Steering a skid safely
By H. Kishie Singh

ALL four wheels of your car should have a uniform grip on the road. In adverse conditions — when there is water, snow, ice or loose gravel on the road — one or more tyre may lose grip. This will make the car behave in the most erratic manner. It will twist and turn by itself — it will skid.

Even on a good road, a sudden movement of the steering could make a car skid.

A skid normally occurs when the speed of the car is too fast for the existing road conditions. A skid hardly ever occurs at a slow speed. Severe braking can also cause a skid.

A skid can be corrected in the following ways.

Usually, driving into the skid helps bring the car under control.

If the car skids and the front end points towards the left, ease off pressure from the accelerator and go left. This is where the car wants to go. Nurse it to a slower speed for bringing it to a halt.

If you try to correct the skid by turning the steering wheel to the right, the car will skid further.

It is the natural reaction of most drivers to put on the brakes when they find the car skidding.

Do not jam on your brakes. This will further infuriate the car. The tyres are already not in harmony with the road and in case the wheels lock, which is normally the case in such conditions, the car will go totally out of control. Pump your brakes ever so gently.

Reducing speed is usually the best way to control your car during a skid. This should be done by deceleration rather than by braking. Shifting to a lower gear will definitely help. It’s the gear box that comes to the rescue. It will reduce speed, bring the car under control and it won’t lock the wheels.

All these years we have been driving front engine-rear wheel drive cars. Today most cars are front engine-front wheel driven. Both vehicles have extremely different handling characteristics and what applies to one does not work for the other.

One manoeuvre that does work for both is to steer into the direction of the skid and thus try to bring the car under control. All your movements should be smooth and gentle. Sudden movement of the steering, and sharp braking will not help.

You never get a warning that a skid is about to occur. It just comes as an unpleasant and unexpected surprise.

You can skid your car on purpose and then learn to control it. Do this in the still of the night or on a lonely road where you will not pose a threat to others. Once you know how to skid a car, you will soon learn the causes and learn to correct them. This way the next time your car skids, it won’t be a first-time experience.

Happy motoring!