Driver's License Test Prep
Texas Practice Emergencies

The manual tells you to apply the parking brake cautiously during a brake failure. Why?

  1. A.
    Locking the brakes can throw the car into a skid Correct
  2. B.
    Full pressure will disable the parking brake permanently
  3. C.
    A quick pull sets off the airbag warning system
  4. D.
    Pulling it too fast can burn out the cable
The Why

The answer is "Locking the brakes can throw the car into a skid"

You apply the parking brake gently so the wheels don't lock, because locked wheels throw the car into a skid. Option D is the trap if you carry over shop reasoning about cables snapping under load: the concern the manual names is traction at the rear tires, not hardware.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Full pressure will disable the parking brake permanently

The danger flagged in the brake-failure rule is a skid from locked wheels, not permanent damage to the parking-brake mechanism. This answer reads the word 'cautiously' as protecting the part, when the rule is protecting the tires' grip on the road.

C. A quick pull sets off the airbag warning system

The brake-failure instruction is about a skid caused by locked brakes, not about triggering the airbag warning system. This answer ties any sudden pull on a control to modern-car electronics and swaps the traction rule for a warning-light rule.

D. Pulling it too fast can burn out the cable

The brake-failure rule is about locking the wheels and losing traction, not about damage to the parking-brake cable. This answer carries over shop-talk about cables snapping under sudden load and treats the caution as a hardware warning.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Emergencies in Texas. Source: Texas Driver Manual, "Chapter 9: Some Special Driving Situations (Brake Failure)," p.49..

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