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Suppose you're steering through a sharp curve. Then you
suddenly accelerate. Both control systems
--
steering and
acceleration -- have to do their work where the tires meet
the road. Adding the sudden acceleration can demand too
much
of
those places. You can lose control.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on the
accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want it
to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds are
based on good weather and road conditions. Under less
favorable conditions you'll want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try
to
adjust your speed so you can "drive" through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable. steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are
o u t
of the curve, and then
acce.lerate gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and
find a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly
pulls out from nowhere, or a child darts
out
from
between parked cars and stops right in front of you.
You can avoid these problems by braking
--
if you
can stop in time. But sometimes you can't; there isn't
roam. That's the time for evasive action -- steering
around the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies
like these. First apply your brakes. (See "Braking in
Emergencies" earlier in this section.) It is better to
remove as much speed as you can from a possible
collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left
or right depending on the space available.
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