Handling Emergencies

Study questions with answers

12 sample Handling Emergencies questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.

1. 1. While making a quick emergency steering movement, why should you avoid braking?

   Correct answer: It can lock the wheels and cause a skid

   Braking during a hard turn makes it easy to lock the wheels and skid out of control, so you should not brake while steering to avoid a crash.

   Source: North Carolina CDL Driver Handbook — Section 2: Driving Safely (2.17.1)

2. 2. How should you try to stop heavy bleeding while helping an injured person?

   Correct answer: Apply direct pressure to the wound

   Apply direct pressure to the wound to control heavy bleeding, and keep the injured person warm.

   Source: North Carolina CDL Driver Handbook — Section 2: Driving Safely (2.20.3)

3. 3. Describe the correct way to return to the road after driving onto the shoulder.

   Correct answer: Turn sharply back onto the road, then counter-steer at once

   Grip the wheel firmly and steer back onto the pavement decisively, then counter-steer right away — treat it as one steer-and-counter-steer motion instead of drifting back little by little.

   Source: North Carolina CDL Driver Handbook — Section 2: Driving Safely (2.17.1)

4. 4. If your hydraulic brakes lose pressure and the pedal feels spongy, which of these can help slow the vehicle?

   Correct answer: Downshift and use the parking brake while pumping the pedal

   You can downshift, pump the pedal to try to build pressure, and use the parking or emergency brake, which is separate from the hydraulic system, while looking for an escape route.

   Source: North Carolina CDL Driver Handbook — Section 2: Driving Safely (2.17.3)

5. 5. What are the three basic steps to take at any accident scene?

   Correct answer: Protect the area, notify authorities, and care for the injured

   At an accident scene you should protect the area, notify the authorities, and care for the injured.

   Source: North Carolina CDL Driver Handbook — Section 2: Driving Safely (2.20)

6. 6. When you do not have room to stop for an obstacle ahead, what is often the better choice?

   Correct answer: Steer around the obstacle

   You can almost always steer around an obstacle faster than you can stop, so steering away is often safer than braking — though top-heavy vehicles risk rollover.

   Source: North Carolina CDL Driver Handbook — Section 2: Driving Safely (2.17.1)

7. 7. Immediately after a tire blows out, what should you do first?

   Correct answer: Hold the wheel firmly and stay off the brake at first

   Keep a firm two-handed grip on the wheel and stay off the brake until the vehicle slows, then brake gently and ease off the road.

   Source: North Carolina CDL Driver Handbook — Section 2: Driving Safely (2.17.4)

8. 8. Which of these is a major sign that a front tire has failed?

   Correct answer: The steering suddenly feels heavy

   If the steering suddenly feels heavy, a front tire has probably failed; a loud bang or heavy vibration are other signs of tire failure.

   Source: North Carolina CDL Driver Handbook — Section 2: Driving Safely (2.17.4)

9. 9. What does 'counter-steering' mean in an emergency steering maneuver?

   Correct answer: Turning the wheel back the other way after clearing the obstacle

   Counter-steering is turning the wheel back the other way immediately after you have passed the obstacle, so the vehicle straightens instead of continuing to veer.

   Source: North Carolina CDL Driver Handbook — Section 2: Driving Safely (2.17.1)

10. 10. When brakes fail going down a long grade, what is your best hope for stopping safely?

    Correct answer: An escape ramp

    After brakes fail on a downgrade, an escape ramp is your best chance; signs point them out, and they usually sit a mile or two below the crest.

    Source: North Carolina CDL Driver Handbook — Section 2: Driving Safely (2.17.3)

11. 11. When should you move a severely injured person at a crash scene?

    Correct answer: Only if fire or traffic makes it necessary

    Do not move a badly injured person unless there is danger from fire or passing traffic; otherwise wait for qualified help.

    Source: North Carolina CDL Driver Handbook — Section 2: Driving Safely (2.20.3)

12. 12. In the 'stab braking' method, what do you do when the wheels lock up?

    Correct answer: Release the brakes until the wheels roll, then reapply fully

    With stab braking you apply the brakes fully, release them when the wheels lock, and reapply as soon as the wheels begin rolling again.

    Source: North Carolina CDL Driver Handbook — Section 2: Driving Safely (2.17.2)