If your cell phone rings while you are driving and you do not have a hands-free device, you should:

1. Answer the call because it may be an emergency.
2. Let the call go to voicemail. ✓
3. Check the incoming number before answering the call.

Answer: B. Let the call go to voicemail.

If you don't have a hands-free device, let the call go to voicemail.

Why this is the answer

The handbook names cell phones as the main source of distracted driving and says driving with a handheld phone is unsafe and illegal. Its specific instruction is not to answer when the phone rings, but to let the call go to voicemail. If you need to make or return a call, the handbook says to pull safely off the road first. So the safe and legal choice here is simply to leave the call alone.

Why the other answers are wrong

• A. Answer the call because it may be an emergency. — The handbook tells you not to answer a ringing phone at all, and it addresses returning calls only after you pull safely off the road, so answering for a possible emergency is not what it instructs.
• C. Check the incoming number before answering the call. — Checking the number still means handling the phone while driving, and the handbook's instruction is not to answer at all rather than to screen the call first.

Remember it

If the phone rings and it isn't hands-free, picture the voicemail picking up and keep both hands on the wheel.