Emergency vehicles, skids, brake failure and breakdowns

Key points

1. If an emergency vehicle approaches from any direction, pull as far right as possible and stop until it passes; slowly rolling is not acceptable.

   Source: Handbook p. 120

   “If an emergency vehicle is coming from any direction, you must pull as close as possible to the right side of the road. Stop until the vehicle has passed. Slowly rolling is not acceptable.”
   Massachusetts Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 120

2. Never stop in the middle of an intersection; drive through it and then pull over.

   Source: Handbook p. 120

   “NEVER stop in the middle of an intersection. Drive through the intersection and pull over as soon as it is safe.”
   Massachusetts Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 120

3. It is illegal to follow closer than 300 feet behind an emergency vehicle responding to an alarm.

   Source: Handbook p. 120

   “It is illegal to follow closer than 300 feet behind an emergency vehicle responding to an alarm.”
   Massachusetts Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 120

4. It is illegal to drive by or park within 800 feet of a fire.

   Source: Handbook p. 121

   “It is illegal to drive by or park within 800 feet of a fire.”
   Massachusetts Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 121

5. In a skid, ease off the gas, shift into neutral, do not brake, and steer in the direction of the skid.

   Source: Handbook p. 123

   “slowly remove your foot from the gas pedal and shift into neutral. don't hit the brakes. you will make the skid worse. turn your steering wheel in the direction of the skid.”
   Massachusetts Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 123

6. In a blowout, grip the wheel tightly, ease off the gas and brake gently.

   Source: Handbook p. 124

   “Grip the steering wheel tightly and slowly remove your foot from the gas pedal. • Gently apply the brakes.”
   Massachusetts Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 124

7. If antilock brakes fail to respond, downshift to lower gears and apply the parking brake gently.

   Source: Handbook p. 124

   “if your vehicle has antilock brakes and the brakes fail to respond when you are fully pressing the brake pedal, you should do the following downshift to a lower gear, and work your way down to the lowest gear, if necessary. apply the parking brake gently.”
   Massachusetts Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 124

8. If the gas pedal sticks, shift to neutral and brake to slow down.

   Source: Handbook p. 124

   “Put your car in neutral and press the brake pedal to slow down.”
   Massachusetts Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 124

9. If a vehicle comes at you head on in your lane, slow down, pull right and sound your horn.

   Source: Handbook p. 125

   “Slow down and pull to the right. • Sound your horn to alert the other driver.”
   Massachusetts Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 125

10. If you stall on tracks with a train coming, get everyone out and run at a 45 degree angle toward the train's direction, then call 911.

    Source: Handbook p. 125

    “get everyone out of the vehicle immediately and move as far from the tracks as you can. to avoid being hit by wreckage, run in a 45 degree angle away from the tracks in the direction that the train is coming, then immediately call 911.”
    Massachusetts Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 125

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Massachusetts practice test

1. 1. Your Massachusetts vehicle has antilock brakes and they fail to respond even with the pedal fully pressed. What does the manual tell you to do?

   1. Pump the brake pedal rapidly
   2. Turn off the ignition to slow the engine
   3. Downshift to a lower gear, working down to the lowest gear if necessary
   4. Steer into oncoming traffic to get attention
   Show answer

   Downshift to a lower gear, working down to the lowest gear if necessary. With antilock brakes, pumping does nothing because the system already modulates pressure, so the manual's first step when the pedal has no effect is to downshift and let the engine slow the car, going down through the gears as far as needed. Turning the ignition off can lock the steering and kill power assist, and steering toward oncoming traffic trades one emergency for a worse one. After downshifting, use the parking brake gradually and get off the road.

2. 2. Your tire blows out on a Massachusetts road. What does the manual tell you to do first?

   1. Brake as hard as you can
   2. Grip the steering wheel tightly and slowly remove your foot from the gas pedal
   3. Turn sharply toward the shoulder
   4. Shift into park
   Show answer

   Grip the steering wheel tightly and slowly remove your foot from the gas pedal. A blowout pulls the car toward the failed tire, so the first job is to hold the wheel firmly and ease off the gas rather than brake. Hard braking on a flat can spin the car, a sharp turn toward the shoulder at speed can roll it, and shifting into park while moving is impossible or destructive. Let the car slow, steer straight, then brake gently and move off the road. Never change the tire in a traffic lane.

3. 3. Your gas pedal sticks while driving in Massachusetts. What does the manual say to do first?

   1. Turn off the ignition immediately
   2. Put the car in neutral and press the brake pedal to slow down
   3. Pull the parking brake hard
   4. Open the door and jump out
   Show answer

   Put the car in neutral and press the brake pedal to slow down. Neutral disconnects the engine from the wheels, so the racing engine cannot push the car while you brake. Shutting off the ignition can lock the steering and kill the power brakes, yanking the parking brake at speed can spin the car, and leaving a moving vehicle is far more dangerous than stopping it. After you are in neutral and slowing, try to free the pedal with your foot, reapply the brakes if needed, and pull to the side when safe.

Source: the Massachusetts Driver's Manual, Chapter 5: Special Driving Situations. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.