Driver's Emergency Cheat Sheet

In a road emergency there is no time to search the internet. This cheat sheet puts each emergency on one card: a photo so you recognize it, one key fact, three short steps whose bold first words you will remember, and the detail most drivers miss.

What's inside (14 phone-size pages)

• Brakes fail on a downhill
• The car keeps accelerating
• A tire blows at speed
• The car skates on water (hydroplaning, and wheels off the edge)
• Water across the road
• The car is sinking
• Smoke or flames
• Stuck on railroad tracks
• Breakdown on a fast road
• Three red dashboard lights to know
• Before your next drive: a 10-minute checklist to do in your own car

Tap to jump: the contents page links to every card, and every card links to its source.

Based on public guidance from the Ontario and California driver handbooks, the US National Weather Service, Manitoba Public Insurance, AAA, NHTSA and the US Fire Administration (11 linked sources, checked November 2026). For drivers of passenger cars. General guidance: controls vary by model, so follow your owner's manual and local emergency instructions.