A driver is following you too closely. What does the manual say to do first?
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A.
Speed up to open a gap ahead of the tailgater
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B.
Move over to the right lane if possible Correct
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C.
Brake hard to send the tailgater a warning
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D.
Turn on your hazard lights and pull over to stop
The answer is "Move over to the right lane if possible"
The space-cushion-behind guidance says to move over to the right lane if one is available. Choice C echoes the manual's fallback advice to tap the brakes gently when there is no right lane; test-takers who half-remember that as the first move pick it, but the manual lists moving right first and reserves the brake tap for the no-right-lane backup.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Speed up to open a gap ahead of the tailgater
The manual does not ask you to outrun a tailgater. Reacts to pressure by fleeing forward, an instinct the manual does not endorse and one that can push you over the speed limit.
C. Brake hard to send the tailgater a warning
Hard braking invites the crash the space cushion is meant to prevent. Confuses the gentle brake tap the manual describes as the no-right-lane backup with a hard warning stop.
D. Turn on your hazard lights and pull over to stop
Stopping on the shoulder is a disabled-vehicle response, not a tailgater response. Borrows the hazards-and-shoulder routine drivers learn for breakdowns and applies it to a still-driveable in-traffic problem.
This question tests your knowledge of Defensive Driving in Pennsylvania. Source: Pennsylvania Driver Manual, "Keep a Space Cushion Behind," p.37..
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