Vehicle Handling and Control
What this domain tests
Vehicle Handling and Control checks whether you can operate a passenger vehicle smoothly and recover from low-traction situations. Questions often cover pre-trip checks, braking, skids, ABS, hill parking and lane changes.
Core control
- Pre-trip: check tires (pressure and tread), lights, brakes, fluid levels, mirrors and windshield. Clean snow and ice from all windows, lights and the roof.
- Hold the wheel at about 9 and 3 o’clock. Steer with both hands; look where you want to go, not at the hazard.
- With ABS, press the brake firmly and hold; do not pump. Without ABS, use threshold braking and ease off if wheels lock.
- If the rear skids, ease off the accelerator and steer in the direction the rear is sliding while looking where you want to go. Do not slam the brakes.
- In a hydroplane, ease off the accelerator, keep the wheel straight and avoid hard braking until traction returns.
- Hill parking: downhill with a curb, turn wheels toward the curb; uphill with a curb, turn wheels away; no curb, turn wheels right.
Worked example
Your rear end slides right on an icy curve. You should look and steer right, ease off the accelerator, and make small corrections. Braking hard or steering left would worsen the skid. Once the car straightens, reduce speed gently.
Traps
Pumping ABS, braking hard while hydroplaning, coasting in neutral, forgetting shoulder checks, and parking with wheels turned the wrong way on a hill are frequent errors.