Vehicle Equipment, Defensive Driving, Hand Signals, Work Zones, Night Driving, Rain and Hydroplaning, Floods, Fog, Snow and Ice, Wildlife, Emergencies and Crashes

Written for aiforu2 as the source for a practice-test bank and the on-device tutor for the North Carolina driver license knowledge test. The facts follow the official handbook; the wording is ours.

Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles, revised May 2025, chapter 4 "Your Driving": Vehicle Equipment, Defensive Driving, Hazardous Driving, Emergencies and Crashes (pp. 66–79).

Equipment

Lights: with high beams you should see a person 200 feet away, with low beams 75 feet. Vibration knocks headlights out of aim and an overloaded rear end tilts them into oncoming eyes, so check and adjust them regularly. Taillights must be red and visible 500 feet; a white light must make the license plate readable from 50 feet; and every vehicle built since 1955 needs red or amber brake and turn lights visible 100 feet in daylight. Keep lenses clean, since hand signals are hard to see at night.

Mirrors: set the rear-view mirror to show what is directly behind and the side mirrors to show the left and right rear, barely reflecting the vehicle's side. Brakes: every vehicle must be able to control, stop and hold itself, with two separate means of braking; the pedal should stay at least one-third of its travel off the floor when fully pressed, a sinking pedal means a hydraulic problem, and squeaks deserve a check. With ABS, brake hard and hold firm, steady pressure; pumping or releasing defeats it. Never leave the key in an unattended vehicle. Tires are unsafe when cut, cracked or worn to the cord, separating, chunking, or below 1/16 inch of tread; under-inflation wears tires fast and invites blowouts, over-inflation cuts traction and wears the center; check pressure at least monthly, when the tires are cool. Only police and emergency vehicles may carry emergency lights or sirens; every vehicle needs a horn audible 200 feet that is not unreasonably loud, used only as a reasonable warning. A working muffler is required, and an exhaust leak can let carbon monoxide into the cabin, so keep a window open about one inch. A swaying, leaning or bouncing vehicle needs its suspension checked. Emergency flashers flash all four turn signals to warn of danger or a stopped vehicle.

Drive green: shed extra weight, keep tires inflated, remember every 5 mph over 60 costs up to 30 cents a gallon, avoid abrupt starts and stops (40 percent more fuel), turn off the engine when waiting more than a couple of minutes, open windows below 40 mph and use air conditioning above, use cruise control, replace clogged air filters (10 percent), and tighten the fuel cap.

Defensive driving

Driving takes crash-avoidance skills as well as basic maneuvering skills. Scan 10 to 15 seconds ahead (about a city block) to avoid last-minute moves; check the mirrors about every 10 seconds; check behind and in the blind spots before changing lanes, backing, slowing or descending a long hill; never take your eyes off the road for more than an instant; and always leave yourself an out. Mirrors miss the blind spots at the rear corners, so turn your head and look over your shoulder before lane changes and turns; glare, dirty glass, cars parked near an intersection, bushes and buildings make more blind spots, so ease forward until you can see, and stay out of other drivers' blind spots.

Communicate early: signal every slow-down, stop, turn, lane change and pull-out, even with no one in sight, after first checking that the move is safe. Hand signals are given from the driver's window with the left arm: straight out with the first finger pointing for a left turn; forearm and hand up, palm forward, for a right turn; arm and hand down, palm back, for stopping or slowing. Flashing signals are legal substitutes and much easier to see at night, though sun on the lenses can hide them at dawn and dusk. Signal at least the last 100 feet before turning or stopping, and at least 200 feet where the limit is 45 mph or more.

Keep a margin of safety: room ahead and behind, a steady speed, early signals when slowing, and if someone tailgates, change lanes and let them by; stay centered in the lane with space on both sides, away from parked cars and oncoming traffic. Adjust to conditions and know when not to drive at all; facing two dangers at once, give the most room to the greater or more likely one (a child on a bicycle over oncoming cars), and if they are equal, stop and let the oncoming traffic clear.

Work zones

A work zone runs from the first sign announcing it to the last sign ending it; its signs are black on orange, used only for work zones, and they give directions far enough ahead to act without impeding traffic. Speeding above the posted work zone limit is illegal and carries an extra penalty when a sign at the start announces one. The Flagger sign warns of a flagger in an orange vest with a STOP/SLOW paddle; stay alert and be ready to stop. Driving slower than the surrounding traffic is a major cause of rear-end crashes in work zones, where confined lanes leave no escape route. Barricades, cones, drums and flaggers guide you through.

Night, glare and rain

Headlights are required from sunset to sunrise and whenever visibility is 400 feet or less; use low beams in the city and high beams on the open road except when approaching or following another vehicle. Night is more dangerous because you see less, more drivers are impaired or tired, oncoming lights blind you, and dirty windshields and weak lights hurt. If an oncoming driver will not dim, blink your high beams once, then stay on low; keep to the right using the edge of the road as a guide; slow down and look slightly right of oncoming lights; never outdrive the distance you can see; use flashers when parked along a highway and never leave headlights on when parked at night. For sun glare, use the visor and sunglasses, and stop if you still cannot see.

Rain cuts visibility and grip: use headlights and wipers, slow down, and allow at least twice the normal following distance, since wet stopping distances run two to ten times longer. The first 10 to 15 minutes of rain are the most dangerous as water mixes with oil, dust and rubber; drive at least 5 to 10 mph slower than on dry pavement. Headlights are required whenever the wipers are on for weather.

Hydroplaning and floods

Hydroplaning is a sheet of water lifting the tires off the road; it can begin at 30 mph in water barely 1/8 inch deep, and any jerk of the wheel or gust of wind can then spin you. If it happens, ease off the gas, do not brake, hold the wheel straight and let the car slow until the tires grip. Deep open tread resists it; worn or under-inflated tires invite it, so keep pressure on the high side of the specification. Watch for reflections, raindrop dimples, a slushing tire sound and a loose steering feel, remember puddles linger for hours or days, and never use cruise control on wet roads.

Inland flooding has caused 85 percent of North Carolina's tropical-weather deaths since 1970, half of them people driving into flooded roads. Never drive through standing water: it is deeper than it looks and the road may be washed out; six inches of moving water can sweep a car away and 12 inches can float or flip it.

Fog, snow and ice

In fog use low beams, slow down, watch for taillights ahead and vehicles behind; if you truly cannot see, pull far off the road, stop, set the flashers and leave by the passenger side. Snow and ice are slick, packed snow especially; shady spots, bridges and overpasses freeze first. Reduce speed, use wipers and low beams, cut speed by more than half on packed snow and crawl on ice, use chains if needed but remember even chains and snow tires slide. Starting and stopping: accelerate slowly, test steering and braking to feel the road, start in second gear or higher with a manual, allow at least three times the normal stopping distance, let the engine slow you rather than the brake, and keep extra distance.

Wildlife

Animal collisions are rising as development cuts through wildlife corridors. Slow down (a deer struck at 35 mph is far less deadly than at 55), increase following distance, scan the road edges for movement and eye shine especially at dawn, dusk and the first hours after dark and during spring and fall migrations, heed yellow wildlife crossing signs, use high beams only with no oncoming traffic or animals ahead (they can freeze a deer), expect a second animal behind the first, and do not litter, which draws animals to the road. Seeing an animal, brake firmly, stay in your lane and try to stop; a brief horn may help. After a hit, pull off safely, stay in the car with doors locked and hazards on, do not approach the animal, and report it to NC DOT and a wildlife rehabilitator.

Emergencies

Do not panic; react promptly. Brake failure: shift to a lower gear, release the clutch, and apply the emergency brake (with an automatic, set the emergency brake and shift to low); it may damage the brake and transmission, but there is no better choice. Wet brakes: drive a short way with light brake pressure to dry them. On long downgrades use a lower gear, chosen at the top, instead of the brakes. Stuck gas pedal: tap or lift the pedal, shift to neutral, brake firmly without locking the wheels, and get off the road. Blowout: a loud noise and a swerve; grip the wheel tightly, keep straight on your side, lift off the accelerator, do not brake until the engine has slowed you enough to keep control, then pull completely off. To change a tire, get completely off the road, set the parking brake, set flares, have everyone leave by the passenger side and stand well away from the road and off the front and rear of the vehicle, turn on flashers and parking lights, and block the wheels. Breakdown: never make repairs exposed to traffic; get onto the shoulder, leave by the passenger side, stand away from the vehicle, tie a white cloth to the left door handle or aerial and raise the hood, and use parking lights or flashers in the dark. Oncoming vehicle in your lane: slow immediately, sound the horn, and keep right even if it means leaving the road. Wheels off the pavement: do not brake or turn back at once; ease off the gas, steer straight, let the engine slow you, and return gradually when nearly stopped and clear. Skids: on wet, icy or snowy roads slow gradually and use firm steady pressure with ABS (pump gently without ABS); in a skid, ease off the gas, steer in the direction the rear is sliding, and straighten as the car recovers so you do not over-steer.

Crashes

Anyone who stops to give aid at a crash is protected from civil liability except for intentional wrongdoing. If a crash seems likely, sound the horn, keep right, turn away from oncoming traffic even off the road, into an open field if possible. About to be hit from behind with nothing ahead, accelerate away, brace between the wheel and seat, and press your head firmly against the headrest; about to be hit otherwise, grip the wheel, be ready to steer, and shield your face from glass. In a crash you must stop immediately, prevent further crashes, help the injured, and make sure someone informs law enforcement; on a main lane, ramp, shoulder or median with no injuries, move drivable vehicles onto the shoulder. Report at once to the nearest law enforcement any crash with injury or death or damage of $1,000 or more, or face prosecution and suspension; tell your insurer; and in some cases file proof of financial responsibility with DMV. Give your name, address, license number, registration number and insurer, get the same from the others, and if you cannot find the other occupants or a property owner, gather what you can and give it to an officer.

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