A 3-minute lesson from the New Jersey course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Even a well-maintained car can fail. The key is not to panic and to know the one or two moves for each kind of failure, then get safely off the roadway and call for help.
Know the rule
Brake failure (conventional brakes): shift to a lower gear and pump the brake pedal fast and hard several times.
If pumping doesn't work, use the parking brake while holding the release, so you can let up if the rear wheels lock. In low gear, find a safe place off the road and call for help.
Flat tire or blowout: hold the wheel firmly and keep the car straight while slowing gradually. Take your foot off the gas but don't brake; coast to a stop off the road.
Power steering failure: when the engine dies, steering fails. Keep a firm grip; you'll need extra hand power to steer. Stop in a safe area off the road.
Headlight failure: stop safely off the road. Try the headlight or dimmer switch; if that fails, use parking lights, flashers or turn signals and call for help.
Hood flies up: slow down immediately. Look under the hood or out the side window, use the center line or lane markings as a guide, and pull off as soon as possible.
Your accelerator sticks as you approach a red light. Keep looking ahead, shift into neutral right away, steer onto the shoulder, and turn off the engine once you're safely stopped.
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 a motorist experiences a tire blowout, what should they do?
Grip the wheel, ease off the gas, don't brake
Brake hard immediately
Accelerate to maintain control
Grip the wheel firmly and brake hard to stop quickly
Answer: Grip the wheel, ease off the gas, don't brake
With a blowout, the motorist should hold the wheel firmly, remove their foot from the gas, and not use the brakes, letting the vehicle coast to a stop.