District of Columbia driving lesson · Weather & Emergency Situations
Fire, wrong-way cars, trains & running off the road
A 3-minute lesson from the District of Columbia course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Some emergencies come from outside the car: a fire, a vehicle heading at you, a stall on the tracks, or a wheel dropping off the pavement. Each one has a specific right move.
Vehicle fire: first pull off the road
Park in an open area away from buildings, trees, brush and other vehicles
Do not pull into a service station
Use your cell phone to tell police your problem and location
Keep the fire from spreading. For an engine fire, turn off the engine, avoid opening the hood, and aim the extinguisher through louvers, the radiator or from underneath. For a van or box-trailer cargo fire, keep the doors shut.
If a vehicle comes toward you in your lane: pull right, slow down, sound your horn and flash your headlights. Don't swerve into the lane it left; the driver may swerve back.
Stalled on railroad tracks with a train coming: get out and run along the side of the tracks toward the train, to avoid being hit by debris from the crash.
Short sections of corrugated roadway that make your tires noisy, warning of hazards such as dangerous intersections or driving too close to the road edge.
Your car stalls on a crossing and you hear a train horn. Get everyone out now and move toward the oncoming train, off to the side of the tracks. That way you avoid being struck by debris from the crash.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
Your car stalls on railroad tracks and a train is coming. What should you do?
Stay in the vehicle and brace for impact
Get out and run toward the train, off to the side
Try to push the vehicle off the tracks
Run away from the train's direction
Answer: Get out and run toward the train, off to the side
Running toward the oncoming train (away from the tracks) helps avoid flying debris from the collision.