Brakes and tires — Vermont Permit Test

Brakes wear out and need new linings. Oil or grease can leak into them and make them grab, water can stop them working properly and using them hard on a long hill will overheat them.

Brakes fail gradually, so the driver adjusts without noticing until the day they need all of them.

Using the brakes often on a long trip in hilly country will cause them to overheat, and then they will not work properly.

The most common cause of bad brakes is that they do not work together, so applying them suddenly makes the vehicle swerve as one takes hold before the other.

You can test it yourself: at low speed on an empty road, hold the wheel lightly and see whether the car pulls.

When applying the brakes suddenly, one takes hold before the other and causes your vehicle to swerve.

If the brake pedal goes down too far, have the brake fluid checked at once, because there may be a leak in the system.

A soft pedal is the warning, and the fluid running out is what comes next.

If you notice that the brake pedal goes down too far, have the brake fluid checked at once as there may be a leak in the system.

Tires must have at least 2/32 of an inch of tread depth. It is neither safe nor legal to use tires after the tread is worn off or worn down to the wear bars.

Tread is what moves water out from under the tire, and without it the tire floats.

Tires must have at least 2/32" of tread depth.

To check tread, hold a penny with Abraham Lincoln's body between your fingers and put his head first into the deepest groove. If you can see all of his head the tires are too worn to drive on.

It is a test anybody can do in a parking lot, which is the point of it.

If yes, your tires are too worn-don't drive on them, and make sure to get them replaced.

Both overinflated and underinflated tires reduce traction, cause quicker tire wear and affect steering. Wavy marks on the front tires may mean the wheels are out of alignment.

Too much air and too little both shrink the patch of rubber actually touching the road.

Both overinflated and underinflated tires reduce traction, cause quicker tire wear, and affect steering.

What happens to brakes used hard on a long hill?

They overheat and stop working properly. Brakes fail gradually, so the driver adjusts without noticing until the day they need all of them. 2025 Vermont Driver's Manual, p.59: “Using the brakes often on a long trip in hilly country will cause them to overheat, and then they will not work properly.”