A stop sign, a red signal, and a stop order from an officer directing traffic each require a full stop. The same duty applies in other cases too, such as a school bus with flashing red lights or a train approaching a railroad crossing.
Highway traffic moves fast, so situations change in seconds. Paying full attention, scanning constantly, and being ready for hazards such as debris, stalled cars, or sudden braking all help you avoid a crash.
When wipers quit during rain or snow, your view is nearly gone. Slow down, and if looking out the open driver's window is your only means of seeing ahead, do so; brake and leave the road at the first safe chance. Once stopped, put on your hazard flashers and wait until the weather clears or the wipers are repaired.
Each of these lowers the force of the crash: objects that give way absorb energy, a stationary object adds no speed of its own, and a glancing blow transfers less force than a head-on hit. If a collision is likely, brake hard and steer toward the least harmful option.
Tight or curving roads, intersections, railroad crossings, and wet or slippery pavement all leave less room for error. A lower speed buys you reaction time and cuts the distance you need to stop.
Total stopping distance is the ground you cover while reacting plus the distance needed to brake, which depends on speed, brakes, tires, and the road surface. Darkness can make hazards harder to spot, but the clock itself does not change how far the vehicle needs to stop.
Tip When judging how quickly you can stop, think about speed, reaction time, brakes, tires, and pavement, not the hour.
Emergency vehicles may stop or turn without warning, and others may be following, so the law requires you to stay back at least 500 feet once one has passed. Trailing it closely is dangerous, and after it goes by you may resume normal driving while keeping that distance.
Water on the pavement makes stopping take longer, so open up a gap of at least 4 to 5 seconds behind the vehicle ahead. Brake, steer and accelerate gently to avoid skidding.
Tip On wet pavement, plan on about twice your usual following distance so you have room to stop.
Your signal warns others, the mirrors show traffic behind and to the side, and a glance over your shoulder covers the red zones that no mirror reaches. Skip either the mirror check or the shoulder check and a nearby vehicle can stay hidden.
Set the front wheels so that the curb would stop the car if it started to roll: angle them toward the curb if the car points downhill and away from it if the car points uphill. Apply the parking brake every time.
Tip Downhill means wheels toward the curb; uphill with a curb means wheels away from it.
Cutting across a parking lot, gas station, or other property to avoid a sign or signal is illegal. The only exception is when a police officer directs traffic that way.
Blinking your brake lights or turning on the hazard flashers lets the people behind you know early that traffic is stopping for a crash ahead, which gives them room to slow down. These signals warn of danger or an unexpected slowdown; they are not a way to thank another driver or something to use while reversing out of a parking spot.
Tip Hazard flashers are for warning others of a sudden danger, not for excusing double-parking or for ordinary driving.
The three-second rule is the minimum safe following distance: when the red car passes a fixed object, the blue car should take at least 3 seconds to reach it. Anything shorter leaves too little time to react if the red car brakes, and high speeds or bad weather call for even more room.
Many states require every occupant to buckle up; in some, adults in the back seat are not legally required to, but a belt protects everyone, so every occupant should wear one. Young children must ride in a child safety seat that fits their age and size.
Headlights are required from half an hour after sunset until half an hour before sunrise, plus whenever rain, fog, snow, or dim light makes people and vehicles hard to see. They help you see the road and help others see you.
Slippery pavement gives your tires less traction, so lose speed before a curve or intersection rather than while you are in it. Speeding into a curve, or waiting until you are already descending a hill to downshift, makes a skid more likely.
A siren or flashing red or blue lights mean an emergency vehicle needs the road. Move to the right edge, stop, and stay there until it has gone by; failing to do so breaks the law and puts lives at risk.
Before you back up, change lanes or brake suddenly, check the traffic behind you with your mirrors and by turning your head. Look over your shoulder through the rear window when backing, and check your blind spot before moving into another lane. These are the moments when a collision with someone behind you is most likely: backing takes you toward whatever is back there, and if you change lanes or brake hard, a vehicle coming up behind you may have no room to avoid you.
If a school bus stops on a two-lane road with its red lights flashing, traffic approaching from either direction has to stop and stay put until the lights go off and the bus moves on. Simply slowing down is not sufficient, including when the bus is on the opposite side of the road.
Tip Drivers on the far side of a highway split by a physical divider, such as a raised median, are not required to stop.
Wet or icy pavement gives the tires less grip, so any slowing should be done before a curve or intersection, not in the middle of it. Likewise, shift into a lower gear before a steep downhill begins rather than after you are already descending.
Passing must always be done on the paved, main part of the road. Pulling onto the shoulder or dirt edge to get by is never allowed, even next to a vehicle that is turning left.
Most states require a parallel-parked car to have its wheels within 12 inches of the curb, and some allow up to 18, so staying within 12 inches keeps you legal in either case. A wider gap leaves the car sticking out into the travel lane, where it becomes a hazard to passing traffic.
Tip A gap of roughly 6 to 12 inches keeps you within the limit while protecting your tires from the curb.
To indicate a right turn, stick your left arm through the driver's window and bend it up at the elbow so your hand points toward the sky. A straight, extended arm signals a left turn, while an arm bent downward signals that you are slowing down or stopping.
After a blowout, hold the steering wheel firmly, take your foot off the accelerator, and keep the car going straight while it loses speed on its own. Braking hard can make you lose control, so stop only after you have eased off the road to a safe spot.
Flashing red lights mean children are getting on or off, so you must come to a full stop at least 20 feet behind the bus. Do not move again until the lights go off and the stop arm has been pulled back in.
You must not pass or go around a vehicle that has stopped for people at a crosswalk, because it may be hiding a child who is stepping into the road. Obeying the school speed limit and letting children cross first are things you must do, not things you must avoid.
When vehicles arrive together, each driver yields to the vehicle on the right. No one is on the yellow car's right, so it goes first; the blue car is on the truck's right, and the truck is also turning left, so the blue car goes second and the truck goes last.
No one number is safe in every situation. Choose your speed based on the weather, the road surface, how far you can see and how heavy traffic is, and remember that driving under the limit can still be too fast in poor conditions.
Every question in this set has its own page with the correct answer and an explanation.
