10 Scary Things That Happen While Driving (And How To React)

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What To Do: If you drive a stick, hopefully you already know the reason that would cause a clutch to go limp. But then again, there are a large majority people who aren't the ones checking their fluids. They pay people to do that. So, listen up.

If you're on the road, and your foot keeps sinking farther and farther into the floor, without any push back from your clutch, your clutch hasn't gone bad. You'll know by the revving RPMs and immobility, when that happens. Pop the hood and check your clutch fluid. There's a good chance it'll be low, meaning you're going to need somebody to go get some and bring it to you.

What To Do: This is actually an extremely complicated situation that might require a little more than your side-of-the-road diagnosis, but we'll give you some pointers. If something is smoking in your engine, it doesn't automatically mean that it's on fire. It's probably smoking, because one of the fluids (whether it's anitfreeze, oil, water, brake fluid, etc.) is dripping or leaking out onto an extremely hot part of the engine. If it's black smoke, it's a good chance it's oil.

First tip: DON'T go unscrewing things or loosening up hoses. Running hot, your engine is pressurized and can shooting boiling hot liquids at your face, so, if you really want to do some self-inspections, wait until the car has cooled down. If you're uneducated on these issues, call a friend or a tow to get your vehicle where it needs to be. Second tip: DON'T just keep driving. Whatever the liquid that's leaking is, it's supposed to be in your engine for a reason. Whether it's cooling, lubricating, or fueling, the liquid serves a purpose. Running the engine, when that fluid is leaking out could very well damage the engine. Not to mention, driving with smoke blocking your view puts everybody else in danger, too.

What To Do: Let's hope you're not going down a hill and that you are driving a manual. If you're driving a stick, use downshifting to slow the car. If you're stuck with an auto, you have to try not to panic and start looking for more crafty plans to stop the car. And remember, a paint job is not as important as yourself or your engine.

See any fields, grassy medians, or hills (not too steep of hills)? Head for those. The dirt, grass and incline can help naturally slow down the car. If those aren't in sight, try to find something less concrete that will minimize damage to done you and your car. Chain link fences are good. Trees are bad. 

What To Do: Yes, this happened. Yes, it was scary as hell. And, yes, the person it happened to had nightmares for seven weeks straight and had to sleep with a stuffed ostrich to fall asleep. Maybe it was a stuffed manatee. Anyway, here's your solution: Douse the leaves in gasoline and light them on fire. KIDDING!

No, but really, we'll just use this as an example of people popping up out of nowhere. The most important thing on the road is that you're staying alert at all times. You'd be surprised how many people have been injured, because he or she looked up from texting and a squirrel scared the shit out of him or her. Keep your eyes peeled and on the road.

What To Do: This is definitely something that you should practice BEFORE getting into the scary situation, but here's a small tip, if you get stuck. The difficulty is having your foot on the brake and quickly transferring to get the perfect clutch-out, gas-in ratio, right? So, use the E-brake as your safety net. As you're getting into first gear, slowly release the E-brake. It makes it just a little less nerve-wracking. 

What To Do: This has happened to us on a few occasions, and 2/3 times it has been the result of alternators going bad. The other time was the result of a misfiring kill switch (going 80 on the highway, of course). You'll usually know it's a bad alternator (the device that uses alternating currents to create mechanical energy to electrical energy for your car), because things will start to shut off, few by few. Usually it'll be the small things, like lights and the radio. If you can, coast to your nearest parking lot or driveway (in one of our cases, we were lucky enough to get home). Alternators are pretty simple to replace, if you are decently handy and have a couple tools.

A car shutting off could be a number of other things, as well, the fuel pump, a faulty fuel valve, or a vacuum leak. If you're not 100 percent what it is, don't try to play mechanic and do it yourself. Take it in. 

What To Do: At some point or another, your tire might blow out. It might be a popping side, and you might see a couple black pieces fly off the side of your car. Don't freak out, and definitley don't drive faster. The only thing you should be doing, when this happens, is pulling over to a safe place on the side of the road to change it out for your donut. 

What To Do: This can be one of the most frightening experiences while driving, depending on the size of the tire. If it's a semi, like the case was for a friend of ours, it could sound like a gunshot. Seeing as a gunshot is much less likely, try to recognize and check to see if it was a tire around you.

If it's from a vehicle next to you, quickly get ahead. If it's in front of you, try to slow down at a pace that won't cause those behind you any harm, wait for that person to pull over, and then go along. Those people will have much worse control of the car, so you're not going to want to be anywhere in the vicinity.

What To Do: We know it's hard, due to the wide-mouthed scream, bulging eyes, and tensed-up muscles, but it's really important not to just start stomping on pedals and oversteering, when you're skidding out of control. Focus, take your foot off the gas and brakes, and make subtle steering movements. Braking too hard can just cause your car to skid even more.