Chapter 13

Tire Failure

• What is a "blow out"?• Your tire suddenly loses air pressure• Which direction will your vehicle pull when a

blow out occurs?• The vehicle pulls in the direction of the

deflated tire

• What should you do if you have a blow out? What order?

• Grip steering wheel firmly/ease up on gas/check traffic situation/pull of the road/put flashers on/find a safe place to stop

• Braking hard may cause the vehicle to swerve

Changing a Tire

• Park on a level area• Place in "Park" - automatic, "reverse" -

manual• Set parking brake/block diagonal wheel in

front and back • See Dr Ed text for full details

Brake Failure

• What should you do if your brakes fail?• Pump the brake pedal/downshift/pull parking

brake on/search for an open zone/possibly rub wheels against the curb/avoid collision if possibly

• What is "brake fade"?• When brakes lose their effectiveness because

they overheat

Accelerator Malfunctions• What do you do if your gas pedal stays flat on

the floor because of a broken spring?• Shift to neutral/check traffic/brake safely to the

side of the road• What do you do if your gas pedal is stuck

(doesn't return to idle speed)?• Kick side of pedal to set free/apply the

brakes/choose an escape path/shift to neutral if in a curve

• Turn of ignition

Engine Problems

• What should you do if your engine stalls while you are driving?

• Shift to neutral/move out of traffic/do not brake/try to restart the engine while car is moving/move to curb if necessary

• What is a "flooded engine"?• When too much fuel and not enough air

reaches the engine

• What are some things you can do if your engine overheats?

• Turn off the air conditioner/turn on the heater (draws heat away from the engine)/while stopped, shift to neutral and press the accelerator/ pull off and lift hood to cool engine

Steering Failure

• What should you do if your steering fails completely?

• Communicate the problem to others by honking your horn/using flashers/do not brake but take foot off gas/shift to lower gear

Miscellaneous Problems

• What should you do if your hood flies up• Slouch down in seat to look through crack

below hood/roll down window to look out/pump brakes to warn others

• What should you do if your headlights fail while driving?

• Slow down/try dimmer switch, parking lights/ pull off road

• What should you have with you in the vehicle in case of a fire?

• An A-B-C type fire extinguisher• What should you do if your car stalls on on

the railroad tracks?• If train coming - abandon your car• If train not coming - try restarting car/ shift to

neutral & push car off tracks

• What direction should you run when you abandon your car on railroad tracks?

• Away from tracks in the direction the train is approaching (more time to get away)

Driver Errors

• What should yo do if your vehicle veers off the road?

• Hold steering wheel firmly/keep straight toward target/let up on the accelerator/brake gently/straddle road and wait for a level place to get back on the road

Stop vs Swerve

• When should you swerve instead of stopping?• To avoid a eventual collision• Over what speed should you swerve because

stopping isn't an option?• 30MPH

• What is "counter-steering" • Steering in the opposite direction• What are some road hazards?• Potholes/sharp curves/objects on the

roadway/deep water

Collisions

• Head-on• Rear-impact• Side-impact

• How can we minimize the effects of a collision?• Keep control of your vehicle• Change speed or direction• Steer for something soft• Brake or accelerate in the case of side impact• Honk horn• Flash break lights / release brakes on impact

(rear end type)

Step to take with a collision

• Stop immediately• Aid injured - only move if further danger is

present• Prevent further damage to other vehicles• Call for police - give facts • Exchange information • Record potential witnesses• File necessary reports