Canada Exam Prep
NWT Class 7 overview

NWT Class 7: Emergencies, skids and collisions

Breakdowns, brake, steering, tire and headlight failure, emergency braking and ABS, skids, off-road recovery, collision duties and slowing for emergency vehicles.

  • 20 questions
  • Topic drill
0/20
Emergencies, skids and collisions · Question 1Score 0/0

You brake too hard, your wheels lock and you start to skid. What should you do?

Study reference: NWT Driver's Manual (rev. August 2022), Ch. 6 Handling Emergency Situations — Vehicle breakdown to Skids, Off-road recovery, Collisions, Emergency vehicles, pp. 94–100, 106–108

All 20 questions in this test

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

  1. You brake too hard, your wheels lock and you start to skid. What should you do?

    1. Turn the wheel sharply
    2. Press the brake pedal even harder and hold it
    3. Shift into reverse
    4. Ease off the brake until the wheels turn

  2. You have a blowout at highway speed. What should you do first?

    1. Brake hard right away
    2. Ease off the gas and hold the wheel firmly
    3. Shift into neutral
    4. Steer quickly onto the shoulder and brake hard

  3. After a minor collision, what should you avoid discussing at the scene?

    1. The time and weather
    2. Insurance details
    3. Witness names
    4. Who was at fault

  4. The power steering fails while you are driving. What happens?

    1. You can still steer, but it takes more effort
    2. The steering wheel locks up completely in place
    3. The vehicle stops automatically
    4. The wheels turn by themselves

  5. The brake warning light on your dashboard comes on while you are driving. What should you do?

    1. Pump the brakes hard
    2. Pull over as soon as it is safe
    3. Keep driving and check it later
    4. Turn the engine off right away

  6. You see emergency vehicle lights flashing at an incident ahead on the highway. How much should you slow down?

    1. To 30 km/h
    2. To half the posted speed limit
    3. To 60 km/h, or 40 km/h in towns
    4. By 10 km/h

  7. Your right wheels drop off the pavement onto the gravel shoulder. What should you do?

    1. Steer sharply back onto the road right away
    2. Ease off the gas and return when it is safe
    3. Speed up to get back on the road
    4. Brake hard right away

  8. Your headlights suddenly go out at night. What should you try first?

    1. Stop in your lane right away
    2. Switch the headlights off and on
    3. Speed up to reach a lit area
    4. Turn on your high beams

  9. You back into a parking meter and cause $300 of damage. Must you report it to police?

    1. No, only injuries are reported
    2. Yes, damage to public property must be reported
    3. No, since the damage is under the $2,000 threshold
    4. Only if a witness saw it

  10. Your car begins to skid. What does the manual say to do with your feet and hands?

    1. Brake hard and hold the wheel straight
    2. Keep off the brake; steer where you want to go
    3. Brake hard and steer into the ditch
    4. Accelerate and steer away from the skid

  11. You are in a collision. When may you leave the scene?

    1. After help is given and information is exchanged
    2. After 15 minutes, if the police have not arrived
    3. Right away if no one is hurt
    4. After you call your insurer

  12. Your car has broken down and a stranger stops and offers you a ride. What does the manual advise?

    1. Let your passengers go with them
    2. Accept the ride to the next town
    3. Ride along if they seem friendly
    4. Ask them to call for help instead

  13. A front tire goes flat while you are driving. What will the vehicle most likely do?

    1. Pull strongly toward the good side
    2. Pull strongly toward the flat side
    3. Weave from side to side
    4. Speed up suddenly

  14. In a car with anti-lock brakes, how should you brake in an emergency?

    1. Press hard and steadily without pumping
    2. Use only the parking brake
    3. Press lightly and release the pedal often
    4. Pump the pedal quickly

  15. You accelerate too hard on ice and the drive wheels spin. What type of skid is this, and what do you do?

    1. A cornering skid; steer hard left
    2. A power skid; ease up on the gas
    3. A power skid; press the gas harder
    4. A braking skid; press the brake

  16. You damage a parked car and cannot find its owner. What must you do?

    1. Wait one hour, then leave
    2. Securely attach your name, address, licence and plate number
    3. Leave and phone the police later
    4. Leave a note with only your phone number under the wiper blade

  17. Your engine stalls and the brake pedal feels very hard. What should you do?

    1. Pump the pedal rapidly
    2. Push the pedal harder with steady pressure
    3. Pull the parking brake up fully, all at once
    4. Shift to neutral and coast

  18. Your vehicle develops a mechanical problem on the highway. What should you do?

    1. Keep driving until it stops
    2. Stop in your lane and wait there for help to come
    3. Stop on the nearest bridge
    4. Move safely off the road and use hazard lights

  19. Above what total damage amount must an NWT collision be reported to police?

    1. $1,000
    2. $2,000
    3. $5,000
    4. $500

  20. A collision has happened on the other side of a divided highway. What should you do?

    1. Slow to half the speed limit
    2. Stop on the shoulder to help
    3. Change to the left lane and stop
    4. Keep going without slowing to look

Emergencies, skids and collisions: 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 ↗

Vehicle breakdown (Ch. 6)

  • Change lanes safely and move off the road; try to reach the nearest exit; don't stop on a bridge or in a tunnel.
  • Turn on hazard lights and raise the hood; occupants leave the vehicle and wait somewhere safe.
  • No roadside repairs on crowded or fast highways. Never get into a stranger's vehicle; ask helpers to call for assistance.

Brake and power steering failure

  • Dual-circuit hydraulic brakes guard against total failure; a dashboard warning light should come on before the brakes stop working. If it lights, pull over as soon as safely possible.
  • Total failure: follow the owner's manual for downshifting and using the park brake; do not drive until a qualified technician checks the brakes.
  • Power brake failure (e.g., engine stalls): you still have brakes — press harder with steady pressure. If wheels lock, ease off and brake again less hard. Downshifting and the park brake also help.
  • Power steering failure: the vehicle can still be steered manually with considerable effort.

Tire and headlight failure

  • Flat front tire: pulls strongly to that side. Flat rear: vehicle may weave. Slow leak: pulling, hard steering, vibration.
  • Flat while driving: don't brake right away; ease off the gas; firm grip, straight course; once slowed, brake gently and steadily; park off the road; hazard lights.
  • Headlights fail: switch them off and on; if still out, turn on hazard lights, slow down and pull off in a safe place.

Emergency braking and ABS

  • Stop as quickly as possible without locking wheels (locked wheels = no steering).
  • Press hard but not to lock-up; if wheels lock, release and press hard again; look and steer where you want to go.
  • ABS: pulsing felt in the pedal is normal; apply steady hard pressure; do not pump.

Skids

  • Skid = loss of traction; most skids are driver error (turning too sharply/fast, braking too hard, accelerating too fast, too fast for ice, snow, rain, mud, sand, gravel). Badly adjusted brakes can also cause skids.
  • In a skid keep your foot off the brake; steer in the direction you want the front of the vehicle to go.
  • Braking skid: ease off the brake; steering returns as the wheels turn; then use firm but lighter pressure.
  • Power skid (too much gas, wheels spin): ease off the gas; correct steering; don't overcorrect.
  • Cornering skid (turn too fast, slide sideways): ease off the gas; steer where you want to go; be ready for more corrections.

Off-road recovery

  • Firm grip; don't jerk back onto the road; ease off the gas; avoid braking (or brake gently); check traffic; return and straighten in the proper lane.

Collisions

  • Every driver in a collision must stay at the scene until reasonable help is given and licence, registration and insurance information are exchanged.
  • Report to police immediately if total damage to all vehicles, property and animals exceeds $2,000, or if you damage a traffic control device, railway sign or signal, any traffic signal, parking meter or any public property (even under $2,000).
  • Record witnesses' names and addresses; exchange insurance details; note time, place, weather; exchange licence and registration information; notify your insurer as soon as possible; do not discuss fault.
  • Unattended vehicle damaged: notify the owner, or securely attach your name, address, licence number and plate number to it.
  • First at a scene: move off the road and stop; help if possible; protect the scene; give police accurate injury and location details.

Emergency vehicles, tow trucks, flashing lights

  • Highway incidents risk "secondary crashes" with responders. Responders include police, ambulance, fire, tow trucks and gas utility vehicles. Slow down, leave lots of space, watch for workers on foot.
  • Emergency flashing lights ahead: slow down to half the posted speed limit; change lanes if needed; pull as far right as practical and stop to let the emergency vehicle pass; follow directions from personnel.
  • Incident on the opposite side of a divided highway: don't slow down unnecessarily to look.
  • Construction zones: obey posted speed; speeding fines doubled.

Study the Emergencies, skids and collisions rules as flashcards →

Other topics

Full practice tests