You are driving along the road and get an insect smeared on your face shield that obscures your view. What should you do?
- Stop immediately and clear off your face shield.
- Pull up the face shield and continue driving.
- Pull off the road when it is safe and clear off your face shield. ✓
- Speed up to get to your destination faster.
Answer: C. Pull off the road when it is safe and clear off your face shield.
Pull off the road when it is safe and clear the insect smear from your face shield.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says insects and other flying objects can smear or crack face protection and make it hard to see. It tells you not to let this affect your control of the motorcycle: keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the handlebars. Then, as soon as it is safe, pull off the road and repair the damage. That supports waiting for a safe place to stop before cleaning the shield, instead of trying to deal with it while riding.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Stop immediately and clear off your face shield. — Stopping immediately can put you in a dangerous position, because the handbook says to pull off the road as soon as it is safe, not to stop right away.
- B. Pull up the face shield and continue driving. — Pulling up the face shield and carrying on leaves your vision and face unprotected, while the handbook says to pull off the road and repair the damage when safe.
- D. Speed up to get to your destination faster. — Speeding up does not clear the shield and conflicts with the handbook's advice to keep control and pull off the road safely before repairing the damage.
Remember it
Keep riding steadily with your eyes on the road until you can stop safely, then deal with the smeared shield.
Official handbook: Official MTO Motorcycle Handbook, Dealing with emergencies – Flying objects