North Carolina DMV Permit: Emergencies Practice Test

Not quite. The answer is the lap belt and shoulder belt

You are more likely to survive a car crash if you use the lap and shoulder belts together. The lap belt should be adjusted to fit snugly across your hipbones or upper thighs. It should never be positioned across the abdomen or the soft part of your stomach. The shoulder belt should be fitted snugly across the chest and middle of the shoulder.

Not quite. The answer is Do all of the above.

If you are one of the first persons to come upon the scene of a collision, the first thing you should do is pull your vehicle off the road. Do not move injured persons unless there is a danger of fire. Notify emergency officials and do not stand in traffic lanes. Ask others who have stopped to warn approaching traffic.

Not quite. The answer is stop by colliding head-on with a solid object.

If your brakes fail, pump the brake pedal unless your vehicle has antilock brakes (ABS). Pumping might temporarily restore enough brake fluid pressure to slow or stop your vehicle. If your vehicle has ABS, just depress the brake pedal firmly and see if you start to slow down. Downshift into a lower gear. This will use the braking power of the engine to slow your vehicle. Apply the parking or emergency brake gradually, but be ready to release it if you start to skid. As a last resort, rub against something to slow you down. Try to sideswipe the guard rail or drive onto a grassy area. Never allow a head-on collision. Head-on collisions are often fatal.

Not quite. The answer is hydroplaning.

On a wet road, at speeds of up to 35 mph, modern tires will usually channel water away to maintain contact with the road. However, in deep water at higher speeds, the channeling action of the tires becomes less effective and the tires start to ride on a layer of water like water skis. This is called "hydroplaning." At 50 mph or above, hydroplaning may result in a total loss of braking and steering control. To prevent hydroplaning, slow down.

Not quite. The answer is All of the above are true.

Before you pass another vehicle, sound your horn to warn the driver. Sounding the horn puts that driver under a legal obligation to help you pass safely. Always check your mirrors and blind spots before you change lanes.

Source: Passing, Basic Driving Skills and Rules, Chapter 4 – Your Driving, North Carolina Driver's Handbook

Not quite. The answer is text messaging or talking on the phone.

Anything that draws your attention away from the road can distract you. Some examples of distractions while driving are text messaging, talking on the phone, dealing with children, and lighting a cigarette.

Not quite. The answer is give a left-turn signal.

Before pulling out from a parallel parking space on the right side of the road, check for approaching traffic and give a left-turn signal. If the parking space were on the left side of a one-way road, you would give a right-turn signal instead.

Not quite. The answer is 30 mph.

Hydroplaning occurs when a thin sheet of water gets between the road surface and a vehicle's tires, causing them to lose contact with the road. The vehicle then begins a skidding movement across the road. Hydroplaning can start at speeds as low as 30 mph and in water that is little more than 1/8 inch deep.

Not quite. The answer is increase your following distance.

Bad weather calls for slower speeds. You should follow other vehicles at a greater distance. Rain, snow, and ice impair visibility and increase the braking distance required to stop your vehicle. In such conditions, increase your following distance and apply your brakes sooner and more gently than usual.

Not quite. The answer is (a) and (c)

If an approaching vehicle has not dimmed its headlights, remind the driver by flashing your high beams once. If the driver still does not dim the headlights, don't retaliate with your own high beams. Instead, keep your headlights on low beam. Keep right, look away from the approaching vehicle, and steer by the right edge of the road until the vehicle has passed by.

Source: Night Driving, Hazardous Driving, Chapter 4 – Your Driving, North Carolina Driver's Handbook

Not quite. The answer is hydroplaning.

When there is water on the roadway, reduce your speed. Under such conditions, high speeds can cause your vehicle to hydroplane out of control.

Not quite. The answer is b) About 40% of the people who are killed in urban traffic accidents are pedestrians.

In cities, about two in five people who are killed in traffic accidents are pedestrians. In rural areas, about one in ten people who are killed are pedestrians. Most of the pedestrians who are killed are children, seniors, or persons who had been drinking alcohol. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has found that 37 percent of pedestrians killed in traffic accidents were legally intoxicated at the time, while only 13 percent of the drivers in those accidents were.

Not quite. The answer is Stop and let the pedestrian cross.

Before turning at a red signal, you must stop and yield to all vehicles and pedestrians.

Source: Traffic Signals; Chapter 5 – Signals, Signs and Pavement Markings; North Carolina Driver's Handbook

Not quite. The answer is Pull over, no matter which direction the ambulance is traveling in.

When an emergency vehicle approaches you with its flashing lights or siren on, you must pull over to the right edge of the road, no matter which direction the emergency vehicle is traveling in. (In North Carolina, there is one exception: You don't have to pull over if you're on the opposite side of a divided highway with at least four lanes.) However, if you're in the middle of an intersection when the emergency vehicle approaches, proceed through the intersection and then pull over immediately.

Source: Emergency and Law Enforcement Vehicles, General Driving, Chapter 4 – Your Driving, North Carolina Driver's Handbook

Not quite. The answer is 500 feet

High-beam headlights can blind a driver. Under North Carolina law, you must dim your headlights whenever you are within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle.

Source: NC G.S. § 20-131

Not quite. The answer is pull over to the right and stop.

You must pull over to the right edge of the road when an emergency vehicle approaches you with its flashing lights or siren on, no matter which direction the emergency vehicle is traveling in. (In North Carolina, there is one exception: You don't have to pull over if you're on the opposite side of a divided highway with at least four lanes.) However, if you're in the middle of an intersection when the emergency vehicle approaches, proceed through the intersection and then pull over immediately.

Not quite. The answer is text messaging and talking on the phone.

Anything that draws your attention away from the road can distract you. Some examples of distractions while driving are text messaging, talking on the phone, dealing with children, and lighting a cigarette.

Not quite. The answer is pull over to the side of the road and park your vehicle before dealing with the situation.

Do not take your eyes off the road to turn around to deal with the needs of passengers, children or pets. If you must give attention to passengers or animals, pull over to the side of the road and park your vehicle.

Not quite. The answer is Hand signals are more effective than turn signals when the sun is low in the sky.

Only the driver may make hand signals, not the passengers. Car drivers should use hand signals whenever they are more visible than turn signals. When the sun is low in the sky, the sun's light may reflect off the turn signal lenses, making the turn signals hard to see. At night, signal lights are easier to see than hand signals. The driver of a large vehicle such as a tractor-trailer is required to use turn signals because hand signals can be obscured by the vehicle's bulk. [Hand Signals, Defensive Driving Skills, Chapter 4 – Your Driving, North Carolina Driver's Handbook],

Source: NC G.S. § 20-154

Not quite. The answer is as much as four times.

While you are driving, talking on a cell phone will increase your chances of being in a crash by as much as four times. This is because the conversation is drawing your attention away from your driving. Sending text messages (texting) while driving will increase your chances of being in a crash by as much as eight times.