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Depending on your speed, this can be
rather violent for an unprepared driver.
This is one of the reasons driving
experts recommend that you use your
safety belts and keep both hands on the
steering wheel.
The fact that such emergency situations
are always possible is a good reason to
practice defensive driving at all times.
Off-Road Recovery
You may find sometime that your right
wheels have dropped off the edge of a
road onto the shoulder (A) while you're
driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only
slightly below the pavement, recovery
should be fairly easy. Ease off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing
in the way, steer so that your vehicle
straddles the edge of the pavement. You
can turn the steering wheel up to 1/4
turn
(B)
until the right front tire contacts
the pavement edge. Then turn your
steering wheel to go straight down the
roadway.
If the shoulder appears to be about four
inches (100
mm)
or more below the
pavement,
this
difference can cause
problems. If there is not enough room to
pull entirely onto the shoulder and stop,
then follow the same procedures. But if
the right front tire scrubs against the
side of the pavement, do NOT steer
more sharply. With too much steering
angle, the vehicle may jump back onto
the road with so much steering input
that it crosses over into the oncoming
traffic before you can bring it back
under control. Instead, ease
off
again on
the accelerator and steering input,
straddle the pavement once more, then
try again.
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