Ch. 10 · Accidents & Disaster

When a major earthquake occurred and I had to evacuate on foot, I was concerned about theft, so I parked on the road, locked the doors, removed the engine key, and took it with me.

[True / False · Medium]

Hikari

Taking the key prevents theft, so that's the smart move, right?

Momoka

Actually, that's false! During a major earthquake evacuation, you must leave the key inside—visible or in the ignition—and leave doors unlocked.

Hikari

Wait, unlocked? Why would I do that?

Momoka

So emergency crews can move your car if it's blocking rescue operations. Disaster response beats theft worries!

Source: Ch. 10 Accidents & Disaster · Section (第3節 災害などのとき) · Rules of the Road, Ch.10 §3 (Disasters) — Under a disaster-emergency-alert (警戒宣言) or when an earthquake strikes while driving, follow special rules: slow down, stop to the left, listen to the radio, leave keys in the vehicle, and evacuate on foot.

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Source content excerpted from the NPA “Rules of the Road” instructional manual, in the public domain under Japanese Copyright Act Article 13(2). Explanations are AI-assisted and copyrighted by the MenkyoQuest editorial team.