Alabama driving lesson · Adjust to Driving Conditions
Road emergencies: shoulders, oncoming cars, water and fire
A 3-minute lesson from the Alabama course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Some emergencies come from the road or other drivers, not your own car. Each has a specific best response, and some go against what instinct tells you.
Know the rule
Running off the pavement: don't swerve back on, which can throw the car off balance. Stay on the shoulder and slow down, then turn gently back onto the pavement.
A car coming at you in your lane: pull to the right, slow down and sound your horn; flash your lights at night. Don't swerve into the left lane, because the other driver may wake up and swing back.
Stalled on railroad tracks: with a manual transmission, you may move the car by running the starter in low or second gear. With an automatic, push it off.
If the car sinks first, the engine pulls the front end down and an air pocket usually forms in the back. Get into it, breathe deeply, and escape through a window once the car settles.
Fire: if smoke comes from under the hood, get off the road and turn off the ignition. Without an extinguisher, smother the fire with dirt or sand. Never use water, since burning gasoline floats and spreads.
Overheating: in slow traffic, shift to neutral and briefly race the engine at stops to speed up the fan and water pump. If steam appears, pull over and turn off the engine. DO NOT OPEN THE RADIATOR CAP.
Your right wheels drop off the pavement onto the shoulder at 50 mph. Don't jerk the wheel back. Keep driving on the shoulder, ease off the gas to slow down, then steer gently back onto the pavement.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
If your wheels drift onto the shoulder, what should you do?
Slam on the brakes
Stay on the shoulder, slow down, then ease back on
Accelerate to regain the lane quickly
Swerve sharply back onto the pavement immediately
Answer: Stay on the shoulder, slow down, then ease back on
Don't swerve back onto the pavement; instead, stay on the shoulder, slow down, then ease back onto the road.