When something unexpected happens involving your vehicle
while driving, it can make you feel like you’re going to have a heart attack. A
great article from Edmunds.com called, “How
To Survive the Top 10 Driving Emergencies” gives great instructions for how
to handle potentially life-threatening situations to keep you from getting seriously
hurt in the event something goes wrong on the road. We are sharing the first four emergencies
with you. Take a look:
Emergency #1: Tire Blowout
To survive a tire
blowout, pretend you're the bad guy in a police chase: Push the gas and drive
straight ahead. The shotgun-blast noise of a tire blowout makes most
law-abiding drivers do exactly the wrong thing: attempt to slow down quickly
and get off the road. With a rear-tire failure, any turning at high speed will
likely result in a crash.
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| If you experience a blowout DO NOT immediately hit the brakes - use the accelerator to maintain control and allow the car to slow down to a safe speed before turning onto the shoulder. |
I've taught hundreds
of drivers how to correctly handle a tire blowout: I sat in the passenger seat
and exploded a gaping hole in the tire with plastic explosive. Not one lost
control. Here's how they did it.
If a tire blows:
· Squeeze the gas pedal for a couple of seconds.
This puts you in control of the car and directs the car straight down the road.
It also prevents you from committing the mortal sins of braking and turning.
After a couple of seconds, gently and smoothly release the accelerator pedal.
The drag force of a completely flat tire is so potent that pushing the gas will
not allow the vehicle to go faster.
· Most
importantly, drive straight down your
lane. Keep your feet away from the brake (or clutch).
· Allow the car to coast down to as slow a
speed as is safe (30 mph is good). Engage your turn signal and gently turn toward the shoulder
of the road that's on the same side as the blown tire: This lessens your chance
of losing control and will make the tire change safer. If the situation
requires, you may ever so lightly squeeze
the brakes.
Almost all highway
blowouts and tread separations occur with the car traveling in a straight line
on a very hot day at high speeds with an underinflated tire. The repeated
flexing of an underinflated tire causes the failure. Check your tire pressures!
Emergency #2: Tread
Separation
Though the recovery
techniques are nearly identical, a tread separation is more dangerous than a
blowout. This is where the tread rubber and underlying steel belt partially or
completely come off the tire. This creates a giant Weed Eater with a blade of
steel-backed rubber spinning around at about 1,000 rpm. It'll scythe through
the fuel tank, brake lines, inner fender panels, rear seats, side windows and,
of course, flesh and bone.
An impending tread
separation is usually announced by a consistent thumping noise, which will
increase to a slapping sound, and then a metal-tearing jackhammer pounding.
Sometimes this process takes days, other times only seconds. If you hear this,
immediately slow down and take the tire to a professional for inspection. If
you can see damage, put on the spare before proceeding.
If the tread begins to
fly off:
· Squeeze the gas pedal for an instant and
gently release it.
· Drive straight down your lane.
· Allow the car to coast down as much as is
safely possible. You will likely have to apply the brake slightly in order to reach a safe
turning speed.
· Engage your turn signal and smoothly turn toward the
shoulder of the road that's on the same side as the damaged tire.
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| Tread separation incidents are similar to blowouts but the outcome can be much more dangerous |
Another reason why
tread separations are more dangerous than blowouts: When the tread leaves the
tire, the bad noise stops and some people think the car has magically cured
itself. But instead of rolling along on grippy rubber, they're riding on
fabric. Polyester will offer little grip when they take that next freeway
off-ramp.
Emergency #3: Stuck
Throttle
Thanks to things like
loose floor mats and a poorly placed race car throttle cable, I have experienced
stuck throttles. Although this will be a rare occurrence for most drivers, if
your engine starts racing away uncontrollably, it must be stopped immediately.
Take these actions:
· If the engine started racing when you pushed
the brake, release the brake. If the engine stops racing, you were actually
pushing the gas by mistake.
· Put the transmission in Neutral (and/or push
in the clutch). Don't worry about the engine when you shift into Neutral:
Engine speed limiters on modern cars will prevent damage. And it's OK if you
get Reverse: The engine will either stall or act as if it were in Neutral.
· If you can't get Neutral, switch off the
ignition as a last resort. Today's cars don't allow the key to turn to the
locked position if the car is not in Park, and the car will be much harder to
steer once the engine is off since the power-assist will not be working.
Fortunately, with the engine off, there's still plenty of reserve braking power
to stop the car. Of course, if the car is equipped with a newfangled keyless
ignition, getting Neutral may be your only hope.
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| Remain calm - shift your car into neutral, if necessary shut the engine off completely |
If you're a passenger
in this situation and the driver fails to act, you can reach over and put the
car in Neutral or switch off the engine. But to have any hope of acting
properly with a stuck throttle, both driver and passenger must practice first. Find a training
partner and an empty parking lot. First practice with the car stopped, just to
make sure you know the drill. Move the shift lever from Drive to Neutral. Then
turn the key off. Next, restart the car and accelerate to no more than 10 mph,
then push the gas pedal to the floor (to simulate a stuck throttle) and hold it
there through the rest of the exercise. Immediately,
put the car in Neutral and switch off the key. Repeat the process but with
the passenger working the
shifter and key while you're still in the driver seat. Then, swap seats and
repeat.
Emergency #4:
Sudden Acceleration
Also called
"unintended acceleration," this is identical to a stuck
throttle...except it's not a mechanical failure but rather the driver
accidentally pressing on the gas. As an instructor, I have had numerous
panicked students push the gas in the mistaken, but unshakable, belief they
were on the brakes. (Left-foot brakers more familiar with automatics frequently
push the clutch.)
Know this: In every
well-maintained modern car, the brakes will easily overpower the engine. If
you're truly pushing the brakes as hard as you can, the car will stop even with
the engine going full speed.
The corrective actions
for sudden acceleration and a stuck throttle are identical. Check the list
above.
Be sure to check out our other articles on Driving
Tips as well! Come into Brighton Ford and see our great selection of safety
award winning New
Ford’s.
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