You are driving an ABS-equipped vehicle on a wet road. As you negotiate a left-hand bend, the rear of your vehicle loses grip and begins to slide outwards towards the right. What is the correct immediate sequence of actions to regain control?
- Remove your feet from the accelerator and brake pedals, and turn the steering wheel to the right.Answer
- BTurn the steering wheel to the right to counteract the slide, while simultaneously applying the footbrake firmly to allow the ABS to stabilize the vehicle.
- CMaintain your steering angle to the left, and apply firm, continuous pressure to the brake pedal.
- DDepress the clutch fully to remove driving force from the wheels, and steer sharply to the left.
Answer
The correct action is to remove your feet from all pedals and turn the steering wheel to the right.
To correct a rear-wheel skid, you must steer in the same direction that the rear of the vehicle is sliding (in this case, to the right). Crucially, you must also remove your feet from both the accelerator and brake pedals. Braking during a skid transfers the vehicle's weight forward, reducing downforce on the rear wheels and worsening the slide. Releasing the pedals allows the tyres to use their maximum available friction for lateral grip to straighten the vehicle.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Skid correction requires removing all pedal inputs and steering into the direction of the skid, regardless of whether the vehicle is equipped with ABS.
Estimated Time:1m 0s