Rhode Island Car / Permit practice
Rhode Island 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
16 questions · pass with 13 correct. You get instant feedback and an explanation after every answer.
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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.
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1. The brake pedal pulses under your foot during hard braking with an anti-lock system. What does it mean?
Correct answer: The system is doing its job
That pulsing is how the system behaves when it is working, so keep the pressure on rather than lifting off.
Source: Rhode Island Driver's Manual - How to Avoid Skidding
2. What is the only remedy the Rhode Island manual gives for carbon monoxide inside a car?
Correct answer: Open the windows and let fresh air circulate
Open the windows and let fresh air move through. The gas has no smell, so yawning, dizziness or nausea may be your only warning.
Source: Rhode Island Driver's Manual - Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
3. How much distance can a train need to halt after its brakes go on?
Correct answer: Up to a mile and a half
The manual warns that stopping a train can take as much as a mile and a half, which is why beating one to a crossing is never worth trying.
Source: Rhode Island Driver's Manual - Vehicle Stalls on Railroad Tracks
4. Your car has gone into deep water. What does the manual say about the window?
Correct answer: Open it early, before water reaches the electrical system
Get it open early, before water reaches the electrical system, because power windows stop working once the wiring is soaked.
5. Your brake pedal sinks to the floor. After how many pumps will you know whether anything is left?
Correct answer: Three or four
Three or four pumps are enough to tell whether pressure can be restored; if not, downshift, use the parking brake and look for an open zone.
6. Your car stalls on the tracks and a train is coming. Which way do you run?
Correct answer: Well clear of the tracks, heading the opposite way to the train's travel
Get everyone out and move well away from the tracks, running opposite to the direction the train is traveling, because wreckage is thrown the way the train is going.
Source: Rhode Island Driver's Manual - Vehicle Stalls on Railroad Tracks
7. A tire blows out at speed. What must you avoid doing?
Correct answer: Braking
Braking is the thing to avoid, since it can throw the car into a swerve. Hold the wheel, ease off the gas and let the speed fall away.
8. What is the manual's first move when the accelerator sticks down?
Correct answer: Kick the side of the pedal once or twice to free it
Give the side of the pedal a kick once or twice to try to shake it loose, then shift to neutral while braking and pick an escape path.
Source: Rhode Island Driver's Manual - Stuck Accelerator Pedal
9. What does the manual suggest in the moment before an unavoidable rear-end impact?
Correct answer: Release the brakes just before impact, then brake again afterward
Let the brakes off just before you are struck to soften the blow, then brake again immediately afterward so you do not slide into another lane.
Source: Rhode Island Driver's Manual - Threat of a Rear-End Collision
10. If a crash becomes unavoidable after the brakes fail, what does the manual advise?
Correct answer: Aim for a sideswipe instead of striking something solid head on
Steer so the contact becomes a glancing blow along the side rather than a square hit into something solid.
11. How should a driver with anti-lock brakes stop hard on a slippery road?
Correct answer: Push the pedal down firmly and hold the pressure on
Press the pedal down firmly and keep the pressure on until the car stops. Pumping can switch the system off and let the wheels lock.
Source: Rhode Island Driver's Manual - How to Avoid Skidding
12. Your right wheels drop onto the shoulder. What is the first thing the manual wants you to do?
Correct answer: Grip the wheel firmly and ease off the gas rather than braking
Take a firm hold of the wheel and ease off the accelerator, avoiding the brake, while you keep the car aimed straight.
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Every Rhode Island question is written from the official Rhode Island 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