General Knowledge: Emergency Procedures
Brake and tire failures
If brakes fail, pump them, downshift to use engine braking, apply the parking brake gradually, and steer for an escape ramp. As a last resort, rub against a curb or guardrail to bleed speed. After a tire blows, hold the wheel firmly, stay off the brakes, let the vehicle slow on its own, then brake gently once control is steady.
Skids
- Front-wheel skid: the steering feels light. Release the brakes so the wheels roll and steering returns.
- Rear-wheel skid: steer in the direction you want the front of the vehicle to travel - the same way the rear is sliding - and avoid hard braking.
- On ice, ease off the accelerator and make small corrections; oversteering starts a second skid.
Downgrades, fire, and crossings
- Select a safe gear before the grade and use snub braking: firm application, then release, letting speed build slightly before the next application.
- For a fire, stop, shut off the engine, get everyone out, and use the extinguisher from upwind. Do not open the hood fully on an engine fire, and never fight a large fire.
- Never stop on railroad tracks. If you stall there, get out and move away at an angle toward the approaching train.
Worked example
Descending a long grade, you smell hot brakes and the pedal feels long. Coasting faster to cool them makes it worse. The correct response is to downshift immediately for engine braking, apply the brakes firmly in short snubs rather than riding them, and take the next escape ramp if speed cannot be held. Escape ramps are built with loose gravel; aim for the middle and do not brake hard on the surface.
Traps
- Braking hard during a blowout.
- Steering away from the skid instead of toward your intended path.
- Waiting until the bottom of the grade to downshift, or stopping on the tracks to check a map.