What to Do If Your Brakes Fail, Tires Blow Out, or You Start to Skid

Nobody expects their brakes to fail. Nobody gets in the car thinking "today's the day my tire blows out at 70 mph." But these things happen — and if you've never thought about what to do, your instincts will probably be wrong.

That's not an insult. It's human nature. When something terrifying happens at highway speed, your body wants to do two things: slam the brakes and jerk the wheel. In most emergency situations, those are the two worst things you can do.

These scenarios also show up on DMV tests regularly. Knowing the correct response is good for passing the exam and — more usefully — for not dying.

Brake Failure

You press the brake pedal and it goes to the floor. Your stomach drops. Here's what to do, in order:

Pump the brake pedal rapidly. If you have a conventional braking system, quick pumping can sometimes build up enough pressure to slow you down. If you have anti-lock brakes (ABS), press the pedal hard and hold it — don't pump. But either way, try the brakes first. Sometimes the issue is partial, and you can get some braking action.

Downshift. Shift to a lower gear — whether you have a manual or automatic transmission. This uses engine braking to slow you down. In an automatic, move the shifter from D to 3, then to 2, then to 1 as your speed drops. Don't go straight to the lowest gear at high speed — that can damage the transmission or cause a skid.

Use your parking brake (emergency brake). Apply it gradually, not all at once. The parking brake operates on a separate system from your regular brakes, so it should still work. If you yank it hard, the rear wheels can lock up and you'll spin. Ease it on.

Find an escape route. Look for a clear path — an open lane, a flat side road, a gravel shoulder, even an uphill slope that will naturally slow you. If nothing else is available, rubbing your tires against a curb can slow you down.

What not to do: Don't turn off the ignition. You'll lose power steering and the steering wheel might lock. Don't panic and swerve into oncoming traffic. Use your horn and flash your lights to warn other drivers.

Tire Blowout

A blowout is loud and violent — you'll hear a bang, feel the car pull hard to one side, and every fiber of your being will scream "hit the brakes." Don't.

Grip the steering wheel firmly with both hands. A blowout, especially a front tire, will try to yank the wheel out of your hands. Hold on tight and keep the car going straight.

Do not slam the brakes. This is the big one. Braking hard during a blowout can cause you to lose control completely. The car is already unstable — hard braking makes it worse.

Ease off the accelerator gradually. Some experts even recommend briefly maintaining your speed or giving a light press of the gas right after the blowout to stabilize the car. Then slowly let off the gas and let the car decelerate on its own.

Steer gently to the shoulder. Once you've slowed down significantly — below 30 mph — you can lightly apply the brakes to come to a full stop on the shoulder. Turn on your hazard lights immediately.

The key to surviving a blowout is resisting your instincts. Your brain says brake; the correct answer is don't. Your brain says swerve; the correct answer is hold steady. Practice this mentally so if it ever happens, you've already rehearsed the right response.

Hydroplaning

Hydroplaning happens when there's a layer of water between your tires and the road, and your tires lose contact with the pavement. It feels like the steering suddenly goes vague — you turn the wheel and nothing happens. It's unsettling.

Ease off the gas. Don't hit the brakes. Just gently take your foot off the accelerator and let the car slow down naturally. As your speed drops, your tires will regain traction.

Keep the steering wheel straight — or pointed in the direction you want to go. Don't make sharp steering inputs. If you're turned when the tires regain grip, the car will suddenly veer in whatever direction your wheels are pointing.

Don't use cruise control in the rain. Cruise control can't feel hydroplaning, so it might accelerate when you need to be slowing down. Turn it off any time the road is wet.

Hydroplaning is most likely at speeds above 35 mph, on roads with standing water, and especially in the first 10-15 minutes of rain when oil residue on the road is mixing with water. Worn tires with low tread depth make it dramatically more likely.

Skidding

This is the question DMV tests love — and the one that confuses people the most, because the correct response depends on which wheels are skidding.

Rear-wheel skid (oversteer): The back end of the car is sliding out. Steer in the direction the back end is sliding — this is what people mean by "steer into the skid." If the back end is sliding to the right, turn your steering wheel to the right. This straightens the car out. Ease off the gas. Don't brake.

Front-wheel skid (understeer): The front tires have lost traction and the car keeps going straight even though you're turning the wheel. Take your foot off the gas and wait for the front tires to regain grip. Don't turn the wheel more — that won't help and will make the eventual grip recovery more violent. Once you feel the tires bite again, gently steer where you want to go.

All-wheel skid (locked brakes): If you braked too hard and all four wheels are sliding, let off the brake to let the wheels start rolling again. You have zero steering control when the wheels are locked. Once they're rolling, you can steer and brake more gently.

The DMV test will typically describe a skid scenario and ask what you should do. The answer for rear-wheel skids is always "steer in the direction of the skid." For front-wheel skids, it's "ease off the gas and wait for traction." Know both.

Accelerator Gets Stuck

Your car is accelerating and you can't stop it. This is rare, but it happens — and it's terrifying.

Step one: Try to pull the accelerator pedal up with the toe of your shoe. Sometimes it's just stuck under a floor mat.

Step two: Shift to neutral. The engine will rev loudly, but the car will stop accelerating. You can then brake normally and pull over. This works in both manual and automatic transmissions.

Step three: If you can't shift to neutral, turn the ignition to the accessory position — not off. This kills the engine but keeps your power steering and power brakes functional. If you have a push-button start, press and hold the button for 3-5 seconds without tapping it (tapping might not work while moving).

What not to do: Don't turn the key all the way to the off/lock position. That locks the steering column and you lose the ability to steer. That turns a scary situation into a catastrophic one.

Hood Flies Up While Driving

The hood suddenly blocks your entire windshield. Visibility drops to zero. Your heart rate triples.

Don't slam the brakes. Other drivers behind you can still see, and rear-ending you makes this worse. Slow down gradually.

Look through the gap at the bottom of the windshield — or lean to see out the side windows. You can usually still see the road edges and lane lines through the narrow space below the raised hood.

Turn on your hazards and pull to the shoulder as soon as you safely can. Signal your intentions so other drivers know what you're doing.

Engine Fire

You see smoke coming from under the hood, or worse, you smell burning and see flames.

Pull over immediately. Get to the shoulder or a safe area. Turn off the engine — fire needs fuel, and the engine is pumping it.

Get everyone out of the car and move at least 100 feet away. Cars don't explode like in movies, but fuel tanks and tires can burst, and toxic fumes are a real danger.

Do not open the hood. Opening it introduces oxygen, which feeds the fire. If you have a fire extinguisher and can safely aim it through the gap at the front of the hood, do so. Otherwise, call 911 and wait.

The Common Thread

Every one of these emergencies has the same underlying lesson: don't do the thing your panicked brain tells you to do. Don't slam the brakes during a blowout. Don't jerk the wheel during a skid. Don't turn off the ignition when the accelerator sticks.

The correct responses are calm, gradual, and controlled. That's easy to say and hard to do when adrenaline is flooding your system — which is exactly why you should think through these scenarios now, while you're sitting comfortably reading this, rather than for the first time at 65 mph.

On the DMV test, these questions are testing whether you know the specific correct action. In real life, they're testing whether you've rehearsed it enough to override your instincts. Both are worth preparing for.

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