Louisiana Driver License: Distraction, Avoiding Collisions, Emergencies and Crashes

30 questions with the correct answer and an explanation for each. Topic: Distraction, Avoiding Collisions, Emergencies and Crashes. Free, no account needed.

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1. A 16-year-old wants to send a quick text while driving. What does Louisiana law say about this?

  1. It is allowed if a parent has given permission
  2. It is allowed only if hands-free
  3. It is allowed for reading messages but not sending them
  4. No one 17 or younger may text, call, or read on a wireless device while driving

Answer: D — No one 17 or younger may text, call, or read on a wireless device while driving

Louisiana law bars anyone 17 or younger from using any wireless device to call, text, or read while driving.

2. Why is texting while driving considered the most dangerous form of distraction?

  1. It only takes a driver's hands off the wheel
  2. It only takes a driver's eyes off the road
  3. It combines visual, manual, and cognitive distraction at once
  4. It only affects a driver's thinking, not their hands or eyes

Answer: C — It combines visual, manual, and cognitive distraction at once

Texting involves all three distraction types together: eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, and mind off driving.

3. A driver believes that switching to a hands-free phone call removes all the risk of distraction. Is this correct?

  1. Yes, but only for calls under one minute
  2. No, hands-free calls are actually more visually distracting
  3. No, hands-free calls still involve cognitive distraction
  4. Yes, hands-free calls eliminate all distraction risk

Answer: C — No, hands-free calls still involve cognitive distraction

Cognitive distraction comes from mental engagement in the conversation, not from holding the phone, so going hands-free does not remove it.

4. According to the guide, how much likelier are teens to crash during their first month driving alone?

  1. About 25 percent likelier
  2. About 75 percent likelier
  3. No likelier than at any other time
  4. About 50 percent likelier

Answer: D — About 50 percent likelier

Teens are 50 percent likelier to crash in their first month driving alone.

5. Teens often say alcohol and texting are the most unsafe behaviors. What are the factors most often actually found in fatal teen crashes?

  1. Drowsiness and peer pressure
  2. Poor road maintenance and equipment failure
  3. Unsafe speed and not wearing seat belts
  4. Alcohol use and texting

Answer: C — Unsafe speed and not wearing seat belts

Despite teens naming alcohol and texting as top concerns, unsafe speed and failure to wear seat belts are the actual top factors in fatal teen crashes.

6. On which days do teen crashes most often occur?

  1. Weekends, at 53 percent
  2. Weekdays, at 53 percent
  3. Weekends, at 68 percent
  4. Weekdays, at 33 percent

Answer: A — Weekends, at 53 percent

53 percent of teen crashes happen on weekends.

7. A driver's car has a manual (non-ABS) brake system and the wheels start to lock up during hard braking. What should the driver do?

  1. Downshift repeatedly instead of using the brake at all
  2. Pull the parking brake to help stop faster
  3. Pump the brakes: push hard, ease off as the car skids, then push again
  4. Hold the pedal down as hard as possible without letting up

Answer: C — Pump the brakes: push hard, ease off as the car skids, then push again

Without ABS, hard sustained braking locks the wheels, so the driver must pump the brakes to regain control while stopping.

8. A car equipped with ABS is braked hard in an emergency. What happens, and does it help the car stop faster?

  1. ABS disengages automatically to avoid overheating the brakes
  2. ABS only activates on ice and has no effect on dry pavement
  3. ABS locks the wheels completely to stop in the shortest distance
  4. ABS pumps the brakes rapidly, letting the driver steer, but does not stop the car faster

Answer: D — ABS pumps the brakes rapidly, letting the driver steer, but does not stop the car faster

ABS pumps the brakes up to 30 times a second, keeping the car steerable, but it does not make the car stop faster.

9. An oncoming car drifts into your lane and keeps coming despite your honking and flashing your lights. What should you do?

  1. Steer left into the oncoming lane to go around it
  2. Speed up to pass it on the left before it reaches you
  3. Steer off to the right shoulder or ditch
  4. Stop immediately in your lane and wait

Answer: C — Steer off to the right shoulder or ditch

If an oncoming vehicle in your lane keeps coming, steer off to the right shoulder or ditch and never into the left lane.

10. You realize another car is about to hit you from directly behind. What should you do to protect yourself?

  1. Be ready to brake, brace between the wheel and seat back, and press your head against the headrest
  2. Accelerate hard to pull away from the impact
  3. Turn around to watch the approaching car
  4. Grip the wheel tightly and prepare to steer into a spin

Answer: A — Be ready to brake, brace between the wheel and seat back, and press your head against the headrest

When about to be hit from the rear, brace between the wheel and seat back, press your head against the headrest, and be ready to brake so you aren't pushed into the car ahead.

11. Rollovers are relatively rare crash types but cause a disproportionate share of deaths. How do the numbers compare?

  1. Rollovers make up only one in forty crashes but cause a third of occupant deaths
  2. Rollovers make up one in forty crashes and one in forty deaths
  3. Rollovers make up a third of crashes but cause few deaths
  4. Rollovers make up a third of crashes and a third of deaths

Answer: A — Rollovers make up only one in forty crashes but cause a third of occupant deaths

Rollovers cause a third of occupant deaths even though only one crash in forty is a rollover.

12. Why are SUVs, vans, pickups, and small trucks more prone to rolling over than sedans?

  1. They have lower ground clearance
  2. They have stiffer suspensions
  3. They have a higher center of gravity
  4. They have wider tires that grip too well

Answer: C — They have a higher center of gravity

These vehicle types roll more because of their high center of gravity, which is raised further by cargo and passengers.

13. On slippery pavement, the rear of your car (no ABS) suddenly skids to the right. What should you do?

  1. Take your foot off the gas and steer right, in the direction the rear is skidding
  2. Brake immediately to slow down
  3. Steer left, away from the direction of the skid
  4. Accelerate to regain traction

Answer: A — Take your foot off the gas and steer right, in the direction the rear is skidding

For a rear skid, take your foot off the gas and steer in the direction the rear is skidding (right for a right skid) without braking.

14. Your car begins to hydroplane on a wet road. What is the correct first response?

  1. Brake firmly to slow down quickly
  2. Turn the steering wheel sharply to regain grip
  3. Ease off the gas without braking or turning suddenly
  4. Accelerate slightly to push through the water

Answer: C — Ease off the gas without braking or turning suddenly

If hydroplaning, do not brake or turn suddenly; ease off the gas until you feel the road again.

15. How does Electronic Stability Program (ESP) help prevent skids?

  1. It automatically applies the parking brake in a skid
  2. It disables the throttle whenever the car exceeds the speed limit
  3. It compares where you steer with where the car is actually going and brakes individual wheels
  4. It increases engine power when cornering

Answer: C — It compares where you steer with where the car is actually going and brakes individual wheels

ESP works with ABS by comparing steering input to the car's actual path and braking individual wheels to prevent a skid.

16. Your right wheels drop off the pavement onto a shoulder that is noticeably lower than the road surface. What should you do before turning back onto the pavement?

  1. Turn back immediately at your current speed
  2. Speed up first so you have enough momentum to climb back onto the pavement
  3. Slow to about 10 mph, check traffic both ways, then turn sharply back
  4. Stop completely and wait for another driver to wave you back

Answer: C — Slow to about 10 mph, check traffic both ways, then turn sharply back

When the shoulder is much lower, slow to about 10 mph, check traffic both ways, and then turn sharply back onto the pavement.

17. Your car has stalled on railroad tracks and you can see a train approaching. What should everyone in the car do?

  1. Try to push the car off the tracks together
  2. Get out and walk quickly alongside the tracks toward the train
  3. Get out and run in the direction away from the train
  4. Stay inside the car with seat belts on

Answer: B — Get out and walk quickly alongside the tracks toward the train

Everyone should get out and walk quickly alongside the tracks toward the train so that debris from a collision misses them.

18. You experience a tire blowout while driving. About how fast should you let the car slow down before you begin braking gently?

  1. About 10 mph
  2. About 30 mph
  3. About 50 mph
  4. Do not wait — brake hard immediately

Answer: B — About 30 mph

In a blowout, hold the wheel firmly and let the car slow without braking until about 30 mph, then brake gently.

19. Your brakes fail while driving. What is the correct sequence of actions?

  1. Let the car slow with your foot off the gas, shift to a lower gear, then to neutral, and apply the hand brake gradually
  2. Steer into a soft object immediately without trying to slow down first
  3. Immediately yank the parking brake as hard as possible
  4. Turn off the ignition right away to stop the engine

Answer: A — Let the car slow with your foot off the gas, shift to a lower gear, then to neutral, and apply the hand brake gradually

With brake failure, don't yank the parking brake; instead let the car slow, downshift, then shift to neutral and apply the hand brake gradually.

20. A small fire breaks out under the hood from an oil leak. What should you use to put it out?

  1. A fire extinguisher, dirt, mud, sand, or clothing
  2. Water from a bottle or nearby source
  3. Nothing — drive away quickly to outrun the fire
  4. Gasoline to smother the flames

Answer: A — A fire extinguisher, dirt, mud, sand, or clothing

Small fires should be smothered with an extinguisher, dirt, mud, sand, or clothing, but never water on gasoline, oil, or electrical fires.

21. When jump-starting a car, after connecting the positive cable to positive on both batteries, what is the correct next connection?

  1. Connect another positive cable between the two batteries for extra power
  2. Connect the live battery's negative directly to the dead battery's negative terminal or to the engine block or frame
  3. Start the dead car's engine before making any negative connection
  4. Remove the vent caps only after all connections are made

Answer: B — Connect the live battery's negative directly to the dead battery's negative terminal or to the engine block or frame

After positive-to-positive, connect the live battery's negative to the dead battery's negative or to the engine block or frame, keeping the cars apart, since jump-starting can explode a battery.

22. Your car breaks down at night on the roadside. How far behind the car should you place flares?

  1. At least 300 feet
  2. At least 10 feet
  3. At least 100 feet
  4. At least 50 feet

Answer: C — At least 100 feet

Flares should be placed at least 100 feet behind a broken-down vehicle to warn approaching traffic.

23. You've broken down and pulled well off the road, clear of traffic, and are waiting for help. What is the safest thing to do while you wait?

  1. Sit on the hood so you're visible from a distance
  2. Stand behind the car to flag down passing traffic
  3. Wait inside the car with the doors locked
  4. Walk along the interstate to find the nearest exit

Answer: C — Wait inside the car with the doors locked

While waiting for help off the road, wait inside the car with the doors locked if it is clear of traffic, rather than standing near the vehicle or walking on the interstate.

24. A driver stuck in a long traffic jam starts yawning, feeling dizzy, and has an upset stomach. What could this indicate?

  1. Early symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure
  2. Symptoms unrelated to the vehicle's exhaust system
  3. Normal boredom from sitting in traffic
  4. A strong smell of burning that requires pulling over

Answer: A — Early symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure

Carbon monoxide is odorless, and yawning, dizziness, and an upset stomach are early symptoms that demand fresh air at once.

25. You approach a stretch of road covered in water that looks only a few inches deep. About how much water is enough to reach most car bottoms and cause you to stall or lose control?

  1. About 6 inches
  2. About 1 foot
  3. About 2 inches
  4. About 2 feet

Answer: A — About 6 inches

Six inches of water reaches most car bottoms and can stall the engine or cause loss of control.

26. How much rushing floodwater is typically enough to carry away most vehicles?

  1. 1 foot
  2. 2 feet
  3. 6 inches
  4. 4 feet

Answer: B — 2 feet

Two feet of rushing water can carry away most vehicles.

27. Your car has gone into deep water and is sinking. Which window should you kick out to escape, and which should you avoid?

  1. Kick out the windshield, since it is the largest opening
  2. Kick out the rear window only, since side windows won't break
  3. Avoid kicking any window and wait for the doors to open on their own
  4. Kick out a side window, and avoid the shatterproof windshield

Answer: D — Kick out a side window, and avoid the shatterproof windshield

If sinking too fast, kick out a side window rather than the shatterproof windshield.

28. You're involved in a crash that causes only property damage, with no injuries. What must you do before leaving the scene?

  1. Nothing, since no one was injured
  2. Leave a note only if someone asks you to
  3. Wait only for police, without exchanging any information
  4. Identify yourself by giving your name, address, and plate number, and show your license if asked

Answer: D — Identify yourself by giving your name, address, and plate number, and show your license if asked

In a crash you must never leave without identifying yourself, giving your name, address, and plate number, and showing your license on request.

29. An ambulance approaches from behind with lights and siren on a two-lane road. What should you do?

  1. Pull parallel to the right edge of the road and stay stopped until it passes
  2. Speed up to clear the way ahead of it
  3. Maintain your current speed and lane position
  4. Pull left across the center line and stop

Answer: A — Pull parallel to the right edge of the road and stay stopped until it passes

When an emergency vehicle approaches with lights or sirens, yield and pull parallel to the right edge, staying stopped until it passes.

30. After a minor crash with no injuries, what does Louisiana law require you to do with the vehicles involved?

  1. Leave the vehicles exactly where they stopped until police arrive
  2. Wait inside the vehicles in the travel lane with flashers on
  3. Move the vehicles to the nearest soft shoulder to clear the roadway
  4. Move the vehicles only if another driver asks you to

Answer: C — Move the vehicles to the nearest soft shoulder to clear the roadway

The 'Move It, Move It, Move It — Steer It Clear' law requires moving vehicles from the roadway to the nearest soft shoulder to cut congestion and secondary crashes.

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