You want to back out of your driveway. You see children playing nearby. Before you start to move your car, you should:
- Rev your engine to warn the children that you are moving.
- Sound your horn so the children will hear you.
- Walk to the back of the car to be sure the way is clear. ✓
- Tell the children to stay away from the driveway.
Answer: C. Walk to the back of the car to be sure the way is clear.
Before you back out with children nearby, walk to the back of the car to be sure the way is clear.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says to use caution when leaving any parking space and to check your mirrors so nothing blocks your path, especially pedestrians or children, because children often play between parked cars. It also tells you to look back before and while you back up. Of the choices given, getting out and walking to the rear is the one that actually confirms the space behind your car is clear of children before the car moves. Noise from the engine or horn tells you nothing about what is behind you.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Rev your engine to warn the children that you are moving. — Revving the engine only makes noise; it does not show you whether a child is behind the car, and the handbook does not list it as a check.
- B. Sound your horn so the children will hear you. — Sounding the horn may be heard, but it still leaves you guessing about the space behind the car, while the handbook calls for checking that the path is clear.
- D. Tell the children to stay away from the driveway. — Telling children to stay away does not confirm the area behind your car is actually empty, which is what the handbook asks you to verify.
Remember it
If you cannot see the space behind you clearly, get out and look at it before the car moves.