A 3-minute lesson from the South Dakota course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Communicating also means making a stalled car visible, staying where other drivers can see you, and signaling every change of direction or speed at the right time.
If you have vehicle trouble and must stop:
Get the vehicle off the road and away from traffic if possible
Turn on your 4-way emergency flashers
If you can't get off, stop where others can see you: not just over a hill or around a curve
Stand off the road; use flares or other warning devices
Never stand in the roadway, or change a tire if it puts you in a traffic lane
Raise the hood or tie a white cloth to the antenna, side mirror or door handle
Stay out of other vehicles' blind spots, the areas on either side and slightly behind them. Speed up or drop back, and when passing, get through the blind spot quickly.
Signal 100 feet before the turn, but not too early: if there are streets, driveways or entrances before your turn, wait until you've passed them. Afterward, make sure the signal shuts off.
You plan to turn right into the second driveway past a side street. Wait until you've passed the side street to signal; a driver waiting there could think you're turning in front of them and pull into your path.
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.
If your vehicle breaks down and you must stop, what is one recommended way to signal an emergency?
Sound the horn continuously
Turn on your high beams
Raise the hood or tie on a white cloth
Leave your low beam headlights on only
Answer: Raise the hood or tie on a white cloth
Raising the hood or tying a white cloth to the antenna, mirror, or door handle signals an emergency to others.
