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Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can
be more effective than braking. For
example, you come over a hill and
find a truck stopped in your lane, or a
car suddenly pulls out from nowhere,
or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right in front of
you. You can avoid these problems
by braking — if you can stop in time.
But sometimes you cannot; there is
not room. That is the time for evasive
action — steering around the
problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well
in emergencies like these. First
apply the brakes. See Braking on
page 8-17. It is better to remove
as much speed as you can from a
possible collision. Then steer around
the problem, to the left or right
depending on the space available.
An emergency like this requires
close attention and a quick decision.
If you are holding the steering wheel
at the recommended 9 and 3 o’clock
positions, you can turn it a full
180 degrees very quickly without
removing either hand. But you have
to act fast, steer quickly, and just as
quickly straighten the wheel once
you have avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency
situations are always possible is a
good reason to practice defensive
driving at all times and wear
safety belts properly.
Off-Road Recovery
Your vehicle’s right wheels can drop
off the edge of a road onto the
shoulder while driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only
slightly below the pavement,
recovery should be fairly easy.
Ease off the accelerator and then,
if there is nothing in the way,
steer so that your vehicle straddles
the edge of the pavement.
8-22 Driving and Operating