Emergencies and breakdowns — Utah Permit Test

A driver who has a breakdown should get the vehicle off the roadway and away from traffic, turn on the emergency flashers, raise the hood, and attach something white or orange to the antenna or door handle.

Crashes happen because a driver does not see a disabled car until it is too late to stop. All of this is about being seen.

If you have a breakdown, get your vehicle off the roadway and away from traffic.

A driver should put emergency flares or triangles 200 to 300 feet behind a disabled vehicle, giving other drivers time to change lanes or slow down.

Two hundred feet is about two seconds at highway speed, which is the warning another driver needs to react at all.

Put emergency flares or triangles 200 to 300 feet behind your vehicle, giving other drivers time to change lanes or slow down.

A driver who experiences a vehicle malfunction should pull off the road as far as possible or exit the freeway completely, because a shredded tire is better than risking their life.

Drivers stop in a live lane to save a wheel and are hit doing it. The wheel is the cheapest thing in the situation.

If you experience a vehicle malfunction, pull off the road as far as possible or exit the freeway completely.

A driver stopped at the side of the road who needs help should stay in the vehicle as much as possible and keep walking on the road to a minimum.

Standing on the shoulder of a freeway is the single most dangerous place a person can be beside a road.

If you are off to the side of the road and need help, stay in your vehicle as much as possible and keep walking on the road to a minimum.

A driver without access to a mobile device should leave the hood of the car up and the hazard lights on to advise the traveling public that they need assistance.

A raised hood says broken down rather than parked, and it works on everybody who drives past without a word.

If you do not have access to a mobile device, leave the hood of your car up and your hazard lights on.

A driver should keep a firm grip on the steering wheel if the engine shuts off while driving, and should look for a safe place to pull off and brake gently.

Without the engine the steering goes heavy but it still works. Letting go is the only way to lose the car.

Keep a firm grip on the steering wheel if the engine shuts off while driving. The steering wheel may be hard to turn, but you can turn it.

A driver whose vehicle is speeding out of control should shift to neutral, look for a safe place to pull off, steer smoothly, and brake gently.

Neutral disconnects the engine from the wheels, which is the fastest way to stop a stuck throttle mattering.

If your vehicle is speeding out of control, shift to neutral and look for a safe place to pull off, steer smoothly, brake gently, and pull off the road.

A driver whose wheels drop off the paved road surface should not panic, should slow down gradually, and then turn back onto the roadway.

Yanking the wheel back at speed is what flips a car. Slowing first makes the return to the pavement ordinary.

Slow down gradually and then turn back onto the roadway.

A driver may be able to avoid a collision by steering around a hazard, gripping the wheel with both hands and steering the way they want to go while avoiding other traffic.

At speed a car can steer around far more than it can stop before. The trick is knowing where you are steering to.

You may be able to avoid a collision by steering around a hazard. This is sometimes called swerving.

What should a Utah driver do first with a broken-down vehicle?

Get it off the roadway. Crashes happen because a driver does not see a disabled car until it is too late to stop. All of this is about being seen. Utah Driver Handbook 2026-2027, p.67: “If you have a breakdown, get your vehicle off the roadway and away from traffic.”