On old cars like AZLK‑2141 or GAZ‑31029, it happened that the steering wheel remained in the hands of the driver. Today, fortunately, such defects cannot be found, but other problems are possible.
Tie rod broken
In this case, we lose contact with one wheel – this happens much more often than a complete loss of control due to a broken steering shaft.
Oddly enough, cars without ABS have advantages here. In this case, you can safely slow down: if the brakes work, the car will continue to skid in the original direction.
But in the presence of ABS, problems are possible: braking can cause the rotation of a freed wheel that has fallen into some kind of bump on the road. Instead of skidding, rolling occurs, which can cause the car to go “the wrong way”. In this case, all hope is pinned on a steerable wheel, with which you need to try to keep the car on the track and prevent it from driving into the oncoming track.
Steering shaft broken
If the steering shaft breaks, we try to brake with the engine and, if possible, with the parking brake. If it goes into the ditch or the oncoming lane, all you have to do is slow down “with all the dope”.
Universal advice to help prevent an accident in any situation
The driver’s worst enemy is panic. Whatever happens, always stay in control. You and only you should do everything you can to get out of a dangerous situation with the fewest losses, and ideally without it at all.
In most cases, the score lasts for a fraction of a second, there is simply no time for reflection and psychosis. So think about what could go wrong and how to proceed.
Find the button!
Not all cars have the alarm button in the most convenient place. Learn blindly, find it automatically. In any emergency situation, the “emergency gang” should be called in: show everyone around you that something happened to you. And spending precious seconds on that is a priceless luxury.
- Read more about engine braking here.
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