Roadwise States Montana Driving lessons Vehicle failures on the road Montana driving lesson · Emergencies, Crashes & Penalties
Vehicle failures on the road A 3-minute lesson from the Montana 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 Emergencies, Crashes & Penalties
Checkpoint questions 6
Source pages 87, 88 Following the maintenance schedule in your owner's manual greatly reduces the chance of a vehicle failure. If one happens anyway, knowing the steps in order keeps you in control.
Brake failure Pump the brake pedal several times to build pressure If that fails, pull the parking brake slowly so the rear wheels don't lock; release it if you skid If that fails, shift to lower gears and look for a safe place to stop, off the road Don't drive the vehicle without brakes Handbook p. 87 ↗ Tire blowout Hold the steering wheel tightly and keep the vehicle going straight Slow down gradually: foot off the gas, brake lightly Don't stop on the road if at all possible — pull off in a safe place Handbook p. 87 ↗ Power failure (engine dies) Keep a strong grip — steering may be hard, but you can do it Pull off the roadway The brakes still work, but you may have to push very hard Handbook p. 87 ↗ Headlight failure Stay calm and visualize the road Take your foot off the accelerator and begin braking Try the headlight switch a few times and turn on the high beams Still dark? Use emergency flashers, turn signals or fog lights Pull off the road as soon as it's safe Handbook p. 87 ↗ Gas pedal sticks Keep your eyes on the road Quickly shift to neutral Apply steady pressure on the brake Pull off the road when it's safe, then turn off the engine Handbook p. 87 ↗ Right wheels drift off the pavement Take your foot off the accelerator and steer parallel to the road When slowed, ease back on with a small left quarter turn, both hands on the wheel Brake once you're back on the pavement Stay in your lane — panicked drivers over-steer across the road into a head-on crash or rollover Handbook p. 88 ↗ Know the rule
Wearing your seatbelt increases your chance of surviving if you do run off the road.
Handbook p. 88 ↗ Put it into practice
On the highway your right wheels drop onto the gravel shoulder. Don't jerk the wheel. Ease off the gas and steer parallel to the road; once you've slowed, ease back on with a small quarter turn, then brake on the pavement.
A useful reminder Stuck gas pedal: neutral first, then brake.
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 brakes suddenly fail, what is the first thing you should try? Pump the brake pedal several times Shift immediately into park Turn off the engine right away Shift into neutral and coast Answer: Pump the brake pedal several times
Pumping the brake pedal several times often builds up enough pressure to let you stop.
Handbook p. 87 ↗ If pumping the brakes doesn't work, what should you try next? Turn off the engine Use the parking brake slowly Shift to a higher gear Turn the steering wheel sharply Answer: Use the parking brake slowly
If pumping fails, slowly apply the parking brake, being ready to release it if the vehicle starts to skid.
Handbook p. 87 ↗ A tire suddenly blows out. What should you do first? Brake hard to stop right away Turn sharply away from the flat tire Hold the wheel tightly and keep going straight Turn sharply toward the flat tire Answer: Hold the wheel tightly and keep going straight
Hold the wheel tightly and keep the vehicle going straight while slowing down gradually after a blowout.
Handbook p. 87 ↗ If your engine dies while driving, what should you expect about the brakes? They will stop working entirely They will work exactly as normal They will lock up immediately They still work but need much harder pressure Answer: They still work but need much harder pressure
If the engine dies, brakes still work but require significantly more pressure on the pedal.
Handbook p. 87 ↗ If your gas pedal sticks and the engine keeps accelerating, what should you do first? Quickly shift to neutral Turn off the engine immediately while at speed Pump the gas pedal Apply the parking brake hard Answer: Quickly shift to neutral
Shift to neutral first, then apply steady brake pressure and pull off the road before turning off the engine.
Handbook p. 87 ↗ Your vehicle's right wheels drift off the pavement. What should you do? Brake hard immediately Ease off the gas and steer parallel Jerk the wheel back onto the pavement Accelerate to power back onto the road Answer: Ease off the gas and steer parallel
Ease off the accelerator and steer parallel to the road, then ease back onto the pavement once slowed and it's safe.
Handbook p. 88 ↗ Previous lesson Senior drivers and giving up driving Next lesson Avoiding and surviving collisions More in Emergencies, Crashes & Penalties About the source Roadwise’s Montana course uses the driver handbook edition supplied with this study pack. This lesson cites source pages 87, 88. 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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