What should you do before braking?
- Honk your horn
- Flash your brake lights ✓
- Signal by sticking your right arm out straight
- All of the above
Answer: B. Flash your brake lights
Before braking, flash your brake lights by gently tapping the front brake lever or rear brake pedal.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says your brake light tells traffic behind you that you are slowing down. It advises helping drivers behind notice you by flashing your brake light before you slow down. A gentle tap on either the front brake lever or the rear brake pedal activates the brake light without actually applying the brake, so you can give that warning before braking.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Honk your horn — Honking your horn is not described in the passages as something to do before braking; it is only mentioned as one possible response to a specific hazard.
- C. Signal by sticking your right arm out straight — Sticking your right arm out straight is not stated in the passages as a signal to use before braking.
- D. All of the above — Not all of these actions are supported, because honking and the straight-arm signal are not given as things to do before braking.
Remember it
Think of the brake light as your first message to traffic behind: tap it before you slow.
Official handbook: ICBC Learn to Ride Smart, Chapter 6: see-think-do – do, p. 87