A 4-minute lesson from the Rhode Island course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
When a tire blows, a pedal sticks, the engine dies or you drop a wheel off the pavement, the instinct is to stomp the brake or jerk the wheel. The handbook's steps are calmer: control the car first, slow gradually, then get off the road.
Blowout or flat tire:
Grip the wheel firmly with both hands
Ease off the gas—don't brake (braking can make the car swerve)
Turn on your hazard lights (red triangle on the dashboard)
If you're steering into a sharp curve with a stuck accelerator, shift to NEUTRAL immediately (press the clutch in a stick shift). The engine races but power leaves the drive wheels—you may damage the engine, but you may avoid a collision.
The greater the drop-off between road and shoulder, the more steering control you need. With a severe drop-off, slow more and turn very sharply to get back on.
Your right wheels drift onto a soft shoulder at 45 mph. Don't yank the wheel or slam the brakes. Ease off the gas, straddle the edge, find a spot where the shoulder is level, signal, steer sharply back on and immediately counter-steer.
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 avoid doing?
Braking suddenly
Gripping the wheel firmly
Turning on your hazard lights
Checking traffic before changing lanes
Answer: Braking suddenly
Do not brake after a blowout, since braking can cause the vehicle to swerve; ease off the accelerator instead.