Indiana MOTORCYCLE DMV Practice Test 13

Many drugs, including prescription and over-the-counter medications, can impair your ability to ride safely. Some medications become even more dangerous when combined with alcohol.

To reduce the risk of being involved in a crash, you should always ensure that you are visible to others. Communicate your intentions through proper use of your signals, brake light, and lane position. Maintain a space cushion around your motorcycle and consistently scan the road ahead of, behind, and next to your vehicle.

When slowing or stopping on a surface with reduced traction, you should use caution and apply the brakes more gently than usual.

To reduce the risk of a collision when riding at night, be sure to reduce your speed and increase your following distance. Use the headlights of vehicles ahead of you to see farther down the road. Use your high beam headlight, except when following or meeting another vehicle.

While a properly chosen lane position can offer several advantages, you should be certain that your lane position will allow you to be seen by others and have an adequate space cushion.

Hand signals are an important part of communication when riding in groups. This hand signal means "follow me."

You should shift down through the gears with the clutch as you slow or stop. Stay in first gear while you are stopped so you can move quickly, if needed.

In general, it is safest to simply proceed straight in your lane when crossing angled railroad tracks. Turning to approach tracks at a right angle can be dangerous because it may send you traveling into another lane.

To reduce the risk of a crash, you should always ensure that you are visible to others. Communicate your intentions through proper use of your signals, brake light, and lane position. Maintain a space cushion around your motorcycle and consistently scan the road ahead of, behind, and next to your vehicle.

A motorcycle carrying a passenger will sit differently than usual due to the additional weight. You may need to adjust the tire pressure, suspension, shocks, headlight, and mirrors to compensate for the shift.

The only method that effectively reduces your BAC is not drinking alcohol for a period of time. Coffee, exercise, fresh air, and cold showers cannot reduce your BAC or change the effects of alcohol. They can help you remain awake, but they cannot change your BAC or make you sober.

An increased following distance is needed if your motorcycle will take longer than normal to stop. If the pavement is slippery, if you cannot see through the vehicle ahead of you, or if traffic is heavy and another driver may try to squeeze in front of you, open up to a longer following distance.

You will get the greatest amount of protection from a helmet if it meets U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and state standards, fits snugly all the way around, and has no obvious defects. A helmet worn at the time of a crash should be replaced.

Shifting to a lower gear causes an effect similar to using the brakes. For this reason, downshifting is also known as engine braking.

Distances are difficult to judge in the dark because visual cues (like shadows and light contrasts) can be missing or distorted. You should allow a longer following distance when riding at night than you do when riding during the day.

Perform an inspection of your motorcycle before every ride. This takes only a few minutes and helps prevent dangerous situations before entering traffic.

Proper clothing for riding can help protect you from injury in the event of a collision. It can also protect against routine hazards and discomforts, such as hot or cold weather.

There are several strategies you can use to prevent someone from driving while under the influence of alcohol. You can arrange another way for them to get home, involve them in other activities to slow their pace of drinking, use any available excuse to stop them from leaving before they are sober, and get other friends involved to intervene as a group.

There are several major factors that can affect a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC). A BAC is determined in part by the amount of alcohol someone has consumed, how fast they consumed the alcohol, and their body weight.

If one of your tires fails, hold the handgrips firmly and begin to slow down by easing off the throttle while maintaining a straight course. If you must brake, gradually apply the brake of the tire that is still good, if you are sure of which tire that is. Edge toward the side of the road as you slow down, squeeze the clutch, and stop.

When riding, keep your knees against the gas tank to help maintain your balance in turns. Sit so that you can use your arms to steer rather than to prop yourself up. Sit far enough forward that your arms are slightly bent when you hold the handgrips, and keep your feet firmly on the footrests.

If you must swerve to avoid a hazard, apply a small amount of pressure to the appropriate handle grip. To swerve to the left, press the left handle grip, then press the right to recover. To swerve to the right, press the right handle grip, then the left.

At minimum, a street-legal motorcycle must have a headlight, taillight, and brake light; front and rear brakes; turn signals; a horn; and two mirrors.

The minimum number of drinks left in a person's system can be estimated by subtracting the number of hours since the last drink from the total number of drinks consumed. In this case, the alcohol content of about four drinks would remain.

A rider should always use both brakes every time they slow or stop.