CHAPTER 13 HANDLING EMERGENCIES CHAPTER 13 HANDLING EMERGENCIES

CHAPTER 13 HANDLING EMERGENCIES

CHAPTER 13 HANDLING EMERGENCIES • 13. 1 VEHICLE MALFUNCTIONS • 13. 2 DRIVER ERRORS • 13. 3 ROADWAY HAZARDS • 13. 4 COLLISIONS

BLOWOUT: when a tire has a sudden loss of air pressure. • Grip wheel firmly • Ease off accelerator, do not brake! • Check traffic, gain control • Drive off slowly, brake gently • Turn on flasher, stop in safe location TIRE FAILURE

CHANGING THE TIRE • Park on level ground, shift to park and turn on hazards • Set parking brake • Block wheel diagonally opposite flat tire • Ask passengers to get out • Spare tire, jack, and lug wrench • Position jack under vehicle • Jack up part way, flat tire should touch the ground • Remove wheel cover, loosen lug nuts • Jack up until tire is off ground • Remove lug nuts and wheel • Put spare on • Tighten lug nuts • Lower to ground, tighten lug nuts again

TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE • Pump brake pedal • Downshift • Gradually apply parking brake • Search for open zone

BRAKE FADE • When brakes overheat and lose their effectiveness • Stop the vehicle and let the brakes cool off

ACCELERATOR MALFUNCTIONS BROKEN SPRINGS • Accelerator pedal will be flat on the floor • Shift to neutral • Hazards • Brake safely off the road

ACCELERATOR MALFUNCTIONS STUCK ACCELERATOR • Kick side of accelerator to try and free it • Apply brake • Choose escape path • Shift to neutral • Turn off ignition once off the roadway

ENGINE FAILURE • Shift to neutral • Move out of traffic • Try to restart engine while moving • Raise hood and flashers on

FLOODED ENGINE • Hold accelerator to floor while starting • Turn ignition and hold for a few seconds • Try again in a few more seconds

OVERHEATED ENGINE • Turn off air conditioner • Turn on heater • During stops shift to neutral • If temp light stay hot, move off road, stop car and raise hood

TOTAL STEERING FAILURE • Use horn and flashers • Stop quickly and safely • Use p-brake “on-off-on-off” • Shift to lower gear

POWER STEERING FAILURE • Occurs when engine dies • When steering fluid is low • When drive belt slips or brakes • Steering still works but you must use more force

LOSS OF VISION HOOD FLIES UP • Slouch down, look trough crack under hood • Or roll down window look where you are going • Turn on hazards, pump brakes • Slow down, drive out of traffic

LOSS OF VISION HEADLIGHTS FAIL • Turn on right signal to light escape path • Immediately slow down and stop • Try dimmer switch, parking lights, and hazards • Move to safe location

LOSS OF VISION SPLASHED WINDSHEILD • Snow, slush, water, mud • Turn on wipers immediately • Slow gradually maintain path until regain sight

VEHICLE FIRE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE • Steer off turn off car • Passengers 100 feet away • If fire is large - Do not try to put fire out • If fire is small use A-B-C extinguisher

VEHICLE FIRE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT FIRE • Usually caused by careless match use or smoking • Pull off and extinguish

STALLS ON RAILROAD TRACKS • Try and restart if no train is coming • Passengers out • Shift to neutral and push off tracks • If train is coming, move away in direction train is coming

DRIVER ERRORS DRIVING OFF THE ROAD • When front wheel leaves edge of roadway • Many fatal collisions because drivers brake and suddenly return to roadway

OFF ROAD RECOVERY • Hold wheel firmly, let up on accelerator, do not brake fast! • Straddle roadway • Select place where shoulder is close to roadway level • Signal mirrors and blindspot • Steer sharply and counter steer quickly to straighten

EMERGENCY SWERVING • Last second means of avoiding a collision • Only when braking will not prevent collision • Speeds over 30 MPH you can usually swerve in less distance than you needed to stop

STOP VS. SWERVE DECISION • Must be sure open zones • Must know your speed and vehicle abilities

EXECUTING EMERGENCY SWERVE • Identify escape path • Grip wheel firmly as you steer • Use same rhythmic motion to steer and counter steer

HOW SHARPLY TO SWERVE • Speed and distance • As speed increases the less time you have

ROADWAY HAZARDS POTHOLES • Avoid them if possible • If not slow down to prevent tire damage • Try and predict where it will be the most shallow

ROADWAY HAZARDS SHARP CURVES • Brake gently as you enter • Half way through look ahead and start to accelerate gently

ROADWAY HAZARDS OBJECTS ON THE ROAD • Check traffic • Decide whether to straddle or swerve around object • Drive over an object only as a last resort • You may not know what is inside and object!

VEHICLE IN DEEP WATER • OPEN WINDOW THAT IS MOST OUT OF WATER • UNFASTEN BELTS AND CHECK PASSENGERS • EXIT PROMPTLY THROUGH OPEN WINDOW • IF WINDOWS ARE STUCK WAIT UNTIL PRESSURE EQUALIZES AND THEN OPEN DOOR

COLLISIONS MINIMIZING EFFECTS OF COLLISION • NEVER GIVE UP, KEEP CONTROL OF YOUR VEHICLE • STEER FOR SOMETHING SOFT • IF CHANCE FOR ANOTHER COLLISION, GET EVERYBODY OUT AND SAFELY AWAY

HEAD ON COLLISIONS • BRAKE HARD BUT DO NOT LOCK UP TIRES • BLOW HORN AND FLASH LIGHTS • STEER RIGHT TOWARD SHOULDER, DO NOT STEER LEFT!

SIDE-IMPACT COLLISIONS • BRAKE OR ACCELERATE QUICKLY, WHICH EVER LESSEN IMPACT INTO PASSENGER COMPARTMENT • BLOW HORN • CHANGE LANES OR SWERVE AWAY FROM IMPACT • BE AWARE OF TRAFFIC AROUND YOU

REAR-END COLLISIONS • FLASH BRAKE LIGHTS • CHECK FOR OPEN ZONES • IF INTERSECTION IS CLEAR ACCELERATE TO GIVE SPACE • IF UNAVOIDABLE, RELEASE BRAKES JUST BEFORE IMPACT TO LESSEN

IF YOU HAVE COLLISION • STOP IMMEDIATELY • AID TO INJURED, NEVER MOVE UNLESS THERE IS THREAT OF ANOTHER COLLISION • PREVENT FURTHER DAMAGE • SEND FOR POLICE • EXCHANGE INFORMATION

ADDITIONAL STEPS • RECORD WITNESSES NAMES AND ADDRESSES • GIVE POLICE JUST FACTS • FILE NECESSARY REPORTS