Flat tires and blowouts
See Figure 2

A blowout will be sudden. You'll feel it in the wheel and you may hear it. You may feel a part of the vehicle dip. Control of the vehicle may be difficult. A flat tire will also be felt in the handling of the vehicle and steering may become unnatural, but this is more gradual than a blowout.

If you have a flat tire or a blowout on the highway, get a firm grip on the wheel and apply your brakes gently to slow. Pull off the road to a safe spot where you have enough room to park and get out of the vehicle without danger to yourself and without causing a traffic hazard for other motorists. Don't slam on the brakes. Sudden braking may throw your vehicle into a spin or out of control.

If you can't pull off the road where you are, drive to a spot where you can pull off and change the tire safely. Do this even if you have to drive on a flat or blown-out tire-but drive slowly and put on your emergency flashers.

Don't try to change a tire on uneven or hilly ground. It's better to risk ruining a tire or wheel by driving on a flat tire than to risk having a jack slip when you're changing a tire on uneven ground.

Tire sealants are available for application prior to having a flat. These sealants will seal most small tread punctures, allowing you to get the vehicle to a repair center.

Another type of sealant, one popular brand of which is called "Fix-A-Flat&," can be used to seal and inflate tires after a small tread puncture occurs. The vehicle should then be taken to have the tire permanently repaired.

Tire sealants are intended for treating tread punctures only; they are not effective against sidewall damage.

Driving on flooded roads or in heavy rain

Flooded roadways or roads with standing water present a variety of hazards to the driver. Heavy rain and flooded roads reduce available traction. Beware of driving through puddles too quickly; aside from the danger of hydroplaning, you could hit a hidden pothole. Either way, you can easily lose control of your vehicle.

If your vehicle stalls out, try to coast to the side of the road and wait for the engine to dry out. If you know the parts of your electrical system, the drying out process can be quickened by taking a dry rag and wiping the plugs, wires, and coil, and by drying the inside of the distributor cap.

If your vehicle stalls in the middle of a puddle and you can't move it, and if you're near a stream that is overflowing onto the highway, be alert to the possibility of a flash flood. For your own safety, you may have to leave the vehicle where it is and seek shelter until the water recedes.

After moving through water, your brakes may have lost their stopping power. Apply your brakes lightly while driving to dry out the linings and other components.

Driving on snow and ice
See Figure 6

Driving safely on snow and ice requires caution, alertness, and skill. Adhering to the following tips will help.

Start gently

• Install all season tires or, preferably, snow tires, on all four wheels, before the first snowfall and add chains when the going is difficult. On loosely packed snow, snow tires increase traction 50% and the tire chains quadruple traction.

In areas where snow is anticipated, snow tires are recommended for all four wheels, whether the vehicle is Front Wheel Drive (FWD), Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) or All Wheel Drive (AWD).

• Start with an easy foot on the accelerator-start out in second gear on manual transaxle/transmission vehicles, or in LOW on automatic transaxle/transmission vehicles. Don't spin the wheels. Traction is greatest just before the wheels spin.

• If the wheels start to spin, try rocking the vehicle forward and backward. If you dig yourself a pocket, use sand or traction mats to get out. Do not stand behind the wheel while performing this maneuver, as the driven tires will often send out debris. Keep the front wheels pointed straight ahead when possible.

• Once underway, keep going. When approaching a hill, keep far enough behind the vehicle ahead so you will not have to slow or stop. A little extra speed at the bottom of the hill will give extra momentum to help carry you over the top. If the wheels start to spin, release the accelerator slightly.

• During snow and ice conditions, leave yourself an "out" when you park. On a downhill slope, leave ample space in front of your vehicle so you can pull out without backing. Avoid parking on an upgrade unless there is ample room to back out.

Turn gradually

• Icy surfaces make steering difficult. Slow down before reaching curves. It may be necessary to creep around curves to avoid sideway skids. When entering a curve, turn the steering wheel gradually and no further than necessary. On icy curves, traction may sometimes be improved by using the shoulder.
• If the rear of the vehicle starts skidding, release the accelerator and steer the front of the vehicle in the direction of the skid. As soon as the vehicle starts to straighten out, straighten the front wheels. Don't oversteer.
• On a winter day when the road surface is clear, watch for icy patches in shaded areas, beneath overpasses, and on bridges. These can easily cause a skid if you are going too fast.

Experience has shown that stopping on glare ice and hard-packed snow can take up to ten times the braking distance on a dry road. However, a vehicle equipped with studded tires on the drive wheels alone can reduce stopping distance under these conditions by 30% at 32°F (0°C). In other words, a normal stopping distance of 200 feet (61m) on glare ice would be reduced to 140 feet (43m) .

Studded tires are illegal in many states. Be sure to check with your local authorities before installing studded tires.

Be especially wary on days when the temperature rises to 32°F (0°C). At that temperature, stopping distances on ice are twice as great as at 0° F. Sleet, which is treacherous and slick, also forms at 32°F (0°C).

• Follow other vehicles at greater distances to compensate for longer stopping distances.
• Pump the brakes when stopping. This gives maximum steering control while the brakes are off, and maximum braking while the brakes are applied.
• Reduce speed to a minimum when going over the crest of a hill, and starting down. Put the vehicle in second gear (manual) or low range (automatic) and pump the brakes to keep the speed down. On manual transaxle/transmission equipped vehicles, avoid the use of low gear, as this tends to make the rear wheels skid.
• Keep the tires properly inflated. To avoid swerving while braking, the tire pressures on each axle must be equal.
• Drive defensively. Slow on slippery roads and at intersections. Increase the following distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. Other vehicles may not have the advantage of studded tires and won't stop as quickly as a vehicle that does. Avoid the abrupt use of brakes, acceleration or steering on turns and sharp curves, and watch out for wind gusts. Never jam on the brakes-pump them to avoid locking wheels, which can cause a skid.

The most important thing to do when your car starts to lose traction and enters a skid is to keep driving! Just because your car isn't going the way you initially expected it to go, this is no time to give up on the situation. With a little thought, training and practice, a skid can be corrected for and reduced in severity.

The best way of correcting for a skid is not to get into one in the first place. Keep your speeds controlled and within the realm of traction. If you sense that your vehicle is starting to skid, utilize the following techniques:

1. Don't panic! "Keep your cool" and remain focused. Many situations are only made worse by sudden, panic-induced reactions.
2. Ease up on the accelerator and, if equipped with a manual transaxle/transmission, press in the clutch. Sometimes this is the only thing that you need to do, and the vehicle will stop skidding. Do not "saw" at the wheel and do not jam on the brakes! Hitting the brakes hard at this time is about the worst thing you could do!

3. If the vehicle continues to skid, gently turn the wheels in the direction the car is skidding. Hopefully, the tires will regain traction and allow you to steer the car back into a direction of safety. Make all your steering motions gently with the wheel. If you slash at the wheel, you will not help the tires do their job.
4. If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, a gentle application of the accelerator pedal can help the vehicle regain stability. This is only true if the vehicle is presently in four wheel drive mode and, if applicable, you let the clutch back out with the vehicle in gear. This is a technique best left to people who have practiced this maneuver. Find a big parking lot to try this out the next time it rains.
5. In the worse case, the vehicle may start to spin. Even then, don't panic! There is an old saying that goes, "In a spin, both feet in." This means to press in the clutch (if applicable) and apply the brakes as hard as you can. This will lock up the tires and allow the vehicle to slide to a stop, while still going in the direction it was going. If the wheels aren't locked up, the vehicle can go all over the place as the tries grip and let go in an unpredictable fashion. If the vehicle is equipped with an Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), be prepared to steer the vehicle, since the ABS will try to keep the wheels from locking.
6. Once you have regained control of the vehicle, be ready to head for safety, since you may have slid out of your lane. You haven't stopped driving yet! Once you have composed yourself, relax and allow the excitement to pass.

Continue to Page 3 of How to deal with motor vehicle emergencies

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