Your gas pedal sticks while you are driving. Which action does the manual list among the recommended steps?
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A.
Steer sharply onto the shoulder
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B.
Turn off the ignition and coast
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C.
Pull the parking brake up hard
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D.
Shift to neutral and brake firmly Correct
The answer is "Shift to neutral and brake firmly"
The manual lists three options for a stuck pedal, joined with and/or rather than as a fixed order: tap or lift the gas pedal; shift to neutral and apply firm brake pressure without locking the wheels; and find a safe place to move the vehicle completely off the road. Drivers who reach for the ignition key fall back on the panic instinct to silence the engine, which strips the power steering and brake assist they still need to steer the car off the road.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Steer sharply onto the shoulder
The manual says to brake firmly without locking the wheels and then find a safe place to move the vehicle completely off the road. A sharp steering input while the throttle is still stuck open risks a skid before you have slowed the car. Treats a stuck throttle as an evasive-steering problem rather than a neutral-and-brake problem.
B. Turn off the ignition and coast
Cutting the engine at road speed disables the power steering and brake assist you still need to steer the car off the road. The manual's steps include tapping or lifting the pedal and shifting to neutral, which disconnects the engine without killing those controls. Reaches for the ignition key out of panic to silence the engine instead of disconnecting it with neutral.
C. Pull the parking brake up hard
The emergency brake is the manual's answer to brake failure, which appears earlier in the same Emergencies section. For a stuck pedal the manual says to tap the pedal, shift to neutral, and brake firmly without locking the wheels. Falls back on the parking-brake habit a driver learned for total brake loss, treating any throttle-or-brake crisis as the same emergency.
This question tests your knowledge of Emergencies in North Carolina. Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, "Chapter 4 - Your Driving, Gas Pedal Sticks," p.75..
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