What does it mean to leave an out while driving?

Answer 1

This is the practice of looking for alternatives if something should happen while you are driving. For instance, if the car infront of you has to stop suddenly and you are in danger of hitting it your "out" might be to steer to the shoulder of the road. In that case, if you can't steer to the shoulder, your "out" is to back off and allow yourself more time to stop. Another example would be an animal running out in front of you car. Do you have enough room to avoid it without losing control of your car or running head on into an oncoming vehicle? If you don't your only out is to try to stop before you hit the animal and, in some cases, you may have to hit the animal. It sounds cruel but it is better to hit the animal than to kill yourself or someone else to avoid hitting the animal.