Causes of car loss of control and how to handle the situation

1. Causes of car loss of control

“Losing control” is used to describe the phenomenon of a driver losing control of the vehicle. In most cases, the incident happens so suddenly and quickly that the driver has little time to react. Many times, after an accident has occurred, it is still not known why it happened.

In fact, there are many causes of accidents, from objective to subjective.One is a technical error of the vehicle (a tire blowout; a part in the steering system or related parts is damaged or stuck; the wheel system is not properly calibrated...).

Second is the driver's error in controlling the vehicle (not being able to control the speed, not being able to control the accelerator and brake pedals; cornering at high speed; driving on slippery roads...).

• 2. How to handle when the car loses control

• *If the vehicle loses power steering:

  - Hold the steering wheel firmly with both hands to maintain control.

  - The driver can still steer, but with more force. Braking suddenly or driving too slowly will make steering by hand more difficult.

  - Slow down slowly.

  - Turn on hazard lights or turn signals.

  - Carefully move the car to a safe parking area.

• * If the car loses control:

  In an emergency, the driver does not have many options. The important thing at this time is to stay calm and react decisively to minimize casualties and losses.

  - If the road ahead is dry and empty, brake suddenly to stop the car immediately.

  - If the road surface is wet, you need to brake to maintain control of the direction of travel. Because when the wheels are locked, there is no more lateral traction and the car will skid. You need to shift to a lower gear to brake with the engine.

  - If the road is crowded or it is a highway, the first thing to do is to signal with lights and horns to let other road users know. Vehicles running at night need to turn on hazard lights and flash high and low beams continuously to attract attention. Slow down to give other vehicles enough time to react.

  Coordinate the release of foot brake, hand brake, and gear shift to control the vehicle. Prepare for a collision. If the distance between you and the vehicle behind has increased, the option of sudden braking should also be considered.

• 3. How to limit car loss of control?

• To limit damage to the vehicle that can lead to loss of control, you should periodically maintain the steering system and related parts such as: steering wheel, tie rod, bearings, rubber gaskets, always check tire pressure, adjust wheel alignment...

  Do not speed or overtake recklessly, keep a safe distance from other vehicles on the road; reduce speed when driving on slippery or wet terrain; at least 10% slower than the speed on a sunny day on a straight road, and 20% slower when cornering.

  Do not brake suddenly or pull the handbrake when the vehicle skids; increase the safe distance from the vehicle in front.

  When entering a curve, use the cutting method as much as possible to reduce the cornering angle. When driving on a hilly road with many hairpin bends, drive close to the mountain side and slow down when entering a curve with a road surface inclined towards the negative slope (the side of the cliff).

• Adjusting wheel alignment - an effective measure to prevent loss of control

• In actual car use, there are cars that give the driver a light, easy-to-control feeling, run fast without being slippery... and there are cars that feel very "hard" or "soft" to drive, requiring a lot of effort to steer the car in the right direction.

  
  The reason for such differences is that vehicles are designed with different wheel angles, in accordance with the criteria set by the designer. (For example, a vehicle that runs smoothly and turns smoothly will have difficulty overcoming obstacles and vice versa. Therefore, for each specific vehicle, the designer must sacrifice this purpose to design the wheel angle to suit the other purpose).

• The design of the wheel angle should be respected in actual repair and use by regularly and periodically checking and adjusting the design angles: Camber (angle of the wheel plane tilted from the vertical viewed from the front of the vehicle); Caster (angle of the steering wheel axis tilted back from the vertical viewed from the side of the vehicle); Toe-in (wheel camber); SAI (steering column tilt); Thrust Angle (angle of deviation between the vehicle's central axis and the direction of movement of the rear axle)...
• In the car manufacturer's maintenance process, every 10,000 km, the car needs to have its wheel alignment and tire rotation rebalanced. Re-aligning the wheel alignment helps prevent damage and prolongs the life of the car.