Emergencies

1. Emergencies Chapter 17

2. 17-1 Blowout & Flat Tires • Blowout • Sudden loss of air pressure in the tire • New or old, tires can blowout at any time • Pothole or sharp object in the road • Most blowouts are caused by excessive tire wear • Average tires have a tread life of 60,000 miles • The way you drive will determine how short the life of the tires get • Hard cornering or braking • Driving in hot temperatures • Driving fast • Peeling out • Road surfaces • Over- or under- inflating • How to avoid a blowout • Check tire pressure and tire tread • Rotate your tires

3. Responding to a Blowout • Don’t slam on your brakes • This is a natural reaction, but can cause you to completely lose control • Grip the wheel tightly and coast • Concentrate on staying in your lane • If one of your front tires blows out, the car will pull hard in the direction of the blowout • Steer away from the blown tire • If the back tires blow out, the car will weave like a skid • Steer toward the blown tire • Pull off the road

4. Flat Tires • If your tire blows out, you have two choices… • Call for help • Fix it yourself • Make sure the area you are in is safe to change a tire • If you are too close to traffic, don’t attempt to change it • It is not hard to fix a flat tire, most people just don’t know how to do it or are not prepared • Most newer vehicles come with the proper equipment, but make sure you are prepared • Spare tire (DUH!) • Car jack • Lug wrench

5. Fixing A Flat • Park on level ground • Put on your emergency flashers, put parking brake on, and make sure passengers are out of the vehicle • Put the jack under the vehicle and crank until the flat tire is off the ground • Remove the tire using the lug wrench • Take them off diagonally in succession • Place the spare tire on the vehicle and replace the lug nuts • Put them on diagonally in succession • Lower the vehicle and its ready to go

6. Flat Tires • On many vehicles, the spare tire is not full sized • Spare tires are not designed for a lot of miles • Spare tires can deteriorate from dry rotting or heat • Replace the spare when you replace tires

7. 17-2 Mechanical Failures • Brake failures • Most brakes do not fail…it could be a number of causes • Engine failure or interruption of the flow of brake fluid can cause the power assist or full-power feature of the brakes to fail • Brakes will still work but you have to apply much more pressure • Brake pads are totally worn out • It takes time to wear out the brake pads, so you will notice a gradual reduction in effectiveness of your brakes • If your brakes begin grinding, you failed, not your brakes! • Overheated brakes • Going downhill on a long, steep descent, you brakes can over heat, called brake fade

8. Mechanical Failures (cont.) • Steering Failure • Most vehicles today have power steering • Steering failure most commonly occurs from engine failure • The steering wheel will turn, but is very difficult • If you try to turn the wheel and you can’t, your power steering has completely failed • Stop the car and turn on your flashers • Stalled Engine • Can occur from water getting to the engine or excessively cold weather, and also forgetting to put gas in the car • If it stalls while you are driving, try to start the vehicle • Put the vehicle in neutral and turn the ignition • If it starts, shift to drive and continue • If not, pull over • Keep in mind, it may be difficult to steer

9. Mechanical Failures (cont.) • Stuck Accelerator • Often caused by an obstruction on the floor in front of the driver’s seat, but can also be caused by a mechanical problem with the vehicle • Try to free the accelerator with your foot by lifting up on the accelerator pad • If that doesn’t work and you have a passenger, have them reach underneath and pull up on the accelerator • If no passenger, shift to neutral and pull over • Do not turn the car off until you have come to a complete stop • Headlight Failure • Try flipping them off and on several times • If that doesn’t work, try you high beams • They usually use different bulbs, so they will work even when the low beams do not • If neither work, turn on your flashers and pull over when it is safe to do so

10. Mechanical Failures (cont.) • Dead Battery • If you attempt to start your vehicle and hear nothing, your battery may be dead • Can be caused by • Defective alternator • Extremely cold weather • Leaving your lights on • Jump-Starting Your Car • Attach the positive clip (red) to the positive terminal of the working battery • Attach the positive clip (red) to the positive terminal of the dead battery • Attach the negative clip (black) to the negative terminal of the working battery • “Ground” the other end of the negative clip (black) by attaching the clip to the dead vehicle’s frame, metal engine block, of to an engine bolt

13. Mechanical Failures (cont.) • Dead Battery (cont.) • Once you have started your car, let it run for a few minutes • Remove the cable from both vehicles • Negative first, then positive • Make sure the ends of the cables don’t touch • If your battery dies again, have it looked at by a mechanic • Windshield Wiper Failure • Over time, excessive heat or cold can cause your wiper blades to rot or crack • Causes metal to contact and scratch the windshield • Can make visibility reduced • You may not be able to drive your vehicle if you cannot properly clear your windshield • Hood Latch Failure • Don’t slam on brakes • Put on your flashers • Look through the opening between the hood and the dashboard • Lean your head out the window if you have to • Pull over to the side of the road • Check to see if it was not latched or if the latch is broken • If it seems to be functioning, shut the hood and begin to drive…slowly • In case the hood flies open again • It the latch is broken, use wire, cable, or rope to secure it • Take to a service station and have it fixed

14. 17-3 Skids • Skid • Loss of directional control of a vehicle that occurs when a vehicle loses traction • Most likely to happen when driving at high speeds in bad weather, on dirt or gravel roads, or on wet or icy pavement • Can happen on dry surfaces and low speeds, but it depends on conditions • Types of Skids • Power Skid • Braking Skid • Cornering Skid • Downshifting Skid

15. Types of Skids • Power Skid • Caused from accelerating too quickly especially on slick road surfaces • Doing this with rear-wheel drive will cause the back end to skid to the side • Ease off the gas when you feel the tires spin • Remember to accelerate slowly on slick roads or roads with poor traction • Braking Skid • Caused by one or more of a vehicle’s brakes locking up • Can occur only in vehicles without anti-lock brakes • More common on slippery roads • If your front wheels lock, you will plow straight ahead • If your back wheels lock, your vehicle may start to spin • If this happens, take your foot off the brake until your wheels start spinning again

16. Types of Skids • Cornering Skid • Occurs when your vehicle loses traction on a curve • Usually caused by driving too fast • If roads are slippery or tires are worn, your chances increase • Take your foot off the gas and make steering adjustments to straighten out • Downshifting Skid • Shifting from a high gear to a low geartoo quickly • Make sure you engage NEUTRAL each time you downshift instead of moving straight to the lower gear

17. Responding to a Skid • Your natural instinct will be to hit the brakes…avoid this! • Slamming on your brakes will only cause you to skid more • Road conditions will determine how to respond to a skid: • Skidding on dry surfaces – turn the wheel sharply in the appropriate direction to correct the skid • Skidding on slippery surfaces – turn wheel slightly to bring vehicle back under control • Steps to Follow: • Take foot off gas to decrease speed • Don’t use brakes • Steer car gently in the direction of the skid • When the vehicle starts to straighten out, turn wheels back the other way

18. “Spinning Out” • Corrective steering will not work • Brake hard • ABS will engage all four tires • Non Anti-lock vehicles will lock • The vehicle will travel in a straight line in its general direction of travel

19. 17-4 Other Emergencies • Not all emergencies are going to be caused by mechanical failure or driver error • Other emergencies you may encounter while driving • Running out of fuel • Debris on the roadway • Deep water escapes • Downed power lines • Car fires • Car jacking • Police chases

20. Running Out of Fuel • Doesn’t necessarily sound like an emergency, but it will be if… • Stranded on an isolated stretch of road • You are in an unsafe area • It happens during the night • Weather is hot, cold, or inclement weather • Middle of the freeway • Odds are that it will happen at least once in your lifetime • Don’t wait until your gas gauge reads “empty” • Low levels differ between vehicles • Usually located in the owner’s manual • Good rule of thumb – no less than ¼ of a tank left before filling

21. Roadway Debris • Occasionally you will encounter things in the road • Auto parts • Pieces of tire • Boxes • Rocks • Tree branches • Furniture • Avoid whenever possible, but don’t swerve • If your windshield becomes obstructed by debris, • Turn on wipers to knock it away • Pull over and remove it if wipers cannot

22. Deep Water Escape • Cars don’t float very well or for a long time in water • If your vehicle get trapped in deep water, you need to get out fast • Do not remove seatbelts before entering deep water • Protection from impact if you fall off a bridge or other elevated point • Go to the window that is highest out of the water and try to open immediately • If it doesn’t open, try the door • The pressure outside the door will hold it closed • As the water level rises inside the vehicle, pressure will equalize and you can open the door • If it still doesn’t work, kick out a window • Remain as calm as possible!

23. Downed Power Lines • Avoid driving over downed power lines • Don’t panic if they fall on top of your vehicle • Tires will insulate you from any electrical shock • Do not try to exit your vehicle • Turn your emergency flashers on and try to alert other drivers of the downed lines

24. Car Fires • If you suspect your vehicle may be on fire, pull over immediately • Pick an area without people • Turn off your ignition and get all people inside the car out of the vehicle • Move as far away as possible in case of a fuel explosion • If the fire is far away from the fuel tank and is localized, you can try to put it out • Do not use water • Try to smother the fire by throwing dirt, sand, large blanket, or clothing onto it

25. Car Jacking • People trying to steal other driver’s vehicles • Choose a route that doesn’t go through a dangerous area • Try not to drive alone • Make sure your doors are always locked and windows shut • Most likely, they will approach while you are moving slowly or stopped • Leave enough room in front of you and to the side so that you can escape • Turn car off and lock doors any time you leave the vehicle unattended • If your car breaks down, stay in the vehicle and lock the doors • When parking… • Stay in well-lit areas • Avoid walking to your vehicle alone • Have your keys ready in your hand • Inspect from the outside to see if anyone is hiding in the vehicle • Most important thing to remember… • If you are a victim or threatened with a weapon, give them what they want • It is not worth your life