You are driving when your power steering stops working. You should:
- Honk your horn and turn off the ignition.
- Turn on your hazard lights and brace yourself.
- Work hard to steer, reduce your speed, drive to a safe area, and stop. ✓
- Slam on your brakes.
Answer: C. Work hard to steer, reduce your speed, drive to a safe area, and stop.
Work hard to steer, reduce your speed, drive to a safe area, and stop.
Why this is the answer
The handbook's emergency guidance says to take your foot off the gas, press rather than slam the brakes, and carefully steer to a safe place to stop. It also warns that shutting off the engine makes you lose the ability to steer. If power steering fails, the wheel will be hard to turn, so you need to keep steering firmly while slowing down and getting off the road to a safe stop.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Honk your horn and turn off the ignition. — Honking and turning off the ignition is wrong because shutting off the engine makes you lose the ability to steer.
- B. Turn on your hazard lights and brace yourself. — Turning on hazard lights and bracing yourself does not tell you to keep control of the wheel, slow down, and steer to a safe stop.
- D. Slam on your brakes. — Slamming on the brakes is wrong because the handbook says to press the brakes, not slam them, when slowing in an emergency.
Remember it
When steering suddenly gets heavy, ease off the gas, keep both hands working the wheel, and coast to a safe stop.