What You Can Do When Your Car Hydroplanes, Skids, and More

Written by Certified Headquarters on . Posted in Blog, Tips and Tricks, Used Car Service

Facing nerve-wracking dilemmas while driving in your car can be extremely stressful. Certified Headquarters brings you information about what to do in sudden, dangerous situations.

Hydroplanes: Your car can hydroplane during rainy weather. This event occurs when your automobile’s tires are interrupted from contact with the road, resulting in your loss of control. If your car begins to hydroplane:

  1. Calmly remove your foot from the gas pedal.
  2. Do not slam on your brakes; instead, use a light pumping motion. If your vehicle is equipped with anti-lock brakes, brake as usual.
  3. Gain control of the wheel and steer towards a safe location.
  4. Turn your hazard lights on to be visible and alert other drivers that you are in distress.
Flat Tire in Long Island

Flat Tires: If you get a flat tire while driving, here’s what to do:

  1. Turn your emergency lights on and slow down. Apply the brake pedal softly as you carefully steer your auto to a safe area as far away from traffic as possible.
  2. Stop the car as soon as you can safely do so.
  3. If you cannot change the tire yourself, call roadside assistance.
  4. Bring your flat tire to a professional to be repaired or replaced.

Skids: One of the scariest dilemmas that any driver can encounter is losing control on an icy road. If you find yourself starting to skid on ice, try not to panic, and do the following:

  1. Lift your foot off the accelerator and do not slam on the brakes, as the wheels must be spinning freely in order to get back on the right track. If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, you can safely apply them.
  2. Turn your steering wheel in the same direction as the slide.
  3. When the automobile straightens itself out, steer in the direction you wish to go. If your car does not straighten itself out, shift it into neutral to attempt to slow down.

Faulty Brakes: If you find yourself in a situation where your brakes go out:

  1. Take your foot off the gas so you can start to slow down.
  2. Press on your brakes repeatedly, quickly and with force, which might build pressure in the brake lines and bring them back to life. If this fails to work, shift into a lower gear. As a last resort, pull your emergency brake up slowly.
  3. Turn your hazard lights on and make your way over to the right-hand lane.
  4. Slow down to below 20 mph and pull off the road to stop.

Certified Headquarters carries a terrific selection of pre-owned automobiles and we’d love to have you come by for a test drive. We are located at 873 Middle Country Road in St. James and may be reached at 631-366-3700. If your vehicle is in need of service, don’t forget that your first service with us is free! Fill out the form below for more information.

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