Vehicle Safety, Equipment, and Maintenance
Keeping the machine roadworthy
A candidate should know the equipment the law requires and how it fails. Required equipment typically includes working headlights (low and high beam), taillights, brake lights, turn signals, hazard flashers, a horn, mirrors, a speedometer, seat belts, and a parking brake. Tires must have adequate tread - a common legal minimum is 2/32 inch, checkable with the penny test (Lincoln's head covered means legal). Worn tires hydroplane easily and lengthen stopping distance.
Brakes must be maintained; a soft or spongy pedal, pulling to one side, or a grinding noise signals a problem. Check brake fluid and never open a hot radiator cap. Tire pressure should be checked cold, monthly, and before long trips; underinflation causes overheating and blowouts. Headlights should be aimed properly and used in rain, fog, and at night; use low beams in fog because high beams reflect back.
Child restraints must match the child's age, height, and weight, and rear-facing seats belong in the back seat away from an active airbag.
Trap: questions ask what to do when a tire blows out - the answer is to hold the wheel firmly, ease off the accelerator, and steer straight; do not slam the brakes. Another trap: whether hazard lights should be used while driving in rain - generally they should not, because they mask turn signals.
Worked example: A steering wheel that shakes at highway speed usually indicates an out-of-balance wheel or worn suspension, not a brake fault - check tires and alignment first.