The Warning Light and the Weaving Steering
You are 15 km into a 60 km trip on a warm day. Your light vehicle has done about 180,000 km. Twenty minutes ago the tyre-pressure warning light came on; you pressed the reset button and it stayed off. Now the light is back on and steady. At the same time the steering has begun to feel vague and the vehicle pulls slightly to the left. You can smell a faint hot-rubber odour. You are in the left lane of a dual carriageway with a hard shoulder, doing 100 km/h, and traffic is moderate.
1. What is the most likely problem, and what should you do immediately?
Read the worked answer
The combination - pressure warning returning, vague steering, pull to one side, and hot-rubber smell - points to a tyre losing pressure or overheating, possibly a slow puncture or a tyre running soft. Immediate action: stop accelerating, keep a firm grip, and move progressively to the hard shoulder or the nearest safe refuge. Do not brake sharply and do not swerve. Signal, check mirrors, and cross lanes deliberately. A soft or failing tyre at 100 km/h can fail completely; the priority is to get off the carriageway before that happens.
2. Why was pressing the reset button earlier a mistake?
Read the worked answer
A pressure warning is information, not an annoyance. Resetting it without checking pressures silenced the warning without fixing the cause, so the underlying loss of pressure continued. The correct response to a pressure warning is to stop safely and check the tyres - ideally with a gauge - not to clear the light and carry on.
3. Once stopped on the hard shoulder, what should you do, and what should you not do?
Read the worked answer
Do: stop as far left as possible, switch on hazard lights, exit by the passenger-side doors if it is safer, and stand behind the barrier, uphill and away from traffic. Put on a high-visibility vest if you have one. Call for assistance.
Do not: stand between the vehicle and traffic, attempt a wheel change on the traffic side of a live carriageway, or re-enter the carriageway at low speed without building up to match traffic. If you cannot reach a place of safety, stay belted in the vehicle with hazards on and call for help.