How to handle situations while driving

On the road, any unexpected trouble is likely to happen, handling it in a timely or improper manner can cause unfortunate consequences.

Loss of steering control

While driving, if the steering wheel feels heavy and difficult to control, quickly pull over. Then check the power steering pump belt for breaks.

In case of loss of control, the driver cannot do anything, the cause may be a fault in the steering system. At this time, the only thing to do is to brake the car and when braking, it is also necessary to signal to other vehicles by using emergency lights, headlights, honking or hand signals.

If you feel your steering wheel is heavy or you lose control, stay calm and try to pull over to the side of the road. Photo: Luong Dung.

When the temperature gets too high

The car is running, the temperature warning light is on, the temperature gauge is above normal, quickly pull over to the side of the road. The first thing to do is turn off the engine. Then get out of the car to check. If you detect a strange smell or see steam coming out, carefully open the hood and check the cooling system pipes.

Even if you do not find the cause, you should not continue driving. You should also check the drive belt connected to the pump. If the belt is broken, you should not continue driving. Or after checking and finding nothing, you should wait about 30 minutes for the engine to cool down, or put your hand on the radiator to check if it is no longer hot. When the radiator and pipes are still hot, you should not open the radiator cap.

Note: Do not add cold water when the engine or radiator is still hot, it will damage the engine.

Brake failure

In case the foot brake fails, for manual transmission vehicles, calmly reduce the gear gradually, for example from 5th to 4th then down to 3rd... at this point, consider it as using the gear brake to reduce the speed to a safe level. Next, turn on the turn signal, pull over to the side of the road and use the handbrake. Or you can use the handbrake by pulling the handbrake slowly, if you see the wheel slipping, release the handbrake immediately.

Handbrake on automatic transmission car. Photo: Luong Dung.

On automatic cars, most cars usually have semi-automatic transmission. When the foot brake fails, calmly shift to semi-automatic M, then gradually reduce the gear before using the handbrake. Use the horn and flash your lights to signal other vehicles.

Smoke or strange smell

If you notice smoke or an unusual smell while driving, pull over immediately. Turn off the engine and open the hood to check. The vehicle may have an oil leak into the engine exhaust, which may cause smoke or an oily smell. It may also be a coolant leak that sprays into a hot engine, causing evaporation or a watery smell. It is important not to drive the vehicle until the cause of the smoke or unusual smell is determined.

According to vnexrpess