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DRIVING DANGERS
How to Handle Hazardous Situations Behind The Wheel
The leading cause of death among Americans between the ages of 1 and 24 is motor vehicle crashes. Over 75% of the time, the factors contributing to crashes are related to driver error. Advice on coping with sudden driving dangers is provided here. Learn from it and pass it on…
How To Protect Yourself From People Running Red Lights
By never assuming a green light means all okay. There's little consolation in knowing an accident isn't your fault just because you had the right of way. Your car is still damaged, and someone may be hurt. Even through you were in the right, perhaps you could have actually avoided the collision simply by looking before you leap.
If your light is green, make sure other rivers, at or near the intersection, aren't trying to beat the yellow or red light. If you're at an intersection without a light, look left, right and left again before moving on.
How To Handle A Blowout
Don't slam on your brakes, you could completely lose control. If a front tire blows, the car will pull hard to the side of the blowout. The steering wheel vibrates like crazy. Hang on tight with your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions on the steering wheel. Take your foot off the gas and concentrate on staying in your lane. Slow down gradually and pull off the road to a safe location. If a rear tire blows, the back of the car will weave back and forth and vibrate. Handle it the same way.
How To Get Out Of A Skid
A lot of people hit the brakes hard when their vehicle starts to skid. That generally makes things worse. Just take your foot off of the gas and turn your steering wheel in the direction you want the front of the car to go. This helps straighten out the car and often regains traction.
Frequently it takes more than one turn of the steering wheel to correct a skid.
What To Do If Your Car Goes Into Deep Water
While this doesn't happen often, it happens enough that you should know what to do. If you do go in the water, release your safety belt immediately. (But don't release it before you hit the water. The safety belt will help protect you during the impact with the water.) Then the best thing to do is to try to get out quickly through the window, because power windows can short-circuit in the water. If you can't get out through the window, try the door. At first, the water pressure will probably hold it closed. But don't panic. As the water rises, it will equalize the pressure and the door should open.
It might be best to remember the acronym POGO for this kind of situation. Pop your safety belt. Open the window. Get Out.
What To Do If Your Brakes Go Out
You must think and act quickly. Remember this word sequence: pump pedal, parking brake, shift down, safe place.
Pump the brake pedal (unless you have an ABS braking system. Never pump the brake pedal on ABS brakes). Sometimes the pressure comes back.
Slowly try the parking brake. But don't jam it on hard if you're in a curve. That could cause a spin.
Shift into a lower gear (or lower range on automatic transmissions). The drag on the engine will help slow you down.
Look for a safe place to guide your vehicle onto the shoulder of the road or some other safe location. In an emergency, the quicker you think and act, the safer you'll be.
Do all of the first three of these as quickly and steadily as you can. Keep your eyes on the road.
What About Antilock Braking Systems
ABS is basically a conventional braking system that is helped by computer technology. Sensors in each wheel let the computer know if all the wheels are turning at the same speed. The computer reads the data and, if needed, activates a solenoid valve so more or less force can be applied to help the car stop more evenly. If each wheel is not stopping with equal force, often a car can go into a spin. Or the driver can lose control. Under normal conditions, the antilock system will not be activated. However, should the braking force exceed the available adhesion between the tires and the road surface, the system will automatically activate. This will be recognizable by a rapid pulsation felt through the brake pedal. You should not pump the brake pedal at any time on an ABS system. Pumping could interrupt operation and actually increase stopping distance.
What If A Car Pulls Over In Front Of You
Virtually all cars have "blind spots", spots where it's difficult to see cars close behind them to the left or right. To tell if you're driving in someone's blind spot, just glance at his rearview mirror. If you can't see his face, assume he can't see you. Move forward or fall back so he can see you. There are probably blind spots in your car, too. That's why it's always safer to quickly turn to visually check for other vehicles traveling in lanes next to yours before you pull over. If you're behind a car at a diagonal angle, you could be in its blind spot.
What If Your Accelerator Sticks
Try pulling it up with the toe of your shoe. If a passenger is with you, have him reach down and pull it up. You should not take your eyes off the road to reach down yourself. If your car has a manual transmission, put it in neutral. It's not a good idea to turn off the key. Some cars will lose power steering or even lock the steering wheel.
What If Your Hood Flies Open
The driver needs to stop, but if he slams on his brakes, he could be hit from behind. In some cars, from behind the wheel you can actually see by peeking through the opening between the dashboard and the hood. If not, then lean out the window to see what's ahead of you. In either case, you need to slow down smoothly and pull off the road.
Suppose Another Car Is Coming Right At You
Right is often the right way. Try to escape to the right if possible. Almost anything is better than a head-on collision. But if you move to the left, the oncoming driver might correct at the last minute and turn back in the direction you've just gone. While you're moving to the right, blow your horn. And if you can't avoid a collision, brake firmly and steadily. Every mile per hour you slow down will reduce the impact.
About Motorcycles
Anytime you see or hear a motorcyclist near you, be especially cautious. Motorcyclists are difficult to see because they're smaller than most vehicles. Statistics show that motorcyclists are about 16 times as likely as automobile occupants to die in a traffic crash.
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