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Difficulty: MediumEvasive Steering and Avoiding Collisions

While operating a commercial motor vehicle at 50 mph, a heavy metal toolbox falls from a work truck directly into your travel lane, leaving insufficient space to stop before impact. You decide to execute an evasive steering maneuver onto the clear right shoulder. Which of the following describes the correct procedure for safely performing this emergency maneuver?

  1. A
    Apply firm, continuous service braking while turning the steering wheel sharply toward the shoulder.
  2. Stay off the brake pedal while steering around the obstacle, then counter-steer immediately to regain lane alignment.Answer
  3. C
    Turn sharply to the right and hold the steering wheel fixed at that turn angle until the vehicle rolls to a complete stop.
  4. D
    Lock the service brakes immediately without steering, relying entirely on pavement friction to stop prior to the obstruction.

Answer

Stay off the brake pedal while steering around the obstacle, then counter-steer immediately to regain lane alignment.
According to commercial driving safety principles, a driver can steer around an obstacle in a shorter distance than is needed to stop. To maintain full steering control and prevent wheel lockup, the driver must not brake while turning sharply. Immediately after clearing the obstacle, the driver must counter-steer to stabilize the vehicle and straighten its path.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Evaluate the collision avoidance threshold and recognize that steering is quicker than stopping.
The driver decides to steer rather than attempt an impossible stop within the available distance.
At highway speeds, the distance required to steer around an obstacle is substantially shorter than the total stopping distance.
2
Initiate the evasive turn without applying the brake pedal.
Tire traction is preserved entirely for lateral cornering force.
Applying brakes during a sharp evasive turn overloads tire traction, risking steer-wheel lockup or drive-wheel skids.
3
Counter-steer in the opposite direction as soon as the vehicle clears the obstacle.
The commercial vehicle straightens out safely along the shoulder or travel path.
Counter-steering is required to stabilize the vehicle, prevent secondary skids, and avoid running off the road.

Key Concept

Evasive Steering and Counter-Steering Dynamics
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Evasive Steering and Avoiding Collisions

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