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Difficulty: MediumEvasive Steering and Avoiding Collisions

When an unexpected obstruction appears in your travel path and a collision cannot be avoided by stopping alone, which procedure should be followed to safely steer around the hazard?

  1. A
    Apply aggressive braking while turning the steering wheel to rapidly reduce speed before leaving the lane.
  2. Turn only enough to clear the obstruction without braking, and immediately counter-steer to maintain vehicle control.Answer
  3. C
    Execute a wide steering maneuver past the obstacle and hold the wheel in that direction until the vehicle stops.
  4. D
    Keep the steering wheel locked straight ahead and rely exclusively on emergency stopping distance.

Answer

Turn only enough to clear the obstruction without braking, and immediately counter-steer to maintain vehicle control.
According to standard commercial driving guidelines, steering to avoid an obstacle is quicker than stopping. The correct technique requires turning only as much as necessary to clear the hazard without applying the brakes, followed immediately by counter-steering to stabilize the vehicle and prevent it from veering off course or rolling over.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Assess distance and recognize that steering requires less distance than stopping
Driver chooses an evasive steering maneuver rather than attempting an impossible full stop.
At highway speeds, commercial motor vehicles require significant distance to stop due to perception, reaction, and air brake lag.
2
Turn the steering wheel smoothly without applying the service brakes
Tire traction is fully dedicated to steering forces without wheel lockup.
Applying brakes during a sharp turn easily locks the wheels and causes skids or rollovers.
3
Counter-steer immediately once the obstacle is cleared
The vehicle straightens out and remains safely on the travel surface.
Counter-steering offsets the vehicle's rotational momentum and stabilizes the trajectory.

Key Concept

Evasive steering mechanics and counter-steering control
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Evasive Steering and Avoiding Collisions

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