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.
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.
When the wipers fail in rain or snow, ease off your speed at once, open the driver's window and look out of it if that is the only way to see, and then brake and leave the road at a safe spot. Wait there with your hazard flashers on until the weather clears or the wipers are fixed.
When a crash cannot be avoided, the goal is to reduce the force of the impact. Something that yields absorbs energy better than a rigid object, a stationary object is less violent to hit than an oncoming vehicle, and a glancing contact is far less dangerous than a direct, head-on hit.
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.
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.
The red zones in the picture are blind spots that no mirror covers. Signal to warn others, use the mirrors to check traffic behind and beside you, and then turn your head to look over your shoulder before you move over.
When vehicles arrive together, each driver yields to the vehicle on the right, and a driver turning left also yields to oncoming traffic. No one is on the yellow car's right, so it goes first; the blue car, which has the yellow car on its right, goes next; the truck is turning left and must wait for both.
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.
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.
A full stop is required at a stop sign, at a red signal, and whenever a traffic officer tells you to stop. Ignoring any one of them is a violation and a common cause of serious crashes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Drivers must slow to 20 mph in a school zone whenever children are around or during the hours shown on the signs. Watch for children near the road and stop when a crossing guard holds up a STOP sign.
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.
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.
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.
Oregon's manual calls a gap of 2 to 4 seconds safe and asks for 4 seconds or more above 30 mph: when the red car passes a sign or pole, the blue car's driver should count at least 2 seconds, or 4 above 30 mph, before reaching the same spot. A shorter gap leaves too little time to react and brake.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Every question in this set has its own page with the correct answer and an explanation.
