Tag Archives: skid

Sep 30 2021

General Tips to Avoid Skids

Loss of vehicle control can be scary. To help avoid skidding on slippery surfaces, reduce your speed and increase your following distance behind the vehicle ahead.

In addition, you can:

Beware of Icy or Wet Locations

Ice tends to collect in shady areas, under bridges and overpasses, and low points on the road. As a result, on cold days slow down even more when approaching shaded areas, bridges, overpasses, and dips.

Don’t Make Sudden Maneuvers

Sudden changes in acceleration, braking, or fast turns can spin your car out of control and into a skid, especially on an icy or wet road where traction is greatly reduced.

Keep to the Paved Portion of the Road

Don’t drive on the road edge or the shoulder; poorly maintained pavement, gravel or dirt surfaces could cause a loss of vehicle control.

Sep 4 2014

Whoa Nelly!

Vehicle Control and Recovery

Driving too fast for road and weather conditions can result in loss of car control. In today’s blog we will discuss what to do should you hydroplane or have a fishtail skid.

Hydroplaning occurs when you travel too fast on a wet road causing water to build up between your tires and the road. When you lose contact with the road you no longer have control of the car.

When you begin to hydroplane, do not slam on the brakes. Take your foot off the accelerator to gradually slow down, allowing your tires to regain contact with the road and restore vehicle control. Abrupt actions, like braking or yanking the steering wheel, can make the skid worse by putting your car into a spin.

A fishtailing skid is when the rear end of your car begins to slide back and forth because your back wheels lose traction with the ground. If you encounter a fishtailing skid you should:

  1. Take your foot of the gas pedal.
  2. Remain calm and keep a firm, steady grip on the steering wheel.
  3. Turn the steering wheel in the direction you want your vehicle to go.
  4. Try steering only enough to stop the skid, but you may need to counter-steer until you have regained control of the car.

Also, in both situations, if you are driving a car with manual transmission, the clutch should be disengaged when you take your foot off the accelerator.