Driver's License Test Prep
California Practice Adverse Conditions

Your vehicle has four-wheel antilock braking system (ABS) and enters a locked wheel skid. How does the manual say to use the brake pedal?

  1. A.
    Apply firm pressure on the brake pedal. Correct
  2. B.
    Pump the brake pedal quickly.
  3. C.
    Take your foot off the brake completely.
The Why

The answer is "Apply firm pressure on the brake pedal."

Four-wheel ABS is designed to be held down; the manual tells drivers to apply firm pressure on the brake pedal. The pumping answer is the pre-ABS technique the system was built to replace.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Pump the brake pedal quickly.

Pumping the brakes is the manual's technique for a vehicle without ABS, not with it. This answer carries over a habit learned on older cars into a system built to replace exactly that habit.

C. Take your foot off the brake completely.

Removing your foot from the brake is the front-wheel ABS step, not the four-wheel one. This answer confuses the three ABS types the manual lists side by side and picks the wrong row.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Adverse Conditions in California. Source: California Driver Manual, "Locked Wheel Skids," p.60..

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