Roadside and equipment emergencies — Indiana Permit Test

Roadside and equipment emergencies on the Indiana permit test — 5 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

If you have a blowout, hold the wheel firmly, keep the car straight, and take your foot off the gas without braking until the car has nearly stopped.

Braking hard on a blown tire can pull the car out of control.

Take your foot off the gas pedal, but do not apply the brakes.

Indiana Driver's Manual, p.60

If your brakes suddenly fail, shift to a lower gear and pump the brake pedal fast and hard several times.

Pumping may build up enough pressure to stop, and the low gear slows the engine.

If your vehicle’s conventional disc or drum brakes suddenly fail, you should shift to a lower gear, if possible, and pump the brake pedal fast and hard several times.

Indiana Driver's Manual, p.60

In a vehicle with a steering wheel interlock system, never turn the ignition to the lock position while it is moving, because the steering will lock.

A locked steering wheel leaves you no way to steer the moving car.

When operating a vehicle with a steering wheel interlock system, never turn the ignition to the lock position while the vehicle is in motion.

Indiana Driver's Manual, p.60

A red emergency reflective triangle should be placed 200 feet behind your vehicle, or 500 feet behind if you are on a hill or curve.

Drivers need time to see the warning and move over before they reach your car.

Your red emergency reflective triangle should be placed 200 feet behind your vehicle, or 500 feet behind your vehicle if you are on a hill or curve.

Indiana Driver's Manual, p.60

To reduce the chance of theft, take your keys, lock the doors, and never leave a vehicle unattended with the engine running.

A running car with no one in it is the easiest car in the lot to steal.

Never leave a vehicle unattended with the engine running

Indiana Driver's Manual, p.60

On the test

What should you do when a tire blows out?

Hold the wheel firmly and ease off the gas. Braking hard on a blown tire can pull the car out of control. Indiana Driver's Manual, p.60: “Take your foot off the gas pedal, but do not apply the brakes.”

How this works

Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.

You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.

Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.

What it costs

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Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against Indiana Driver's Manual, published by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-10-03.