p. 55 ↗

Pull Aside, Stay Alive

Arizona's dust storm rule: get off the road as soon as possible, before visibility makes it hard to pull off safely.

Handbook p. 55 ↗

In a severe dust storm:

  • Reduce your speed immediately
  • Drive completely off the highway
  • Stop as far to the right as possible
  • Don't stop in the travel lane or the emergency lane
  • Turn off your lights and take your foot off the brake
  • Stay in the vehicle with your seat belts buckled
  • Wait until the dust storm has passed
Handbook p. 55 ↗

Put it into practice

A wall of dust rolls across I-10. Check traffic, slow down, and pull completely off the highway as far right as you can. Turn off all lights, take your foot off the brake, stay buckled, and wait.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

What is the first rule when visibility and traction are reduced by bad weather?
  1. Slow down
  2. Turn on your high beams
  3. Follow more closely for visibility
  4. Speed up to clear the area faster

Answer: Slow down

The first rule in reduced visibility or poor traction conditions is to slow down.

Handbook p. 54 ↗
If the sun is behind you while driving, what problem might oncoming drivers face?
  1. They will see you more easily
  2. They must switch to high beams
  3. You will have the glare problem
  4. They may not see your signals or your car

Answer: They may not see your signals or your car

If the sun is behind you, oncoming drivers may have the glare problem and may not see your signals or car.

Handbook p. 54 ↗
What should you do to gain more control over your vehicle in strong winds?
  1. Speed up to steady the car
  2. Drive close to the center line
  3. Slow down
  4. Use cruise control

Answer: Slow down

Slowing down helps you gain more control over your vehicle in strong winds.

Handbook p. 54 ↗
You are pulling a trailer when a truck passes you on the left. What should you do?
  1. Speed up to match the truck
  2. Move right in your lane and slow down
  3. Move left toward the lane line
  4. Brake hard until it passes

Answer: Move right in your lane and slow down

Move as far right as possible and slow down as the vehicle passes, then accelerate slowly if towing a trailer to keep it straight.

Handbook p. 55 ↗
What is the first step recommended if you encounter a severe Arizona dust storm?
  1. Reduce your speed immediately
  2. Turn on your high beams
  3. Stop right where you are
  4. Follow the taillights ahead

Answer: Reduce your speed immediately

Reducing speed immediately is the first recommended step when encountering a dust storm.

Handbook p. 55 ↗
Bright sunlight in the early morning or late afternoon can create glare that impairs visibility.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

Sun glare during these times is a specific hazard called out in the handbook.

Handbook p. 54 ↗
Take the lesson checkpoint in the app

More in Weather, Night Driving & Crash Avoidance

All Arizona lessons