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Difficulty: MediumEvasive Steering and Avoiding Collisions

A commercial driver traveling on a two-lane road discovers a downed tree branch blocking the entire lane with insufficient distance to stop before hitting it. An open, level road shoulder is clear to the right. What is the proper procedure for safely steering around this hazard?

  1. A
    Maintain straight-line emergency braking within the lane, because heavy vehicles always take less distance to stop than to turn aside.
  2. Steer just enough to clear the obstruction without applying the brakes, followed immediately by counter-steering to stabilize.Answer
  3. C
    Hold the brake pedal down firmly while making the turn to slow down and redirect the vehicle at the same time.
  4. D
    Crank the steering wheel as far as it can turn to achieve the quickest possible lateral shift.

Answer

Steer just enough to clear the obstruction without applying the brakes, followed immediately by counter-steering to stabilize.
Steering just enough to clear the obstruction without braking, followed by immediate counter-steering, is the standard CDL evasive procedure. Turning requires far less distance than stopping at highway speeds. Keeping off the brake pedal preserves tire grip for directional steering, and counter-steering stabilizes the vehicle against severe body roll or spinning out.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Recognize that steering around an obstacle requires less distance than stopping a heavy vehicle.
Decision made to execute an evasive steering maneuver using the clear shoulder.
When stopping distance is insufficient, evasive steering is the safest collision avoidance method.
2
Turn the steering wheel only as much as necessary to bypass the obstruction while staying off the brakes.
Traction is maintained on the steer tires without initiating a wheel lockup or skid.
Braking while making sharp directional corrections severely compromises steer tire grip and can cause skidding.
3
Counter-steer immediately in the opposite direction once the obstacle has been cleared.
The commercial vehicle stays upright and stabilizes within a safe travel path.
Counter-steering controls lateral weight transfer and prevents the vehicle from rolling over or crossing off the roadway.

Key Concept

Emergency evasive steering principles: turning is faster than stopping, never brake while turning sharply, and counter-steer to regain control.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Evasive Steering and Avoiding Collisions

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