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Florida driving lesson · Special Situations and Emergencies

Skids, blowouts, water and other emergencies

A 3-minute lesson from the Florida course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Special Situations and Emergencies
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
87, 88

These emergencies all punish the instinct to slam the brakes or jerk the wheel. The pattern is the same: ease off the gas, steer smoothly, and brake gently once you have control. A sinking car is the one case where every second counts.

Right wheels drop off the pavement:

  • 1. Take your foot off the gas
  • 2. Hold the wheel firmly and steer straight
  • 3. Brake lightly
  • 4. When the road is clear, signal and steer back on at a slow speed
Handbook p. 87 ↗

Skidding or hydroplaning:

  • 1. Take your foot off the gas
  • 2. Don't use the brakes, if possible
  • 3. Turn the front tires the way you want to go (steer in the direction of the skid)
  • 4. If you're about to hit something, use emergency braking
Handbook p. 87 ↗

Tire blowout:

  • 1. Take your foot off the gas; don't use the brakes
  • 2. Concentrate on steering
  • 3. Slow down gradually
  • 4. Brake softly once the car is under control
  • 5. Pull completely off the road
Handbook p. 88 ↗
30–60 seconds

How long a vehicle floats after going into water

Handbook p. 88 ↗

Know the rule

Get out of a submerged vehicle immediately. Do NOT call 911 until you are out.

Handbook p. 88 ↗

Submerged vehicle:

  • 1. Unbuckle your safety belt
  • 2. Roll the window down before the car sinks (opening a door floods the car at once)
  • 3. If the window won't open, kick out a side window, or use an escape tool kept within reach
Handbook p. 88 ↗

A vehicle coming at you in your lane:

  • 1. Sound the horn and flash high beams
  • 2. Brake hard
  • 3. Steer to the side of the road
Handbook p. 88 ↗

Wet brakes:

  • 1. Test the brakes lightly
  • 2. They may pull to one side or not hold at all
  • 3. Dry them by driving slowly in low gear while applying the brakes
Handbook p. 88 ↗

Know the rule

If you stall on railroad tracks, get everyone out and away at once. If a train is coming, run at a 45-degree angle away from the tracks, toward the train.

Handbook p. 88 ↗

Put it into practice

A front tire blows at 60 mph and the car pulls hard. Don't stomp the brake. Lift off the gas, grip the wheel and steer straight, let the car slow, then brake softly and pull fully off the road.

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 you experience a tire blowout, what should you do with the brakes initially?
  1. Apply the parking brake
  2. Brake hard immediately
  3. Don't use them; ease off the gas
  4. Pump the brakes rapidly

Answer: Don't use them; ease off the gas

During a tire blowout, take your foot off the gas, don't use the brakes initially, and concentrate on steering.

Handbook p. 88 ↗
If your right wheels drift off the pavement, what should you do?
  1. Accelerate to regain control
  2. Jerk the wheel sharply back onto the pavement
  3. Slam on the brakes immediately
  4. Grip firmly, steer straight, brake lightly

Answer: Grip firmly, steer straight, brake lightly

Take your foot off the gas, hold the wheel firmly and steer straight, brake lightly, then turn back onto the pavement slowly.

Handbook p. 87 ↗
If your vehicle begins to skid, which direction should you steer?
  1. In the direction of the skid
  2. Toward the shoulder immediately
  3. Away from the direction of the skid
  4. Straight regardless of the skid direction

Answer: In the direction of the skid

Turn the vehicle's front tires in the direction you want to go, which means steering in the direction of the skid.

Handbook p. 87 ↗
If your car stalls on railroad tracks and a train is approaching, which way should you run?
  1. At 45 degrees away, toward the train
  2. Straight down the tracks away from the train
  3. Back toward your vehicle for safety
  4. Directly away from the tracks, perpendicular to them

Answer: At 45 degrees away, toward the train

Run at a 45-degree angle away from the tracks but toward the train; you're less likely to be hit by your vehicle or debris.

Handbook p. 88 ↗
A vehicle that crashes into a body of water will typically float for 30 to 60 seconds before sinking.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

Your vehicle will only float on the surface for 30-60 seconds after crashing into water.

Handbook p. 88 ↗
If your vehicle is submerged, you should call 911 before attempting to get out of the vehicle.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: False

Get out of the vehicle immediately; do NOT call 911 until you are out of the vehicle.

Handbook p. 88 ↗
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