7.2 Breakdowns, Warning Triangles & In-Drive Failures

7.2 Breakdowns, Warning Triangles & In-Drive Failures

Quick Answer: If your vehicle breaks down, get it off the carriageway if you can, switch on the hazard warning lights, and place the warning triangle 45 metres behind the vehicle — the distance fixed by the Road Traffic Regulations (LI 2180) — and further back on fast roads so approaching drivers have time to react. If a system fails while you are moving, the golden rule is stay calm, keep steering control, and slow down progressively: pump the brakes and change down for brake failure, grip the wheel and coast for a blowout, pull over and let an overheating engine cool, declutch or select neutral for a sticking accelerator, and get off the road if your headlights fail at night.

When the Vehicle Stops: The Breakdown Drill

A stationary vehicle on a live carriageway is one of the most dangerous objects on Ghana's roads, especially at night or just over a crest. The Highway Code drill has three steps, in order:

1. Move the vehicle off the carriageway if it can still roll or be pushed — onto the shoulder, a lay-by, or as far left as the road allows. A vehicle left in a traffic lane endangers everyone.
2. Switch on the hazard warning lights immediately, and leave them on. At night, if the vehicle must remain partly on the road, also leave the sidelights or parking lights on so it is visible.
3. Place the warning triangle 45 metres behind the vehicle. This figure comes straight from LI 2180 and is one of the most-asked numbers on the theory test. On fast roads — national highways and motorways where traffic moves at 80–100 km/h — place it further back, because drivers need more distance to see it, react, and brake.

Keep passengers out of the carriageway, well away from moving traffic, while you wait for help. If you break down where the vehicle cannot be seen in time — on a bend or the brow of a hill — the triangle must go far enough back to be visible before the hazard itself.

Exam trap: the 45 metres is measured behind the broken-down vehicle, in the direction traffic approaches from. Questions that place the triangle "in front of" the vehicle or quote distances like 10 or 20 metres are wrong.

Failures While Driving: The Correct Responses

The exam repeatedly asks, "If X fails while you are driving, what should you do?" Each failure has a drilled answer. Memorise the table, then read the reasoning below it.

Brake Failure

If the pedal goes to the floor, pump it rapidly — this can rebuild hydraulic pressure. At the same time change down through the gears so engine braking slows the vehicle, and apply the handbrake progressively (firmly but gradually, not in one violent yank, or the rear wheels may lock and skid). Steer toward a safe, open place — a verge or an uphill slope if one is available. Never switch off the ignition while still moving in traffic: in many vehicles that locks the steering and kills power assistance exactly when you need control most.

Tire Blowout

A blowout snatches the steering and makes the car pull toward the failed tire. Grip the steering wheel firmly with both hands and hold the vehicle straight. Ease off the accelerator and let the vehicle lose speed on its own, then steer gently to the side and coast to a stop. Never brake hard — sudden braking on a shredded tire throws the weight forward and can spin the vehicle. This pairing — "grip, ease off, coast" versus "brake hard" — is a classic exam trap.

Engine Overheating

Rising temperature gauge or steam from the bonnet means pull over and switch off the engine. Then wait. Never open the radiator cap while the engine is hot: the cooling system is pressurized, and removing the cap releases scalding steam and coolant that can cause severe burns. Only when the engine has cooled should you check the coolant level — and top up slowly.

Sticking Accelerator

If the throttle jams open, disconnect the engine from the wheels: press the clutch on a manual car or select neutral on an automatic. The engine will race, but the vehicle stops accelerating. Then brake firmly and steer to a safe stop before switching off the engine.

Headlight Failure at Night

If both headlights fail in the dark, switch on the hazard warning lights, slow down smoothly, and pull off the road to a safe stop. Do not continue at speed hoping street lighting or moonlight will do — you are nearly invisible to other road users and cannot see hazards ahead.