Roadwise States District of Columbia Driving lessons Tires, blowouts & disabled vehicles District of Columbia driving lesson · Weather & Emergency Situations
Tires, blowouts & disabled vehicles A 3-minute lesson from the District of Columbia course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Read time 3 minutes
Course unit Weather & Emergency Situations
Checkpoint questions 4
Source pages 34 Defective tires and wheels are dangerous. Check them before trouble starts, and know how to handle a blowout, a flooded engine or a breakdown.
4/32 inch Minimum tread depth in every major groove on front tires
Handbook p. 34 ↗ Tire problems to look for: Excessive wear, or fabric showing through the tread or sidewall Cuts or other damage Tread separation Dual tires touching each other or parts of the vehicle Mismatched tire sizes Radial and bias-ply tires on the same axle Cut or cracked valve stems Re-grooved, recapped or re-treaded tires on the front wheels of a bus (not allowed) Handbook p. 34 ↗ Wheel and rim problems: Bent or cracked rims can make a tire lose pressure or come off Rust around wheel nuts may mean they are loose; check tightness After a tire change, stop a short while later and recheck the nuts Missing clamps, spacers, studs or lugs mean danger Mismatched, bent or cracked lock rings are dangerous Wheels or rims with welding repairs are not safe Handbook p. 34 ↗ If a tire blows out: Do not apply the brakes Grip the steering wheel tightly Signal a right turn and pull safely onto the shoulder Decelerate and look for a safe place to drive off the road Wait until the vehicle is almost stopped Handbook p. 34 ↗ Flooded engine: Press the gas pedal to the floor and hold it down Turn the key and hold it for short intervals (10-15 seconds) Release the gas pedal when the engine starts Do not pump the gas pedal; it makes flooding worse Handbook p. 34 ↗ Disabled vehicle: Get all four wheels off the roadway, if possible Turn on parking or emergency lights; set out flares, blinking red lights or a reflective triangle Tie a white cloth to the antenna or left door handle, and/or raise the hood Handbook p. 34 ↗ Put it into practice
A front tire bangs and the car pulls hard. Don't hit the brakes. Hold the wheel tightly, ease off the gas, signal right and let the car slow until it's almost stopped before you roll onto the shoulder.
A useful reminder Blowouts feel like running onto a soft shoulder, and the handling is the same: no hard braking, firm grip, slow down gradually.
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 vehicle's tire blows out, what should you avoid doing? Applying the brakes immediately Gripping the steering wheel tightly Signaling a turn to the shoulder Decelerating gradually Answer: Applying the brakes immediately
During a blowout, do not apply the brakes; grip the wheel, signal, and decelerate onto the shoulder.
Handbook p. 34 ↗ According to the handbook's tire check, what minimum tread depth do you need in every major groove on the front wheels? 2/32 inch 6/32 inch 4/32 inch 1/32 inch Answer: 4/32 inch
Front wheels need at least 4/32-inch tread depth; other wheels need at least 2/32-inch.
Handbook p. 34 ↗ Your engine is flooded. What should you do with the gas pedal while starting it? Pump it several times Keep your foot off it Press it halfway and hold it Press it to the floor and hold it Answer: Press it to the floor and hold it
For a flooded engine, press the gas pedal to the floor and hold it while turning the key; don't pump it, which makes flooding worse.
Handbook p. 34 ↗ If your vehicle becomes disabled, you should get all four wheels off the roadway if possible. True False Answer: True
For a disabled vehicle, get all four wheels off the roadway if possible and turn on parking or emergency flashing lights.
Handbook p. 34 ↗ Previous lesson Fire, wrong-way cars, trains & running off the road Next lesson Entering & leaving the interstate More in Weather & Emergency Situations About the source Roadwise’s District of Columbia course uses the driver handbook edition supplied with this study pack. This lesson cites source pages 34. The linked PDF is a third-party mirror of the handbook, rather than a government-hosted page.
Open the handbook source PDF · View the source edition
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