Vehicle Safety, Equipment, and Maintenance
Equipment questions test whether you know what to check, what the numbers mean, and what each warning light is telling you.
Pre-trip checks
- Tires: at least 1.6 mm of tread, checked with a gauge when cold, plus a visual check for sidewall damage and wear bars.
- Lights: headlights on low and high beam, signals, brake lights, and hazards.
- Fluids: oil, coolant, brake, washer, and transmission, plus a look for leaks under the car.
- Brakes, steering, horn, wipers, mirrors, and a clear windshield.
Numbers that matter
- Inflate to the door-jamb or owner's-manual pressure, not the maximum printed on the sidewall.
- Winter tires work below about 7°C, where all-seasons harden and lose grip.
- Every load must be secured; an unsecured object becomes a projectile in a crash.
Warning lights
- Oil pressure or temperature: stop safely and shut the engine off; continuing can destroy it.
- Brake light: check the parking brake; if it stays on, do not drive.
- Check engine: steady means service soon, flashing means stop now.
Worked example
The tire-pressure light comes on the first cold morning. Pressure drops roughly 1 psi for every 5 to 6°C of temperature fall, so a 20°C overnight drop costs 3 to 4 psi, enough to trigger the sensor without any puncture. Check all four with a gauge and inflate to the door-jamb specification, then recheck. Do not fill to the sidewall number, which is a maximum, not a target.
Traps
- Ignoring the oil light because the engine still sounds normal.
- Judging tread by eye instead of using the wear bars.
- Overinflating 'for better mileage' and losing grip.
- Assuming a flashing check-engine light can wait.