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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Flashing red lights mean the bus is picking up or dropping off children, so traffic behind it must halt and remain stopped until the lights shut off and the stop arm retracts. Slowing down or passing instead is illegal and dangerous. How far back you must stop depends on the state; where the law gives a distance, it is usually 10 to 20 feet.
Ohio sets a special rule for the overnight hours: a permit holder under 18 who drives between midnight and 6 a.m. must have a parent, guardian or custodian, or an adult approved on a notarized BMV form, in the seat beside them. Once a permit holder turns 18 there is no time-of-day limit, though a licensed driver aged 21 or older must still ride along.
Drivers who are 21 or older break the law once their BAC hits 0.08%. Anyone under 21 is held to a zero-tolerance limit far below that, so 0.08% is not their cutoff, and 0.06% is not the standard adult limit.
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.
Headphones covering both ears block out sirens, horns and other warning sounds, which is why driving with them on is prohibited in California and several other states. Adjusting mirrors while moving or letting a pet roam the car can be distracting, but neither is covered by that ban.
Without a sign showing otherwise, residential districts carry a 25 mph limit. Homes along the street mean children, walkers and bike riders may appear suddenly, so keep your speed down and stay ready to brake.
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.
High speeds and heavy traffic on major highways leave little time to respond, so you need to stay focused, scan the road and mirrors continually, and be ready for hazards such as stalled vehicles, debris, or sudden slowdowns.
Under implied consent, getting a license and driving on public roads count as advance agreement to chemical testing, such as a breath test, when you are arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. Refusing the test usually brings its own penalties, including loss of your license.
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.
Ohio can require a person convicted of OVI, its term for DUI, to complete a three-day Driver Intervention Program, which may replace jail time on a first offense, along with fines and a license suspension. A first offense brings neither a five-year suspension nor just a $100 fine, and the shortest jail term is three days rather than 12 hours.
Headlights are required whenever poor light or bad weather keeps you from seeing people and vehicles 1,000 feet ahead. Using them then helps you see the road and helps other drivers see you.
Headlights are required for the whole period between sunset and sunrise, not just a short stretch at dusk or dawn, and also whenever rain, fog or other conditions make it hard to see. Your duty to use them does not depend on what other drivers are doing.
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.
Backing up, moving into another lane, and slowing down sharply are the moves most likely to bring you into conflict with traffic behind you. Before each one, use your mirrors and also turn your head: look back through the rear window when backing, and check your blind spot before a lane change.
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.
With no signs or signals and everyone arriving together, each driver yields to the vehicle on the right, and a driver turning left also yields to oncoming traffic. The yellow car has nobody on its right, so it goes first; the blue car, which had the yellow car on its right, goes next; and the truck, turning left, goes last.
Before a road test begins, the examiner checks that the vehicle is safe, has seat belts in place, and leaves room to reach the brake pedal in an emergency. A problem with any of these is enough for the BMV to call off the test, so check your vehicle before test day.
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.
One standard drink equals either 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits; each holds about the same amount of alcohol. Choosing beer or wine over liquor does not make you any less impaired.
As soon as you hear a siren or notice red or blue lights flashing, give the emergency vehicle the right-of-way by moving to the right edge of the road and stopping until it goes by. You must do this no matter what other drivers are doing.
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.
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.
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.
Alcohol slows reactions and clouds judgment, so impaired drivers often brake abruptly, creep along well below the flow of traffic, weave or drift between lanes, or make unusually wide turns. If you notice these signs, stay well back and, when it is safe, report the vehicle to the police.
All three situations call for a lower speed: narrow or curving roads leave little room for error, intersections and railroad crossings bring cross traffic and trains, and slick pavement makes stopping take longer. Driving slower buys you extra time to react.
As the red zones in the picture show, the mirrors leave blind spots beside the car, so a safe lane change takes a signal, a mirror check, and a quick look over the shoulder. Leaving out either the mirrors or the head turn means some nearby traffic goes unseen.
A widely taught guideline is to stay at least one car length back for every 10 mph, or to keep a 3-second gap: when the car ahead passes a fixed point, you should be able to count three seconds before you reach it. The other choices leave much less space than either measure calls for.
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.
Every question in this set has its own page with the correct answer and an explanation.
