Contents: Car malfunction ↧ Road traffic accident ↧ A sudden change in weather conditions ↧ Driver's health status ↧
Of course, it is impossible to predict all unforeseen circumstances. However, there are several basic scenarios on the road that you need to be prepared for: vehicle malfunction, traffic accident, sudden change in weather conditions or driver's health. Here is a brief description of the steps to take in each of these cases.
The main thing to remember is to remain calm in any case and not take rash actions, as this can lead to extremely serious consequences!
Car malfunction
If the engine management system malfunction indicator lamp comes on while driving, continue driving calmly without putting unnecessary strain on the power unit. Choose the optimal speed and avoid sudden acceleration and braking. If there are significant changes in the vehicle's behavior (for example, engine power has dropped), turn on the hazard warning lights and proceed carefully to the repair site. Visit a service station as soon as possible to conduct diagnostics and identify the cause of the malfunction.
If the car stalls while driving, turn on the hazard warning lights and put the transmission in neutral (in a car with a manual transmission) and stop the car smoothly. If possible, change lanes and stop on the side of the road. Try starting the engine again. If the engine does not start, you must first try to move the vehicle off the roadway so as not to interfere with other road users. If this fails, put up an emergency stop sign in accordance with the Road Traffic Regulations (15 m from the vehicle in a populated area or 30 m outside a populated area). After this, you should try to find out the cause of the malfunction and fix it yourself. If the fault cannot be corrected on site, have the vehicle towed to the nearest service station.
Engine overheating. If you feel a loss of power and a slight metallic knock, this means that the engine is close to overheating and needs to be cooled down. Especially if you missed the moment when the engine temperature gauge needle entered the red zone and the overheating lamp came on. Do not operate the engine above its operating temperature. However, you cannot immediately stop the engine, and even more so, cool it yourself using improvised means. First, stop your car on the side of the road, taking all safety precautions. Turn on the air conditioning system in the maximum cabin heating mode (set the temperature regulator to maximum, the air conditioning fan to maximum speed, the recirculation mode and air conditioning must be turned off).
Warning. If the engine overheats, be careful: do not open the hood if steam is coming out from under it, and, especially, do not unscrew the cap of the expansion tank of the cooling system until the engine has cooled down. The heated liquid is under pressure and you may get burned.
Leave the engine idling and open the hood. If you find a break in any hose and a coolant leak, the engine must be turned off. If there are no visible faults, check whether the electric fan of the engine cooling system is working. If the fan is not working, this is most likely the cause of overheating. If the engine temperature does not drop even at idle, turn off the engine. Wait for it to cool down a bit and check the condition of the cooling system. Correct any faults found. If the problem cannot be resolved on site, tow the vehicle to the nearest service station or drive a short distance to it at a time to prevent the engine from overheating. The first option is preferable.
Brake system failure. This is one of the most dangerous malfunctions, however, if you remain calm, even in this case you can avoid serious consequences. To stop the car, use engine braking, while trying in every way to attract the attention of other drivers (use the horn, flash the high beam headlights and other available means). Try to "pump" the brakes by pressing and releasing the pedal. You can also try to stop the car with the parking brake, but hold the locking button so that you can quickly lower the lever without locking the wheels.
Steering failure. Another dangerous malfunction. In this situation, the main thing is not to brake abruptly. When braking sharply, the car may swerve sharply to the side. Brake as smoothly as possible and try to regain control of the car by turning the steering wheel. It is likely that the steering wheel will still act on the steered wheels, but only when turning at large angles.
Road traffic accident
Regardless of who is at fault in a traffic accident, stop immediately, turn on your hazard warning lights, and put up an emergency stop sign in accordance with the requirements of the Road Traffic Regulations (15 m from the vehicle in a populated area or 30 m outside a populated area) and call the traffic police.
Warning. On roads with heavy traffic (highway, motorway) you should wait for the inspectors to arrive not in your car, but on the side of the road or next to the road, since other road users may run over already parked cars.
A sudden change in weather conditions
You are driving slowly about your business. Suddenly the cloudless sky is covered with heavy leaden clouds, and a wall of rain falls on you. Or the snowfall intensifies, forming a white wall. You may have descended into a lowland, driving into thick fog. What to do if suddenly the visibility of roads becomes less than 50 m?
Do not make any sudden maneuvers under any circumstances (for example, you can't brake suddenly), because other drivers are in the same conditions and may not have time to react to your maneuver. Turn on the exterior lights, fog lights and headlights. If you feel that it is impossible to continue driving, turn on the alarm and smoothly stop on the right side of the roadway.
Also very dangerous are sharp gusts of crosswind (this is especially important when leaving a forest belt into open space). The car may suddenly shift to the side. In this case, we recommend that you reduce your speed and continue driving with caution.
Driver's health status
If you feel unwell on the way (you feel dizzy, weak, unable to concentrate on driving, and so on), turn on your hazard warning lights and pull over smoothly to the side of the road.
If you are traveling alone and do not know the reason for your poor health, and your condition does not improve, call an ambulance. If there are passengers, describe how you feel to them, maybe they can help. In extreme cases, you need to call an ambulance.
Information taken from the official website «CHEVYMAN.ru»