Your gas pedal sticks and the vehicle keeps accelerating. What is the first thing the manual says to try?
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A.
Hook your toe under the pedal to free it Correct
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B.
Turn the ignition off to cut power to the engine
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C.
Apply the parking brake hard to lock the wheels
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D.
Steer onto grass so the tires slow you down
The answer is "Hook your toe under the pedal to free it"
Hook a toe under the pedal to try to free it. If that fails, shift into neutral and brake gently to slow down. Choice B is what a driver reaches for when they think cutting the engine cuts the speed; the manual's own steering-failure entry warns that turning off the ignition drops power steering and can lock the wheel.
The traps in the wrong answers
B. Turn the ignition off to cut power to the engine
The manual warns elsewhere that killing the ignition drops power steering and can lock the wheel. This answer reaches for the ignition on the assumption that cutting engine power cuts speed, without accounting for losing power steering.
C. Apply the parking brake hard to lock the wheels
A sudden parking brake at speed can lock the rear wheels and put the car into a spin. This answer borrows the emergency-brake move the manual reserves for brake failure and applies it to a stuck gas pedal.
D. Steer onto grass so the tires slow you down
Leaving the pavement at speed can cause loss of control, especially if the surface or shoulder changes suddenly. This answer assumes a low-traction surface acts as a gentle cushion, forgetting how abruptly traction changes at highway speed.
This question tests your knowledge of Emergencies in Illinois. Source: Illinois Rules of the Road, "Equipment Failure - Stuck Gas Pedal," p.89..
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