While changing lanes on a damp highway, your rear tires lose traction on a wet expansion joint, causing the rear end of your vehicle to skid to the right. Arrange the driver recovery actions below in the correct sequential order from first step to last step.
- 1Smoothly ease your foot off the accelerator without touching the brake pedal.
- 2Steer firmly and smoothly to the right, toward the direction the rear end is sliding.
- 3Counter-steer slightly as the vehicle begins to align to prevent a secondary slide in the opposite direction.
- 4Gently reapply the accelerator once directional control and tire traction are completely restored.
Answer
The correct sequence for recovering from a rear-wheel oversteer skid to the right is: (1) Smoothly ease your foot off the accelerator without braking, (2) Steer to the right in the direction of the rear slide, (3) Counter-steer slightly to straighten the wheels as momentum neutralizes, and (4) Gently reapply pressure to the accelerator once traction is fully restored.
Recovering from a rear-wheel skid requires releasing foot pedals immediately so tires can regain rolling friction, steering in the direction the back of the car is sliding, neutralizing the steering angle as the car straightens to prevent secondary fishtailing, and finally applying smooth accelerator input only when control is fully regained.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Rear-Wheel Skid (Oversteer) Recovery Sequence