If your vehicle breaks down, you should
- pull off the road and turn on your hazard lights ✓
- find a public phone and call the police
- slow down and drive to the next exit
- turn on your hazard lights and stop in your lane
Answer: A. pull off the road and turn on your hazard lights
Pull off the road and turn on your hazard lights.
Why this is the answer
The handbook's breakdown steps for engine failure say to signal and steer to the edge of the road, get as far off the road as possible, and then turn on your hazard lights. It also warns against stopping on a bridge or in a tunnel when you can avoid it. The hazard lights are what warn other drivers that your vehicle is a problem rather than normal traffic, so the order matters: get clear of the lane first, then light up. The tire-blowout section gives the same advice: signal or use hazards, then pull off when it is safe.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. find a public phone and call the police — The handbook says to get help, but it does not tell you to leave the scene to hunt for a public phone and call the police, and walking away from a disabled vehicle is not part of its breakdown steps.
- C. slow down and drive to the next exit — The handbook points you to the nearest exit only if you can reach it, and its main instruction is to pull off the road as far as possible and put your hazard lights on, not to keep driving with a failing vehicle.
- D. turn on your hazard lights and stop in your lane — Switching on the hazard lights while you sit in your lane still leaves a dead vehicle blocking traffic, which is why the handbook tells you to steer to the edge of the road and get as far off it as you can.
Remember it
Hazards are a warning to others, not a parking permit: get off the road first, then let the lights do the talking.