Making an emergency stop to avoid an accident is this easy
How to react when you find yourself in an emergency situation.
Being able to make an emergency stop in your car is a skill all drivers should have.
After all, there are many situations which are beyond a person’s control that require being able to stop safely.
This is something advanced driver trainer, Bossie Bosman, says anyone going behind the steering wheel of a vehicle should know.
Bosman provided several scenarios and how to react when you find yourself in these situations.
Scenario 1:
When brakes fail – This is an extremely dangerous situation and can even mean the difference between life and death.
Maintaining a level head and knowing what steps to take are crucial for your own safety and that of others on the road.
What to do:
1. Downshift immediately. This will slow the car and works with both automatic and manual transmissions.
2. Do not depress the accelerator pedal – Avoid the temptation to start pushing around with your feet willy nilly because speeding up will only make the situation worse.
3. Use the emergency brake (handbrake). This may or may not bring you to a full stop, but it will at least slow you down.
4. Move away from oncoming traffic as soon as it is safely possible. This takes you away from getting into an accident with other vehicles and closer to the shoulder of the road or an exit.
5. Let others on the road know you are out of control by activating the vehicle’s emergency flashers and honking the horn.
6. Come to a stop one way or the other. Hopefully, the vehicle will have slowed down enough that you can pull over and naturally come to a stop after decelerating.
Scenario 2:
When a car begins skidding, you have little ability to control the car’s speed or direction.
What to do:
1. Depress the brake smoothly for a full second. If you push the brake too quickly, it can make the skid worse.
2. Continue braking and releasing. Continue in this slow and controlled manner until you regain control of the vehicle and are able to steer it.
3. Mentally regroup. Once you are in control of your vehicle again, pull over and give yourself some time to mentally regroup before driving again.
Scenario 3:
Another situation where you may need to make an emergency stop is to avoid hitting something.
What to do:
Decide how to stop based on your vehicle. The way to do this varies slightly, depending on whether your vehicle has ABS or not.
1. If your vehicle has ABS, push the brake pedal down as hard as you can while steering in a normal fashion.
2. Without ABS, you still push the brake firmly but only at about 70% of the force you are capable of exerting and only steer once you have released the brake to prevent the brakes from locking up.
Also read: Ekurhuleni beefs up emergency services resources
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