When must your headlights be on?

From 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise

Only when street lights are off

From one hour after sunset until sunrise the next morning

Why is a hole in the exhaust system especially dangerous in winter?

Poisonous gases can build up with windows closed

The engine will no longer start in very cold weather

Nova Scotia Class 7: Your vehicle: inspection, equipment, registration and insurance

Annual safety inspection, tires and studded tire dates, maintenance checks, lighting and horn rules, special flashing lights, loads and trailers, vehicle permits and plates, and mandatory liability insurance.

No sign-up
Every answer explained
Independent · not a government site

18 questions
Topic drill

0/18

Your vehicle: inspection, equipment, registration and insurance · Question 1Score 0/0

What is the minimum tread depth the handbook gives for safe tires?

Tip: press 1–4 to answer and Enter for the next question.

Study reference: Nova Scotia Driver's Handbook (2017 revision), Ch. 4 Safety — Vehicle safety, Lighting equipment, Other vehicle equipment, Alerting other drivers; Ch. 7 Vehicle Registration and Insurance

All 18 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

What is the minimum tread depth the handbook gives for safe tires?
1. 5 millimetres
2. 1.5 millimetres
3. 0.5 millimetres
4. 3 millimetres
Who may ride in a travel trailer while it is being towed on the highway?
1. Adults wearing seat belts
2. No one
3. Up to two passengers
4. Children under supervision
When must your headlights be on?
1. Only when street lights are off
2. From one hour after sunset until sunrise the next morning
3. From 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise
4. Only on highways at night
Why is a hole in the exhaust system especially dangerous in winter?
1. The muffler can freeze solid
2. The heater stops working
3. The engine will no longer start in very cold weather
4. Poisonous gases can build up with windows closed
What is the minimum third-party liability insurance required in Nova Scotia?
1. $100,000
2. $200,000
3. $1,000,000
4. $500,000
On a dim, rainy afternoon you cannot see a person 300 metres ahead. Which lights must you use?
1. Headlights
2. Parking lights
3. Daytime running lights
4. Fog lights only
During which period are studded tires legal in Nova Scotia?
1. November 1 to March 31
2. October 15 to April 30
3. October 1 to May 31
4. December 1 to April 15
From what distance must your horn be heard?
1. 30 metres
2. 150 metres
3. 60 metres
4. 15 metres
How often must a vehicle registered in Nova Scotia pass a safety inspection?
1. Only when it is sold
2. Every five years
3. Every two years
4. Every year
How often must you renew the vehicle permit for a passenger car?
1. Every 2 years
2. Every 5 years
3. Every 3 years
4. Every year
Which documents should you keep in your vehicle?
1. The bill of sale, the owner's manual and repair receipts
2. Permit, liability insurance card and inspection report
3. Your birth certificate and passport
4. Only your driver's licence
You have just moved to Nova Scotia with your car. Within how many days must you register it here?
1. 30 days
2. 60 days
3. 90 days
4. 6 months
You push down hard on one corner of your car and it bounces more than once. What does this suggest?
1. The wheels are out of alignment
2. The brakes are wearing out
3. The tire pressure is too high
4. The shock absorber may need replacing
Which vehicles must display a slow-moving vehicle sign?
1. Only farm tractors pulling a load
2. Any truck over 4,500 kg
3. Those that cannot keep a speed over 60 km/h
4. Those that cannot keep a speed over 40 km/h
In daylight, a load sticks out more than 1 metre past the rear of your truck. What must you display?
1. A red flag at least 300 mm square
2. An orange cone on the bumper
3. Your four-way flashers
4. A white cloth on the load
Which vehicles may use a flashing blue light?
1. Snow plows, tow trucks and road maintenance vehicles
2. Ambulances and fire trucks
3. Any volunteer firefighter
4. Police and conservation officer vehicles
From what distance must a vehicle's brake lights be visible in normal sunlight?
1. 30 metres
2. 150 metres
3. 100 metres
4. 60 metres
Your car fails its safety inspection. How long do you have to fix it and be re-inspected without paying a second fee?
1. 48 hours
2. 30 days
3. 7 days
4. 10 days

Your vehicle: inspection, equipment, registration and insurance: key rules to remember

Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗

Maintaining your vehicle (Ch. 4)

All registered vehicles and trailers must be inspected every year at an official inspection station by an authorized mechanic.
Parts inspected include windshield and glass, horn, brakes, wipers, steering, suspension, exhaust, fuel system, lights, tires and wheels, mirrors, body, coupling devices.
Police or a Minister-appointed inspector may inspect your vehicle at any time and order an unsafe vehicle off the road.

Maintenance checks

Check tire pressure (including the spare) when tires are cold or have sat for more than four hours.
Tires need tread depth of at least 1.5 mm; check for bulges, cuts, exposed cords.
Winter: snow or all-season tires on all four wheels. Studded tires are legal only from October 15 to April 30.
Shocks: push down hard on a corner; more than one bounce means the shock likely needs replacing.
Brakes need checking if the pedal goes down too far, metal grinds, the car pulls to one side or stops slowly.
Exhaust holes can leak poisonous gases into the car — especially dangerous in winter with windows closed.
Secure loose objects so they cannot jam the pedals.

Lighting equipment

Headlights required from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise, and whenever you cannot see a person 300 m ahead (fog, rain, snow etc.). Parking lights or daytime running lights may not be used instead of headlights then.
Headlight beam's bright part must not rise above 1 m at 20 m from the vehicle.
Brake lights must be visible in normal sunlight from 100 m.
Plate must be readable from 15 m (white plate light; not required on mopeds).
Signal lights: white or amber to the front, amber or red to the rear; visible 150 m for vehicles 2.05 m or wider, 100 m for narrower vehicles.
Parked vehicles: white or amber light/reflector on the front roadway side; red to the rear when lights are required.
Emergency flashers: when stalled in a roadway, or when climbing a hill below a posted minimum such as "Use 4-way flashers below 70 km/h".

Special lights, other equipment

Flashing red to the front only on ambulances, police or fire vehicles, school buses while loading/unloading, and volunteer fire chief/deputy chief vehicles.
Flashing amber required on school buses; may be used on vehicles carrying explosives, towing wide trailers, or service vehicles (road, communication or power work).
Flashing blue only on police vehicles or conservation officers' vehicles.
No ornaments that block the driver's view or distract.
Horn must be audible at 60 m; don't use it unnecessarily.

Winter maintenance

Have the battery checked and terminals cleaned at least twice each winter.
Winter kit: shovel, sand or kitty litter, booster cables, candles and matches, flares or warning lights, blankets, tow chain, extra washer fluid, tire chains, phone.

Alerting others, loads, towing

Slow-moving vehicle sign required on farm tractors and any vehicle that cannot keep above 40 km/h normally; slow down when you see one.
Load extending more than 1 m beyond the rear: red flag at least 300 mm by 300 mm in daylight; after dark an amber or red light visible 60 m.
Drawbar or towing connection no longer than 5 m (8 m for poles). A chain/rope/cable connection needs a red flag or cloth on it.
Only commercial vehicles may tow more than one trailer. Never carry people in a towed trailer.
Towing a disabled vehicle: someone must sit in it and brake to keep the cable tight; don't tow vehicles with power brakes/steering if the engine can't run.
Oversize permit needed beyond: 12.5 m single vehicle, 25 m combination, 14.65 m trailer, 2.6 m wide, 4.15 m high.

Vehicle registration and insurance (Ch. 7)

Before driving on a highway a vehicle must be registered, have a permit, plate and validation sticker, a valid inspection sticker, and third-party liability insurance (proof carried in the vehicle).
Certificate of registration is valid as long as you own the vehicle. Passenger vehicle and light truck permits are renewed every 2 years.
Visitors may drive their own out-of-province registered passenger vehicle for 90 days (once a year, personal use). New residents must register within 30 days.
Selling: give the buyer the Transfer of Title, return the Notice of Sale; the vehicle must have a valid inspection while still yours. Remove your plates when you sell.
Your valid plates can go on a newly acquired vehicle for 30 days while waiting for a new permit. Temporary permits last 30 days.
The original permit must be in the vehicle or with the driver; the plate goes on the rear with a current validation sticker.
Failed inspection: rejection sticker; 10 days to fix and be reinspected without a second fee. Approval stickers expire at the end of the month shown.
Minimum third-party liability: $500,000 (or a $500,000 bond, or $500,000 deposited with the Minister of Finance per vehicle).
After a collision show your liability insurance card to everyone involved, witnesses and police.
Glove compartment: vehicle permit, liability insurance card, safety inspection report. Carry your licence.

Study the Your vehicle: inspection, equipment, registration and insurance rules as flashcards →