Emergency Maneuvers: Brake Failure, Blowouts, Skids, Fire
Emergency Maneuvers tests the responses you should already have rehearsed: braking failure, tire failure, skids, and fire.
Brake failure
- Pump the pedal, which may rebuild pressure, and downshift progressively to use engine braking.
- Apply the parking or emergency brake gradually; locking the rear wheels creates a skid.
- Look for an escape ramp and commit to the middle of the bed if you use one.
- With air brakes, dropping pressure applies the spring brakes automatically, so you will stop, but not instantly.
Tire failure
- Hold the wheel firmly with both hands, keep the vehicle straight, stay off the brake, and let speed bleed off before pulling onto the shoulder.
Skids
- Rear-wheel skid: release the brakes and steer in the direction you want the vehicle to go.
- Front-wheel skid: ease off the accelerator, keep the wheel straight, and avoid hard braking.
Fire
- Pull over, shut off the engine, get everyone away, and attack the fire from upwind with the extinguisher.
Worked example
A steer tire blows at 60 mph. Instinct says brake hard. Instead: both hands on the wheel, hold a straight line, release the accelerator, and delay braking until speed is down and the shoulder is checked in the mirror. Hard braking loads the deflated tire and pulls the steering toward the failure.
Traps that cost marks
- Slamming the brakes on a blowout.
- Steering away from a skid instead of where you want to go.
- Using the trailer hand valve as a service brake.