Dealing with 10 road emergencies

The ubiquitous free service offers, checkups, and motorist assistance tents and whatnots underscore the obvious: it’s evacuation time again, metropolitan style. Welcome to the Holy Week vacation, a respite from the harried rat race and urban chaos to spend time with God and family.

This is the one time of the year (with the possible exception of New Year’s Day) we can appreciate EDSA for the wide thoroughfare it really is – uncongested by private vehicles and generally unburdened by thoughtless bus drivers and cabbies who load and unload whenever and wherever they please. No road rage for a couple days. Such bliss!

But lest I digress further, Holy Week is a time for reflection and spiritual renewal, a time to reconnect with family and find peace and serenity outside the walls of home and office. So like the faithful on pilgrimage, we set our sights outside the city and take to the air, water or road to get to the promised land.

Those of us who prefer to do our own driving already appreciate the need to be extra fastidious and careful for the usual long drive. More often than not, we designated drivers have our loved ones with us. But I’m sure you know that already, and the customary pre-trip routine you need to do.

So you’ve had your vehicle pass through multi-point checkups and other necessities. You’ve packed lunch and taken care to tick off everything in your near OCD-certified checklist.

Ah, but you need more than planning mettle to shake off Mr. Murphy and his infamous law. So, Philippine STAR’s Business Motoring section gives you the smarts and savvy to help you prepare for the unlikely yet very real risks of emergencies on the road. Here’s to a safe vacation!

Bugged. What do you do when a big bug like a bee or wasp gets in your vehicle while you’re driving? Do you try to swat at it with a newspaper while doing 80? Drive faster and hope it flies out? Well, no. The best thing would be to pull over (remember to look left and right and back). Stop completely and try to coax it out. Don’t risk losing control of your ride.

Fired. In the unlikely case that your car catches fire (remember that beautiful Ferrari that became barbeque at NLEX?), ascertain the safety of trying to put it out yourself (you have a fire extinguisher, right?). Automobile fires can start for a number of reasons – a gas leak in a blown engine, a short circuit, etc. Pull over immediately if in motion. Shut off your engine and ask everyone out of the car post haste. Move far away from the vehicle. If possible, warn other drivers by waving them away from the car. Never try to put out a blazing fire alone, because the fuel tank may ignite and explode. Never compromise the safety of human lives to save a car. Make a swift call for rescue.

Seat belt emergency. What should you do when you have forgotten to strap on your seat belt and you are about to get into a head-on collision? Sit back and wait for the airbags to deploy? Grip the steering wheel tightly? No way! The right thing to do is to throw yourself across the front seat or to the floor. The important thing is to get below the windshield level.

Floored gas pedal. A driver’s true nightmare of the first order. You’re happily zipping in your ride, planting your foot on the accelerator while feeling the horses kick it. Then suddenly it sticks to the floor! What do you do? Don’t panic. The priority is to cut the power source so that you can regain control of the vehicle. Turn off the engine, shift into neutral and pull off to the side of the road.

Brake break. Speaking of control, what should you do when the brakes quit? This is a horrific experience, of course, so it is imperative for you to stay calm and focused. What to do? One trick is to very slowly apply the parking brake. If this doesn’t work, slow down by shifting to a lower gear. In extremely difficult conditions where these two procedures don’t work, sideswipe guardrails or sign posts on the side of the road, not in front of you.

Sidewinder. If your car breaks down, pull off onto the shoulder. Don’t try to fix it yourself or to try to flag down a fellow driver to help you. Lift up your hood and immediately use your cell phone to call your towing company (yes, you should always have its number with you). Trust only a professional.

Skid row. When you’re on the road and your car starts to skid, keep your foot off the brakes. But do ease your foot off the gas pedal and gently steer the car in the direction you wish to go. When your car’s path begins to straighten, turn the steering wheel back the other way to avoid oversteering.

Blown tire. A tire blowout can result in a crashed car. How the driver reacts spells the difference between life and death – no exaggeration here. So what should you do? Grip the steering wheel tightly. Expect some difficulty as it will be vibrating wildly. Stay in your lane and get control of your vehicle. Do not slam on the brakes. Take your foot off the gas pedal and slow down gradually. Remember, if the front tire blows, your car will swerve to the side with the blowout. If it’s a rear tire, the back of the car will weave from side to side. When you finally get control of the vehicle, pull over to the right – carefully and slowly, taking care to signal. When on the side, brake hard until the car stops.

Hydroplaning. Take your foot off of the gas pedal, and keep the steering wheel straight. When the car’s momentum has slowed down and the tires grip the road again, you can regain control.

Overheating. Well, strictly speaking this isn’t an emergency, although people must always know what to do. Never remove the radiator cap, for your own safety! Pull over to the curb and let the engine cool off on its own. You can pop the hood if you want to hasten the process, but be careful. Keep away from the radiator. When the temperature has gone down considerably, only then do you dare to open the radiator cap and check on the water level. Better yet, keep away from it and look at the coolant level instead.