Suppose you find yourself driving down a busy street at a moderate 45 mph speed. You hit a patch of black ice just right and your vehicle takes on a mind of its own. What should you do?
Understanding What Causes a Vehicle to Slide
It is very common to assume that oil, water and ice are the sole cause of a sliding vehicle; however, much more goes into understanding the physics of exactly how the chain of events starts. It's a domino affect that would take an entire semester to understand. The basic cause of a sliding vehicle is inappropriate friction or lack thereof.Correct a Sliding Vehicle
If the front end of your vehicle is sliding of if you have gone into a four-wheel skid, simply let off your accelerator and focus on lining your wheels back up. Do not jam on your brakes because it will likely make the slide worse. If laying off the accelerator isn't doing the trick then feather (lightly pump) your breaks until the vehicle straightens out.If you go into a rear-wheel slide, slowly try to turn into the direction of the slide. For instance, if your rear wheels slide out to the left then gently turn your wheel to the left just enough to line your front and rear wheels up again. While turning into the slide you should also lay off your accelerator and avoid hitting your breaks.
The Takeaway
If you find yourself sliding out of control, remain calm, focus on your target direction, turn gently into the slide, lay off your accelerator and avoid jamming on your breaks. Also, do your best to maintain a safe distance between yourself and other vehicles in adverse weather conditions to allow for plenty of room to correct a slide if one occurs.
