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Question

Difficulty: MediumSkidding Causes and Prevention

You are driving a car that is not fitted with an anti-lock braking system (ABS). If the wheels lock and the vehicle begins to skid during heavy braking on a slippery road, what should you do immediately?

  1. A
    Maintain continuous, maximum pressure on the footbrake pedal until the vehicle comes to a complete halt
  2. B
    Apply the parking brake sharply to lock the rear wheels and stabilise the vehicle
  3. Release the footbrake immediately to allow the wheels to rotate, then reapply progressive brakingAnswer
  4. D
    Depress the clutch pedal and coast while rapidly sawing the steering wheel back and forth

Answer

Release the footbrake immediately to allow the wheels to rotate, then reapply progressive braking.
In a vehicle without ABS, locked tyres lose all lateral grip, making steering impossible. Releasing the footbrake allows the tyres to start turning again, immediately restoring steering capability so the driver can guide the vehicle safely and reapply gentle, progressive braking.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Recognise the loss of steering authority caused by locked tyres during hard braking in a non-ABS vehicle.
The driver identifies that sliding tyres cannot provide lateral grip for steering.
Locked wheels cannot steer the vehicle because kinetic sliding friction provides zero directional control.
2
Release the footbrake fully until the wheels regain rotational traction with the road surface.
Tyres begin rolling again, immediately restoring steering response.
Rolling wheels generate lateral cornering forces necessary to steer around hazards.
3
Reapply smooth, progressive cadence braking just below the threshold of wheel lock.
The vehicle decelerates safely and under full directional control.
Threshold braking maintains maximum deceleration without locking the tyres.

Key Concept

Restoring steering control and traction by releasing locked wheels during non-ABS skid recovery
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Skidding Causes and Prevention

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