BURLINGTON, Wis. — Every now and then emergency situations occur while driving, and knowing how to respond to them is critical to staying safe.
Lieutenant Jeremy Krusemark with the Burlington Police Department said the most important thing to do in any emergency situation is to stay calm.
"The biggest thing is to not panic. These are sometimes low-frequency events that occur. When they occur, there's a startle response, someone might turn the wheel to one side or the other, and they may lose focus of their surroundings," said Lt. Krusemark.
If you're traveling out on the road and you suddenly lose brake power, he said to pump the brakes and put the vehicle in neutral.
"Some vehicles may have a small amount of braking power left. You want to pump the brakes all the way to the floor put the vehicle in neutral, that'll remove the power from the transmission to the rear tires or front tires, and then again slowly move over. If you feel comfortable using your emergency brake you can, but just remember that pressure when it's applied, you have to manually un-apply it, otherwise, you can cause a skid," said Lt. Krusemark.
Situations may occur where your vehicle suddenly loses power steering. In that type of scenario, warn other drivers by using your flashers, move to the side of the road, and gradually come to a stop.
"You're going to lose the ease of power. It's gonna be more difficult to turn the vehicle. If you're on the interstate and you slowly move, that vehicle is gonna take a little bit more force to move," said Lt. Krusemark.
And if you suddenly get a blown or flat tire, do not slam on the brakes. Stay calm and keep a firm grip on the steering wheel. Then gradually slow down by taking your foot off the gas pedal.
"Move to the right or left side, whichever way is the safest to go. That's the most important thing is make sure you are aware of your surroundings, moving over to a safe spot," said Lt. Krusemark.
Although you can't control when these scenarios happen, you can control how you respond.
"The biggest thing is don’t panic. It can be very scary sometimes especially if you lose brake power, not sure what to do or how to respond to it, so mentally preparing yourself is huge," said Lt. Krusemark.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
