New Hampshire Car / Permit practice
New Hampshire Car / Permit: Handling Emergencies practice test
What to do when things go wrong — brake failure, tire blowouts, skids, and stalling on railroad tracks.
Content reviewed against official driver handbooks · August 12, 2026
14 questions · pass with 11 correct. You get instant feedback and an explanation after every answer.
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12 sample Handling Emergencies questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.
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1. Your headlights fail suddenly on a dark road. What does the manual advise?
Correct answer: Try the turn signals or flashers, and pull off the road safely
The driver tries the turn signals or hazard flashers for whatever light they give, then leaves the travel lane at the first safe opportunity with the flashers left on.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 10, Vehicle Malfunctions
2. You have flares or reflectors after a breakdown. Where does the manual say to place them?
Correct answer: About 200 feet ahead of the vehicle and 200 feet behind it
Warning devices go about two hundred feet ahead of the disabled vehicle and the same distance behind it, giving approaching drivers time to change lanes.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 10, Vehicle Malfunctions
3. Your brakes stop working while you are driving. What does the manual tell you to try first?
Correct answer: Apply the parking brake gradually, ready to release it if the car skids
The parking brake is applied slowly so the rear wheels do not lock and start a skid, with the driver ready to release it if the car begins sliding.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 10, Vehicle Malfunctions
4. When must a New Hampshire crash be reported to the Division of Motor Vehicles?
Correct answer: Within 15 days if there are injuries, a death, or damage above $1,000
A report is due within fifteen days when the crash brought a death or injuries, or when the combined property damage tops one thousand dollars.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 9, Accident Procedures
5. A vehicle suddenly comes at you from the opposite direction and you have to swerve. Which way should you steer?
Correct answer: Toward the clear path, never to the left
The manual tells drivers to grip the wheel with both hands and steer toward where they want to go while avoiding other traffic, and never to swerve to the left.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 10, Swerving
6. The engine dies while your vehicle is still rolling. What should you expect and do?
Correct answer: The steering grows hard to turn, so grip the wheel and brake steadily off the road
Steering turns heavy once the engine quits, so the driver holds the wheel firmly, brakes with steady rather than sudden pressure, and coasts off the roadway.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 10, Vehicle Malfunctions
7. Your car has anti-lock brakes and you must stop hard to avoid a collision. What should you do?
Correct answer: Press the pedal and hold steady pressure on it
An anti-lock system works only while the driver keeps pressing the pedal, and the vibration and clicking that follow are normal rather than a sign of failure.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 10, Braking
8. Your right wheels drop off the pavement onto a lower shoulder. What is the safe response?
Correct answer: Ease off speed gradually, then return to the pavement once it is safe
Panic steering back onto the pavement is what turns a drop-off into a crash; the driver should slow gradually and ease back on when the moment is safe.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 10, Uneven Surface Drop-Offs
9. A front tire blows out at highway speed. What will the vehicle tend to do?
Correct answer: Pull hard toward the side where the tire failed
A front blowout drags the car sharply toward the failed tire, while a rear blowout produces wobbling and shaking with a milder pull in that direction.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 10, Vehicle Malfunctions
10. The rear of your car begins sliding sideways on an icy road. How should you respond?
Correct answer: Ease off the gas and steer the way the rear end is sliding
The driver eases off the accelerator and steers toward the side the rear is sliding, which brings the car back to straight rather than letting it go sideways.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 10, Dealing with Skids
11. A tire has blown out. What should the driver do?
Correct answer: Hold the wheel firmly, ease off the gas, and slow gradually
The driver holds the wheel firmly to keep going straight, lifts off the accelerator to lose speed gradually, brakes only gently, then leaves the road and switches on the flashers.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 10, Vehicle Malfunctions
12. You break down with no phone available. What signal does the manual suggest?
Correct answer: Raise the hood and tie a white cloth to the door handle or antenna
Raising the hood and tying a white cloth to the door handle or the antenna asks passing drivers for help, and the manual advises red cloth during a snowstorm.
Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual — Section 10, Vehicle Malfunctions
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Every New Hampshire question is written from the official New Hampshire driver handbook and checked against its current edition. DMV Test Free is a free, independent study resource — not affiliated with any DMV or government agency. About DMV Test Free