Rural roads — South Carolina Permit Test

On gravel or dirt roads, reduce your speed, increase your following distance, and expect you may skid when stopping.

Loose surfaces give the tires far less grip, so stops take longer and the car can slide.

You should reduce your speed, increase your following distance, and realize you may skid when trying to stop your vehicle.

On narrow rural roads, reduce speed, center your vehicle in your lane, and watch for oncoming traffic that may share your lane.

Narrow roads may have ditches or drop-offs instead of shoulders, so drifting toward the edge is risky.

You should reduce your speed, center your vehicle in your lane, and watch for oncoming traffic that may attempt to share your lane.

At a narrow or single-lane bridge, drivers take turns; generally the first driver to the bridge has the right-of-way.

Two cars meeting midway on a one-lane bridge have nowhere to go.

Take turns crossing a bridge; generally, the first driver to the bridge has the right-of-way.

Open bridge gratings or steel bridges can reduce traction, so reduce speed and keep a firm grip on the wheel.

The tires grip a steel grating poorly, and the car can wander on it.

These can reduce your traction. Reduce your speed, increase your following distance, and maintain a firm grip on the steering wheel.

At an uncontrolled rural intersection, slow down and be prepared to stop for crossing or oncoming traffic.

With no stop or yield sign, a car on the crossing road may not stop for you either.

When approaching an uncontrolled rural intersection, slow down and be prepared to stop for crossing or oncoming traffic.

In areas of reduced vision such as blind corners, crops, wooded areas, and steep hills, reduce speed and be prepared to stop.

Anything hidden past the corner or crest appears with little warning.

In this type of area always reduce your speed and be prepared to stop.

What should you expect when stopping on a gravel or dirt road?

You may skid. Loose surfaces give the tires far less grip, so stops take longer and the car can slide. South Carolina Driver's Manual, p.130: “You should reduce your speed, increase your following distance, and realize you may skid when trying to stop your vehicle.”