What should you NOT do if a tire blows out?
- Brake immediately. ✓
- Take your foot off the accelerator.
- Signal a change to the right and get off the road as quickly as possible.
- Take your foot off the accelerator and gear down.
Answer: A. Brake immediately.
Do not brake immediately when a tire blows out — sudden braking is the wrong move.
Why this is the answer
The handbook's blowout strategy starts with keeping a firm grip on the wheel and not braking suddenly, because sudden braking can make you lose steering control. Instead you ease off the accelerator and slow down gradually, then brake gently once the car has slowed. Only after that do you signal or use hazard lights and pull off the road when it is safe. So slamming on the brakes at the moment of the blowout is exactly what the handbook tells you to avoid.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. Take your foot off the accelerator. — Taking your foot off the accelerator is exactly what the handbook advises, since easing off lets the car slow down gradually.
- C. Signal a change to the right and get off the road as quickly as possible. — Signaling and getting off the road as soon as it is safe is part of the recommended sequence, done after you have slowed down.
- D. Take your foot off the accelerator and gear down. — Easing off the accelerator is the recommended first response, and gearing down fits the same idea of slowing gradually rather than braking hard.
Remember it
Blowout order: grip the wheel, ease off the gas, slow down, then brake gently and pull over.