When we Talk about Skid Control, what we really mean is getting out
of a skid, putting the vehicle back into a position where it is no longer
skidding. Putting a car into a skid and then maintaining and controlling
it may be a fun exercise when practiced in a large open area, but it has
nothing to do with real life, on the road skids where you are likely to
be surrounded by other traffic. For this situation, you need to know how
to make the vehicle stop skidding.
The first thing that
you have to know about skids is that they happen when the wheels of the vehicle
are turning at a different speed than the vehicle is moving. This is common
for all skids.
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The Power Skid
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Most skids are what we call 'power skids'. What this means
is that the drive wheels of the vehicle begin to turn at a faster
speed than the speed that the vehicle is moving.
To get out of this skid, you have to do two things. You have
to steer to keep the vehicle going where you want it to and you have to
get the wheels back to where they are turning at the same speed that the
vehicle is moving.
To do this, steer the front wheels to where you want the
vehicle to go. Steer as much as your have to, but try not to oversteer as
this may cause a counter skid. If the vehicle doesn't respond immediately
be patient.. Wait for it. Oversteering may cause a counter skid that is
is much worse than the original skid.
At the same time, ease your gas off and if necessary even
pop the vehicle into neutral. On manual transmissions, depress the clutch..
To pop an automatic into neutral without going to
reverse, with a console (floor mounted) shifter, simply push the selector
lever forward. Do not push the lever button and you won't go into reverse.
With a column shifter, hold the lever away from you and push up. You won't
go into reverse unless you pull the lever towards you. You may want to practice
this on your own vehicle, before you actually have to do it in a skid situation.
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The Brake Skid
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The Brake Skid happens when we try to slow or stop the vehicle.
The tires are now moving at a slower speed than the vehicle is moving. You
can stop the skid by releasing the brake and allowing the wheels to resume
their momentum, but this would defeat the whole idea. We want to slow or
stop the vehicle. What we need to do is increase the friction under the
wheels. We can do this in a number of ways. The easiest way to do this is
to release the brakes just enough to steer and move to an area with greater
friction, and then brake again. This often means simply moving sideways
in your lane: off of the shiny surface and onto the rough surface. Of course
you have to be aware of other vehicles around you. Read our sections on
'Space Cushion Driving' and 'Avoiding a Skid in the First Place'. In
any case, if braking isn't working, you have little choice but to steer yourself
out of trouble.
Threshold Braking
On newer vehicles, threshold braking is recommended rather
than pumping your brakes. Brake normally and if your wheels start to lock
up, simply ease off of your brake enough to allow the wheels to turn and
then re-apply. If you do this enough times, it does become a pumping like
action. The difference is that as long as your brakes are slowing or stopping
your vehicle, you are no longer releasing and re-applying the brakes.
You are braking normally.
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A.B.S.
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Anti lock Brakes lock and unlock your wheels up to
20 time a second. When you get into a skid with a vehicle equipped with A.B.S.,
Brake hard, don't let up, and remember that you can steer. ( and counter
steer) Being able to steer and brake at the same time is the whole benefit
of A.B.S.¤
Have you ever noticed that
when it snows, drivers tend to turn 3 lanes into two. The beaten path no
longer follows the lines on the road. The reason for this is simple, drivers
are increasing the cushion of space around their vehicles. This is the first
rule of driving on slippery surfaces. Increase your cushion of space so
that if anyone has a problem, or gets into a skid, you have more room to
maneuver and avoid hitting them.
Slippery areas are usually easy
to spot, They're Shiny. In a lot of cases you can simply avoid them by moving
slightly to the left or right within your lane. Keep aware of traffic beside
you.
Slow down, increase your following
distance and start braking sooner. Especially slow down sooner and more
when approaching a curve. In curves be very careful not to accelerate too
much. Try to balance your acceleration to the speed of your vehicle.¤
