Vehicle Equipment, Safety, and Emergencies
Required Equipment
Vehicles must have working headlights (white, visible at a set distance), taillights and brake lights (red), turn signals, a horn audible at a reasonable distance, rearview mirrors, safety belts, and a parking brake. Headlights are required from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise and whenever visibility is poor - in rain, fog, or snow. Use low beams in fog and when meeting oncoming traffic; high beams blind other drivers. Windshield wipers and defrosters must work; in Alaska, winter tires and an emergency kit are strongly advised.
Safety Belts and Child Restraints
Safety belts are required for drivers and passengers, and children must be secured in appropriate child restraints. A belt keeps you inside the vehicle and behind the wheel in a crash; airbags supplement belts, they do not replace them.
Emergencies
If your brakes fail, pump them, downshift, and use the parking brake gradually; do not turn off the engine while moving. If a tire blows, grip the wheel, ease off the gas, and slow gradually - do not brake hard. If you must stop on a highway, pull as far off as possible, turn on hazard lights, raise the hood, and place warning devices. In a skid, steer where you want to go. If you are stranded in winter, stay with the vehicle, run the engine intermittently for heat, and keep the exhaust clear of snow to avoid carbon monoxide.
Traps to Watch
Questions test the headlight-required times, low versus high beams in fog, and the correct response to brake failure or a blowout. A frequent trap is turning off the engine during brake failure - that can lock steering.
Rule of Thumb
Belts first, airbags second; in any emergency, slow gradually and steer deliberately.