A crash seems likely and you cannot stop in time. Which action does the manual list?
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A.
Turn away from oncoming traffic, even if you must leave the road Correct
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B.
Steer straight into the shoulder ditch to lower your speed
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C.
Turn on your high beams to warn approaching drivers
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D.
Shift into a lower gear to increase engine braking
The answer is "Turn away from oncoming traffic, even if you must leave the road"
The manual says to sound the horn, keep to the right, turn away from oncoming traffic even if you must leave the road, or drive off the road into an open field if possible. A driver who hears 'leave the road' and pictures the nearest ditch picks B, but the manual names an open field, which gives the car room to slow down, unlike a ditch that can stop it abruptly or roll it.
The traps in the wrong answers
B. Steer straight into the shoulder ditch to lower your speed
The manual says to turn away from oncoming traffic and, if possible, drive off the road into an open field, not to aim for a ditch. A ditch can stop the car suddenly or flip it. Reads 'leave the road' as any off-road feature and pictures the nearest ditch, instead of the open field the manual actually names.
C. Turn on your high beams to warn approaching drivers
High beams do not appear on the manual's crash-avoidance list; the manual names the horn, keeping to the right, turning away from oncoming traffic, and driving into an open field. Substitutes a night-driving visibility habit for the horn and steering actions the manual names when a crash is seconds away.
D. Shift into a lower gear to increase engine braking
Downshifting belongs to the brake-failure section, not the crash-avoidance list, which calls for the horn, keeping to the right, and steering away from oncoming traffic. Pulls the lower-gear step from the brake-failure checklist and applies it to a crash too close for the engine to help.
This question tests your knowledge of Crash Procedures in North Carolina. Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, "Chapter 4, Crashes," p.77..
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