Chapter 8: Safety While Driving — theory test questions and answers

Answer C: Absorb much of the impact force, reducing the effect on the occupants. Deformation zones at the front and back absorb much of the force of an impact; older and big 4WD vehicles pass more force to the occupants.

Answer A: Older vehicles and big 4WD cars. In older or 4WD vehicles the occupants take a higher share of the collision force than in a modern car with deformation zones.

Answer C: Injuries to the upper body and head can be particularly serious; side protection is harder. Protecting occupants in a side impact is more difficult; even with side impact protection, upper-body and head injuries can be very serious.

Answer A: Reaching to the top of the head, sitting close to the backrest and restraint. For maximum protection the head restraint should reach the top of the head (about mid-back of the head for tall people); sit close to the backrest.

Answer D: A head or neck injury from running into the car in front or being hit from behind. Whiplash is a head/neck injury from a rear-end collision (either direction); the head restraint is designed to reduce it.

Answer C: Never loose; place cargo as low as possible and secure it with the seat belts in the back. Never keep heavy objects loose; place cargo as low as possible and use the seat belts to secure it in the back seat.

Answer D: Tight, across the chest and shoulder, close to the neck without constricting it. A tight, untwisted belt gives more protection; the diagonal belt runs over the shoulder close to the neck, and the lap belt sits snugly on the hips, not the stomach.

Answer D: In a crash they are hurled forward and can injure the front occupants too. Seat belts are as important in the back as in the front; an unbelted rear passenger thrown forward can kill a front-seat occupant.

Answer B: The driver. The driver has the responsibility of ensuring that all passengers wear seat belts.

Answer B: 7 km/h. Falling from standing equals 7 km/h — the most the arms can withstand; falling from a chair equals 15 km/h; a three-storey fall equals 50 km/h.

Answer C: Automatically tightens the seat belt in the event of a crash. Some new cars have a pretensioner or tensioner that automatically tightens the belt in a crash.

Answer D: Supplementary Restraint System; it works together with the seat belt. The airbag (SRS, Supplementary Restraint System) is a supplement to the seat belt; together they give extra protection.

Answer C: At least 145 cm, and wearing a seat belt. A passenger must be at least 145 cm tall and belted to travel safely where there is an airbag; a child in the front can be killed by an airbag.

Answer B: In a crash the child is crushed between driver and wheel with many times its weight. A child on the driver’s lap is “love based on ignorance”: in an accident the child is trapped between wheel and body with a force several times its weight.

Answer D: Approximately 4 years. Rearward-facing is the best way up to about 4 years; it absorbs violent shocks and protects the child’s sensitive head and neck.

Answer A: It is far more dangerous than not using a child seat at all. Improper mounting is far more dangerous than no child seat; follow the manufacturer’s instructions and anchor the seat securely.

Answer D: In the rear seat, wearing a seat belt or secured in a protective seat. UAE law requires all children under ten to be in the rear seat, belted or in a protective seat; they should never ride in the front.

Answer B: Never — there is an extremely high risk of severe injury or death. Under no circumstances place an infant seat, rear-facing seat, booster or cushion in front of a passenger airbag; the safest place is the back.

Answer B: Up to around 9 months. The infant seat is for babies up to around 9 months and is the safest way for the youngest passengers to travel.

Answer A: From around 4 years up to age 10–12. A booster seat or cushion with the seat belt is for children from around 4 years up to 10–12.

Answer D: From age 1 or 10 kg, until the seat is outgrown at around 18 kg. An American-style forward-facing seat with full harness may replace the rear-facing seat from age 1 or 10 kg until outgrown, usually around 18 kg — but rear-facing is safer for longer.

Answer C: At least 1 inch below the top of the shell. The top of a rear-facing child’s head should be at least 1 inch below the top of the safety seat’s shell.

Answer C: A small body heats up 3 to 5 times faster than an adult’s and can suffocate. Forgetting a child in a car can cause suffocation and death because a small body heats 3–5 times faster than an adult’s.

Answer D: Detention or a fine not exceeding ten thousand dirham. Article 350: detention or a fine not exceeding ten thousand dirham for exposing a child under seven to danger in a crowded place.

Answer B: It decreases dramatically. If the safety system is used as designed, the risk of fatal injury in an accident decreases dramatically.

Answer B: It deploys faster than the blink of an eye and can seriously injure or kill a child. An airbag is not a soft pillow; it deploys extremely fast and can seriously injure or kill a child in the front seat.

Answer B: In the rear seat. Even with the airbag off or absent, the safest place for all children 10 and below is the rear seat.

Answer D: Thinking distance plus braking distance. Stopping distance = thinking distance (while you react) + braking distance (after you apply the brakes).

Answer A: Approx. 24 m. Thinking distance ≈ 3 × (speed ÷ 10): 12 m at 40 km/h, 18 m at 60, 24 m at 80, 30 m at 100, 36 m at 120.

Answer B: One second; beginners often take longer due to lack of experience. Normal reaction time is one second; beginners often take longer, so experienced drivers with shorter thinking distances stop sooner.

Answer B: It becomes four times as long. Braking distance increases with the square of speed: twice the speed = 4× the braking distance; three times = 9×; four times = 16×.

Answer A: Nine times. Braking distance increases as the square of the speed increase: 3 × 3 = 9 times.

Answer A: Brake hard immediately without locking the wheels; if they lock, reduce pressure quickly. Brake hard immediately but avoid locking the wheels; without ABS, if the wheels lock, reduce brake pressure as quickly as possible.

Answer A: The gradient of the road. Braking distance depends on speed, road state, gradient, brake and tyre condition, and braking technique.

Answer C: Centrifugal force pushing the car straight on; too much speed and the tyres lose grip. A car tends to travel straight on in a bend; the centrifugal force must not exceed the tyres’ grip, so slow down before the bend and accelerate gently out.

Answer C: Change down a gear (automatic or manual) and let the engine do the work. Gravity works on cars as on bicycles: change down a gear and let the engine do the work rather than risk overheating the brakes or losing control.

Answer A: Keep your foot poised above the brake pedal and be ready to react. Being prepared shortens thinking distance: keep your foot poised over the brake and be ready; slowing early by easing off the accelerator is safer still.

Answer C: Slow down as you approach and accelerate gently out of it. Slow down as you approach a bend and accelerate gently out of it; read the road ahead for sharp bends and slippery patches.

Answer A: Front wheel drive. Cars may be front-, rear- or four-wheel drive; the drive layout changes how a car behaves, so think about it before driving an unfamiliar car.

Answer D: Rear wheel drive. Power goes via a shaft to the rear wheels; rear-wheel-drive cars are more prone to the rear losing grip under heavy acceleration in bends.

Answer D: How the car’s stability is influenced by the load it carries. Consider tyre condition, brake performance in an emergency, transmission differences, shock absorbers and how load affects stability.

Answer B: Oversteer. Oversteer: the car responds more than expected and may spin if grip is lost; a heavy weight in the rear can cause it.

Answer A: Understeer. Understeer is loss of front-wheel traction while cornering, forcing you wide; front-engined cars normally understeer.

Answer C: Carrying a heavy load in the rear. A heavy weight in the rear can cause oversteer, even in a car that normally understeers.