If your wheels drop off the pavement and onto the shoulder of the road, you should:
- Brake hard and turn sharply back onto the pavement.
- Stop your car on the edge of the road.
- Slow down and very carefully turn back onto the pavement. ✓
- Maintain your speed and turn sharply back onto the pavement.
Answer: C. Slow down and very carefully turn back onto the pavement.
Slow down and very carefully turn back onto the pavement.
Why this is the answer
The handbook's right-wheels-off-pavement steps say to take your foot off the gas, hold the wheel firmly, and steer in a straight line. Once you have slowed and the road is clear, you turn back onto the pavement at a slow speed and signal your intention. It adds that you should not use your brakes if you can avoid it, so the slowing comes from easing off the gas rather than stomping on the pedal. A slow, careful return keeps the car controllable instead of jerking it back into traffic.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Brake hard and turn sharply back onto the pavement. — Hard braking and a sharp turn fight the handbook's advice to stay off the brakes and ease back at a slow speed, and a sudden jerk can pull the car out of control.
- B. Stop your car on the edge of the road. — The handbook has you keep rolling, straighten out, and wait for a clear road, then turn back on the pavement, not park on the shoulder.
- D. Maintain your speed and turn sharply back onto the pavement. — Keeping your speed up while yanking the wheel sharply is the opposite of turning back at a slow speed like the handbook describes.
Remember it
Off the pavement: hands firm, foot off the gas, straight line first, then ease back on slowly.