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Question

Difficulty: HardSkidding Causes and Prevention

While driving along an ungritted rural road covered in wet decaying leaves, the rear wheels of your vehicle lose traction and the back end slides towards the left. How should you adjust your steering and pedals to regain control?

  1. A
    Brake firmly and steer sharply towards the right away from the slide
  2. B
    Depress the clutch fully and allow the vehicle to coast until it straightens
  3. Steer smoothly towards the left while easing gently off the acceleratorAnswer
  4. D
    Apply the parking brake immediately while holding the steering wheel dead centre

Answer

Steer smoothly into the direction of the skid (towards the left) and ease off the accelerator gently without braking.
When the back of the vehicle steps out to the left (oversteer), the driver must steer smoothly towards the left (into the skid) while easing off the accelerator. This points the front wheels along the actual direction of momentum, counteracting the yaw rotation and allowing the rear tyres to regain lateral traction without overcorrecting.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the type and direction of the skid
The rear end stepping out to the left indicates an oversteer skid to the left.
Corrective steering action depends entirely on matching the direction in which the rear of the car is sliding.
2
Smoothly ease off the accelerator pedal without touching the footbrake
Engine torque is reduced and weight transfers forward smoothly without locking the wheels.
Harsh braking removes lateral tyre adhesion and exacerbates the slide.
3
Turn the steering wheel smoothly towards the left (into the skid)
The front wheels point along the vehicle's true path of travel, allowing the rear tyres to catch grip.
Steering in the direction the rear is sliding counters the yaw rotation and realigns the chassis.

Key Concept

Correcting oversteer requires steering into the skid and removing throttle input without abrupt braking.
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Skidding Causes and Prevention

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