Nevada Car / Permit practice
Nevada Car / Permit: Handling Emergencies practice test
What to do when things go wrong — brake failure, tire blowouts, skids, and stalling on railroad tracks.
Content reviewed against official driver handbooks · August 12, 2026
13 questions · pass with 10 correct. You get instant feedback and an explanation after every answer.
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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.
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1. Your car stalls on a railroad crossing. What does the handbook direct?
Correct answer: Get out at once, find the blue emergency notification sign at the crossing, and call the railroad and local law enforcement
Abandon the vehicle first. The blue sign posted at the crossing carries the number that reaches the railroad directly so trains can be halted.
Source: Nevada Driver's Handbook — Chapter 3, Railroad Crossings
2. According to the handbook, how much water can push a car traveling at speed off the road?
Correct answer: Six inches
Half a foot is enough to shove a fast-moving car sideways. Less than an inch can already cost a driver control, and most cars will float in two feet.
Source: Nevada Driver's Handbook — Chapter 5, Tips for Driving in a Flash Flood
3. Your car breaks down and you have reached the shoulder of a freeway. What does the handbook advise?
Correct answer: Switch on the four-way flashers and stay in or beside the car on the side away from traffic
Walking a freeway is dangerous. Flashers warn approaching drivers, and staying put means a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper will find you.
Source: Nevada Driver's Handbook — Chapter 3, In an Emergency
4. A car is coming straight at you in your own lane. What should you do?
Correct answer: Reduce speed, use the horn, blink the headlights, and steer as close to the right edge as safety allows
Do not take the lane the other driver has drifted out of, because a driver who suddenly realizes the mistake will swing back into it.
Source: Nevada Driver's Handbook — Chapter 5, Driving Emergencies
5. You lose steering control but the car is still tracking in its lane. What is the first step?
Correct answer: Ease off the accelerator, then slow and apply the brakes gently
Lift off the gas first and let the car settle. Hard braking is reserved for the case where the car is heading off the road or toward a person or another vehicle.
Source: Nevada Driver's Handbook — Chapter 5, Driving Emergencies
6. Your brake pedal sinks to the floor. After pumping it without result, what should you do?
Correct answer: Apply the emergency parking brake and, if you can, drop into a lower gear
The parking brake plus engine braking from a lower gear is the fallback. Slamming the transmission into park is specifically warned against.
Source: Nevada Driver's Handbook — Chapter 5, Driving Emergencies
7. Two wheels drop onto the shoulder at highway speed. What is the safest recovery?
Correct answer: Hold the wheel firmly, come off the gas, stay on the shoulder until fully under control, then ease back on
Yanking the car back at speed is what turns a shoulder drop into a rollover or a head-on. Regain control first, then rejoin the pavement gently.
Source: Nevada Driver's Handbook — Chapter 5, Driving Emergencies
8. The accelerator sticks down while you are driving. What sequence does the handbook give?
Correct answer: Press the pedal hard and release it; if that fails, shift to neutral, brake, and pull off to the right
A quick stomp may free a jammed pedal. If it does not, neutral cuts the engine's pull on the wheels so the brakes can do their job, and park must never be selected.
Source: Nevada Driver's Handbook — Chapter 5, Driving Emergencies
9. Your vehicle stalls in water that is rising around it. What should you do?
Correct answer: Get out right away if you safely can and head for higher ground
Once a vehicle starts to float it drifts toward deeper, faster water where getting out becomes far more dangerous, so leaving early is the better choice.
Source: Nevada Driver's Handbook — Chapter 5, Tips for Driving in a Flash Flood
10. A tire blows out while you are driving. What must you avoid doing?
Correct answer: Hitting the brakes
Braking during a blowout can throw the car sideways. Hold the wheel, let the speed bleed off, then brake gently once the car is settled and you have chosen a spot to stop.
Source: Nevada Driver's Handbook — Chapter 5, Driving Emergencies
11. You come upon a flooded stretch of Nevada roadway. What should you do?
Correct answer: Turn around and take a different route, or wait until the water goes down
There is no reliable way to judge how deep the water is or whether the road beneath has washed out, so avoiding the crossing altogether is the only safe rule.
Source: Nevada Driver's Handbook — Chapter 5, Tips for Driving in a Flash Flood
12. Your headlights go out on a dark road. What can you still use to reach the shoulder safely?
Correct answer: The flashers, turn indicators or parking lamps, which normally keep operating
Slow immediately and steer off the roadway. Those other lamps normally survive a headlight failure and give you enough to be seen while you get clear.
Source: Nevada Driver's Handbook — Chapter 5, Driving Emergencies
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