Your accelerator pedal sticks while you're driving on an Oregon road. What does the Oregon manual tell you to do with the transmission?
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A.
Shift to Park immediately.
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B.
Shift to neutral, using an open palm. Correct
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C.
Shift to Reverse to slow the vehicle.
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D.
Shift to a lower gear so the engine slows you down.
The answer is "Shift to neutral, using an open palm."
The Oregon manual's accelerator-sticks procedure says to shift the vehicle to neutral and use an open palm to avoid shifting into another gear. The open-palm detail matters because it keeps your hand from accidentally landing on Park or Reverse, either of which can lock the wheels or destroy the transmission at speed. After shifting to neutral, steer smoothly while braking and pull off the road when it is safe.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Shift to Park immediately.
Shifting to Park at speed can lock the wheels or damage the transmission. The manual prescribes neutral, not Park. Misreading: Treats Park as the safe destination gear; the open-palm technique exists precisely to keep your hand from grabbing Park or Reverse.
C. Shift to Reverse to slow the vehicle.
Shifting to Reverse at highway speed will severely damage the transmission and may cause loss of control. The manual prescribes neutral. Misreading: Treats Reverse as a braking aid; Reverse is one of the gears the open-palm rule is designed to keep your hand off.
D. Shift to a lower gear so the engine slows you down.
Shifting to a lower gear is the brakes-fail step on the same page, not the accelerator-sticks step. For a stuck accelerator, the manual prescribes neutral. Misreading: Borrows the 'shift to a lower gear' step from the brakes-fail procedure; the accelerator-sticks procedure prescribes neutral, not engine braking.
This question tests your knowledge of Vehicle Equipment in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Accelerator Sticks," p.85..
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