New Mexico Car / Permit practice
New Mexico 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.
Study questions with answers
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.
Show all 12 questions with answers
1. Your brakes stop working while you are driving. What should you try first?
Correct answer: Pump the brake pedal repeatedly
Pump the pedal several times, which often restores enough pressure to stop. If it does not, pull the parking brake on slowly so the rear wheels do not lock, then start working down through the gears and find a safe place off the road.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Brake Failure
2. Your vehicle starts to skid. What should you do with the brakes and the steering?
Correct answer: Stay off the brake and steer where you want to go
Keep off the brake, since it will not help until the vehicle slows and may worsen the slide, and aim the wheel where you want to end up. As the car straightens, turn back the other way so you do not start a second skid.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Dealing with Skids
3. The engine dies while you are driving. What should you expect?
Correct answer: Steering becomes hard but still works, and the brakes need heavy pressure
Keep a firm grip, because the steering turns hard, though it will still turn. The brakes keep working too, but you may have to shove the pedal down very hard. Get off the roadway.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Power Failure
4. The accelerator sticks and the engine keeps revving higher. What should you do?
Correct answer: Shift quickly into neutral and pull off the road
Keep watching the road, shift into neutral right away, steer off the road when it is safe, and then shut the engine off.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Gas Pedal Sticks
5. Your headlights go out at night. What should you do after trying the switch again?
Correct answer: Switch on the flashers, turn signals, or fog lights and pull off the road
If flipping the switch does not bring them back, put on the hazard flashers — or the turn signals or fog lights, if the vehicle has them — so others can see you, and leave the roadway as soon as you can.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Headlight Failure
6. You must stop quickly and your vehicle has no antilock brakes. What is the right technique?
Correct answer: Brake hard without locking up, easing off and reapplying if a skid starts
Brake as hard as you can short of locking the wheels. If the vehicle starts to skid, release the pedal quickly, then press again once the skid ends, repeating until you stop.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Stopping Quickly
7. You cannot avoid a head-on collision. What does the manual advise?
Correct answer: Turn so the impact becomes a glancing blow
Try to turn so the impact becomes a glancing blow rather than a square hit — you may even miss altogether. If an air bag fires it will deflate right after, so be ready to keep the vehicle from striking something else.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Hit From the Front
8. A tire suddenly goes flat at speed. What should you do?
Correct answer: Hold the wheel firmly, keep straight, and slow gradually
Grip the wheel hard and hold your line, then bleed off speed by lifting off the gas and using the brakes gently. Avoid stopping in the roadway; find a safe place off the pavement.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Tire Blowout
9. How should you brake in an emergency if your vehicle has an antilock braking system?
Correct answer: Press hard and keep the pedal down
Push the pedal down as hard as you can and hold it there. The pedal may push back while the system works — that is normal, and letting up stops the system from doing its job.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Stopping Quickly
10. Your vehicle breaks down and you cannot get it fully off the highway. What should you do?
Correct answer: Turn on the flashers and place flares behind the vehicle
Switch on the emergency flashers, stop where approaching drivers get a clear view — never just past a hill or around a curve — and set flares behind the vehicle so others can change lanes. Never stand in the roadway or change a tire from a traffic lane.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Letting Others Know You Are There
11. Someone at a crash scene is bleeding badly. What should you do?
Correct answer: Apply firm pressure straight onto the wound
Press directly on the wound with a hand or a cloth; even heavy bleeding can usually be slowed or stopped that way. Do not move an injured person unless fire or traffic makes staying put more dangerous, and never give them anything to drink, not even water.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Accidents and the Financial Responsibility Law
12. When is speeding up the right way to avoid a crash?
Correct answer: When a vehicle is closing on your side or rear and there is open road ahead of you
Accelerating helps when a vehicle is about to strike you from the side or behind and there is open space ahead. Once the danger passes, ease back down to a safe speed.
Source: New Mexico Driver Manual — Speeding Up
More Car / Permit topics
Practice Handling Emergencies in another state
Every New Mexico question is written from the official New Mexico 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