If a tire blows out, you should:
- Apply the brake and hold it.
- Hold the steering wheel tightly and use the brakes lightly. ✓
- Pull over quickly.
Answer: B. Hold the steering wheel tightly and use the brakes lightly.
If a tire blows out, hold the steering wheel tightly with both hands and use the brakes lightly rather than slamming them.
Why this is the answer
The handbook's blowout section warns that sudden braking or quickly lifting off the accelerator can cost you control of the car. What it tells you to do instead is grip the wheel with both hands, keep your speed steady where that is possible and safe, ease off the gas, and correct the steering to steady the vehicle. Once things are stable, you slow down and leave the road when it is safe. That is why the answer pairs a firm grip with gentle braking rather than a hard stop.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Apply the brake and hold it. — Pressing the brake and holding it down is the kind of sudden braking the handbook says can make you lose control during a blowout.
- C. Pull over quickly. — The handbook has you steady the vehicle first and only then slow down and pull off the road where and when it is safe, not right away.
Remember it
Blowout drill: both hands locked on the wheel, foot easing off the gas, brake pressure gentle and gradual.