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. If your brakes fail while you are driving, what should you try first?

   Correct answer: Apply the parking brake slowly

   When braking is lost, ease the parking brake on gradually; yanking it can lock the back wheels and send you into a slide.

   Source: Section 10: Emergency Situations — Brake Failure

2. 2. At the scene of a crash where someone is injured, what should you generally do?

   Correct answer: Call 911 and avoid moving the injured

   Call emergency services (911) if anyone is injured, do not move the injured, and keep them warm.

   Source: Section 10: Emergency Situations — In the Event of a Crash (Check for Injuries)

3. 3. If your engine suddenly shuts off while you are driving, what should you expect and do?

   Correct answer: The steering may be harder but you can still steer off the road

   Keep a strong grip on the wheel, which may be harder to turn, brake with steady pressure, slow down, and pull off the roadway.

   Source: Section 10: Emergency Situations — Power Failure

4. 4. If your vehicle breaks down, about how far behind it should you place emergency flares?

   Correct answer: About 200 to 300 feet behind

   Where you can, set flares roughly 200 to 300 feet to the rear so approaching drivers get advance notice and can shift over.

   Source: Section 10: Emergency Situations — Vehicle Breakdown

5. 5. When you are involved in a crash, what is the first thing you should try to do?

   Correct answer: Move your vehicle off the road and turn on hazard lights

   After a collision, get your car clear of the travel lanes as much as you can, and flip on the hazards so oncoming drivers see you.

   Source: Section 10: Emergency Situations — In the Event of a Crash

6. 6. One way a driver may try to avoid a crash, besides braking, is by doing what?

   Correct answer: Quickly steering around the problem

   Sometimes the way out is to steer sharply around the hazard, a move called swerving; hold the wheel with both hands to do it.

   Source: Section 10: Emergency Situations — Avoiding Crashes (Steering)

7. 7. If your accelerator becomes stuck and the vehicle keeps speeding up, what should you do?

   Correct answer: Shift into neutral and look for an escape route

   Switch on the hazards, drop the transmission into neutral, and find a way out; then keep your steering steady, slow with gentle braking, and get off the road.

   Source: Section 10: Emergency Situations — Stuck Accelerator

8. 8. Your right tires drift off the pavement onto a lower shoulder. What is the safest way to get back on the road?

   Correct answer: Ease off the gas, slow gradually, and return when safe

   Should a tire drop off the pavement, come off the gas, reduce speed smoothly, and only steer back up once conditions allow.

   Source: Section 10: Emergency Situations — Uneven Surface Drop-Offs

9. 9. After a crash, you may not leave the scene until you have done what?

   Correct answer: Exchanged contact and insurance information

   Stay put until you've traded names, contact details, and insurance information with everyone involved, and leave a note on any unattended car you damaged.

   Source: Section 10: Emergency Situations — In the Event of a Crash (Remain at the Scene)

10. 10. If a tire suddenly blows out while you are driving, what should you do?

    Correct answer: Hold the wheel firmly and slow down gradually without braking hard

    Hold the wheel tight, steer a straight course, avoid hitting the brakes, and let the car coast down in speed before easing off the road.

    Source: Section 10: Emergency Situations — Tire Blowout

11. 11. If a front tire blows out, how will the vehicle tend to behave?

    Correct answer: It will pull sharply toward the side of the blowout

    A blowout on a front tire tends to drag the car hard toward whichever side failed.

    Source: Section 10: Emergency Situations — Tire Blowout

12. 12. Under what circumstances can an Ohio driver submit a BMV 3303 Crash Report to the state after a collision?

    Correct answer: Within six months, if damage exceeded $400 and the other party was uninsured

    A driver may file a Crash Report within six months if there was damage over $400 or personal injury and the other driver or owner did not have insurance at the time of the crash.

    Source: Section 10: Emergency Situations — Report the Crash