9.5 Emergencies & Adverse Conditions

9.5 Emergencies & Adverse Conditions

[!IMPORTANT] Teach the procedures before they are needed. An emergency compresses the IPDE cycle to almost nothing, so the only responses available are the ones already rehearsed. Every procedure below should be taught in the classroom, discussed in the car, and where safely possible practised in a controlled area.

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Skids

A skid occurs when the demand placed on a tyre exceeds the grip available. The recovery is the same in principle every time: reduce the demand, look where you want to go, and steer there.

Two errors dominate: over-correcting, which produces a secondary skid in the opposite direction, and braking hard mid-skid, which converts a recoverable slide into a locked-wheel loss of steering. Both are countered by the same instruction: eyes up the road, hands smooth.

Hydroplaning

Water builds a wedge under the tyre until the contact patch lifts off the surface, and steering and braking stop working entirely.

Prevention is the whole lesson: adequate tread depth to channel water, correct inflation to maintain contact patch shape, reduced speed in standing water, and avoiding the ruts where water pools.

Recovery: ease off the accelerator, hold the steering steady, do not brake hard, and wait for the tyres to regain contact. Then correct gently.

Western Washington's frequent rain, combined with oil accumulation on dry spells, makes the first ten to fifteen minutes of rain after a dry period the highest-risk window. Say so explicitly to students.

Other emergencies

Tyre blowout. Grip the wheel firmly and hold direction. Do not brake hard - braking during a blowout can pull the vehicle sharply toward the failed tyre. Ease off the accelerator, allow the vehicle to slow, steer to the shoulder, and brake gently once slow. A front blowout pulls in steering; a rear blowout produces a rear wobble.

Brake failure. Pump the pedal to try to build residual pressure. Downshift to use engine braking. Apply the parking brake gradually while holding the release so it can be eased if the rear locks. Steer to a clear area or use friction against a kerb or embankment as a last resort. Sound the horn and use hazard lamps.

Stuck accelerator. Shift to neutral first - this is the action that immediately removes power. Brake, steer to the shoulder, and only then shut off the engine, keeping in mind that shutting the engine down removes power steering and brake assist and may lock the steering in some vehicles.

Right wheel drop-off. Do not jerk back onto the pavement. Ease off the accelerator, hold direction and let the vehicle slow, then steer back on gently when speed is low and the way is clear. Snatching the wheel is the classic cause of a cross-centreline head-on collision.

Animal in the road. Brake firmly in a straight line if there is room; do not swerve for small animals. Deer commonly travel in groups, so where one has crossed, expect another. Dawn and dusk are the peak periods.

Engine compartment fire or smoke. Stop clear of traffic, shut off the engine, get everyone out and well away, and call for help. Do not open the bonnet.

Vehicle in water. Release belts, open or break a side window immediately and exit through it. Doors will not open against outside water pressure.

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Adverse conditions in Washington

Washington presents an unusually wide range of conditions within short distances: coastal fog, sustained rain in the west, mountain passes with snow and ice, and hot dry summers with wildfire smoke in the east.

Rain. Increase following distance to four seconds or more, reduce speed, use low beam headlamps, and avoid standing water. Washington requires headlamps whenever conditions require windscreen wipers for reasons of visibility.

Fog. Use low beams - high beams reflect off water droplets and reduce visibility further. Reduce speed drastically, use the right edge line as a guide rather than the centre line, and if visibility becomes untenable, leave the roadway entirely and stop with hazard lamps on well clear of the travelled way.

Night. Reduce speed so that stopping distance stays within the illuminated distance. Dip high beams for oncoming and followed traffic. Look to the right edge line when oncoming headlamps are dazzling rather than into the lights.

Wildfire smoke. Treat as fog for visibility purposes: low beams, reduced speed, increased following distance, and recirculating cabin air.

Wind. Common on the Columbia gorge, coastal routes and open eastern highways. Firm both-hands grip, reduced speed, extra caution when emerging from a wind shadow such as a cutting or when passing large vehicles.

Snow, ice and Washington's traction rules

Studded tyres. RCW 46.37.420(2) makes it "unlawful to use metal studs imbedded within the tire between April 1st and November 1st," so the lawful studded period is 1 November to 31 March. Two qualifications matter:

• A vehicle may be equipped year-round with retractable studs if the studs retract pneumatically or mechanically below the wear bar when not in use, and are engaged only between November 1st and April 1st.
• RCW 46.37.420(4) permits studded tyres between November 1st and April 1st on school buses and fire department vehicles.
• The state department of transportation "may, from time to time, determine additional periods in which the use of tires with metal studs imbedded therein is lawful," which is how the deadline is occasionally extended in a severe spring.

Traction tyres and chains. Washington's mountain passes carry posted traction requirements that escalate with conditions, administered by WSDOT under the tyre chain and traction device rules in chapter 204-24 WAC. The escalating levels are, in ascending order: traction tyres advised; traction tyres required; and chains required, with the highest level applying to all vehicles including those with all-wheel or four-wheel drive. Approved traction tyres are marked for severe snow service or as mud and snow tyres and must retain adequate tread. Because the specific tread requirement, the approved device list and the level definitions are set and revised by rule, confirm the current requirement from WSDOT's pass reports rather than from memory before teaching a specific figure.

Driving technique on snow and ice. Everything slower and smoother: gentle acceleration, early and light braking, wide margins, and following intervals of six seconds or more on snow and far longer on ice. Bridges, overpasses and shaded curves freeze first. Black ice is most likely near freezing on a wet surface, and its warning sign is that road spray suddenly stops while the surface still looks wet.

Teaching emergencies without creating them

• Classroom first. Every procedure is discussed and rehearsed verbally before it is ever needed.
• Talk through them in the car at low risk moments: "if that tyre failed right now, what would you do?"
• Practise what can be practised safely - threshold braking, ABS activation and controlled stops in a large empty car park with the school's permission and the dual brake covered.
• Never simulate a genuine emergency in traffic. The instructional value is not worth the risk, and it would sit squarely within RCW 46.82.350(7) conduct that could endanger students.
• Consider a simulator. WAC 308-108-160(1)(a)(ii) permits four or more hours of driving simulation instruction as part of a lawful behind-the-wheel configuration, and emergency scenarios are exactly what a simulator does that a car cannot.

[!WARNING] Exam traps in this section

• Studded tyres are unlawful 1 April to 1 November; retractable studs are the year-round exception.
• Fog means low beams, never high.
• Blowout: do not brake hard; hold direction and ease off.
• Stuck accelerator: neutral first, then brake and steer.
• Wheel drop-off: ease off and re-enter gently - never snatch the wheel.
• Hydroplaning: ease off, hold steady, do not brake hard.