Carbon monoxide poisoning — Tennessee Permit Test

Carbon monoxide gas from a car engine can kill, and you cannot taste, smell or see it.

You get no warning: you just feel sleepy or sick, and you may not notice in time.

Carbon monoxide gas from a car engine can kill (it has not taste, no smell or visibility).

Carbon monoxide generally leaks when the heater is running, when the exhaust system is not working properly, or in heavy traffic from other vehicles' fumes.

Sitting in a traffic jam with the heat on is one of the times the gas is most likely to build up in the car.

It generally leaks when the car heater is running, when the exhaust system is not working properly or in heavy traffic when breathing fumes from other vehicles.

Have your car's exhaust system checked regularly to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

A cracked exhaust pipe lets fumes into the car where you breathe them without knowing.

Have the exhaust system checked regularly.

Never let the engine run in a closed garage.

Fumes fill a closed garage in minutes, with nowhere to go but into your lungs.

Never let the engine run in a closed garage

Close the fresh-air vent in congested traffic.

In a traffic jam the vent pulls in exhaust from the cars around you.

Close the fresh-air vent in congested traffic

Do not use the heater or air conditioner in a parked car with the windows closed.

People have fallen asleep in a parked car with the heat on and never woken up.

Do not use a heater/air conditioner in a parked car with the windows closed.

Why is carbon monoxide from a car engine so dangerous?

It can kill, and you cannot see or smell it. You get no warning: you just feel sleepy or sick, and you may not notice in time. Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, p.29: “Carbon monoxide gas from a car engine can kill (it has not taste, no smell or visibility).”