Question

Difficulty: MediumAccident Procedures

An articulated commercial freight vehicle comes to a stop on the straight right shoulder of a four-lane divided interstate following a minor sideswipe incident. In accordance with federal commercial motor vehicle safety regulations, what specific actions must the driver take regarding emergency signaling and warning device placement?

  1. A
    Keep hazard flashers off during daylight and position three reflective triangles evenly spaced at 50-foot intervals in front of the vehicle.
  2. B
    Activate four-way hazard flashers immediately and place one triangle 100 feet in front of the vehicle and two triangles 100 feet and 200 feet behind the vehicle within 15 minutes.
  3. Activate four-way hazard flashers immediately and place three reflective triangles at 10 feet, 100 feet, and 200 feet behind the vehicle toward approaching traffic within 10 minutes.Answer
  4. D
    Rely solely on illuminated clearance lights and place two reflective triangles 10 feet apart directly beside the driver-side fuel tank within 20 minutes.

Answer

Activate four-way hazard flashers immediately and place three reflective triangles at 10 feet, 100 feet, and 200 feet behind the vehicle toward approaching traffic within 10 minutes.
According to official commercial driver safety standards and federal regulations, when stopped on a divided highway or one-way roadway, a driver must immediately activate the four-way hazard flashers and deploy three reflective warning triangles within 10 minutes. Because traffic approaches from only one direction, all three devices must be placed behind the vehicle at distances of 10 feet, 100 feet, and 200 feet.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify initial scene protection requirements upon stopping
Turn on four-way hazard flashers immediately to alert approaching motorists while preparing warning equipment.
Immediate hazard signaling reduces the likelihood of secondary rear-end collisions while the driver prepares emergency devices.
2
Determine roadway configuration and appropriate warning triangle spacing
On a divided or one-way highway, place triangles at 10 feet, 100 feet, and 200 feet behind the vehicle facing oncoming traffic.
Traffic travels exclusively in one direction on a divided highway, so all three warning devices must be deployed rearward to provide staged advance warning.
3
Apply statutory deployment time limits
All three emergency warning devices must be placed on the roadway within 10 minutes of stopping.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations require full emergency device deployment within a strict 10-minute window.

Key Concept

Emergency Warning Device Placement on Divided Highways
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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