chapter 8 — emergency strategies Skid control think about You in the driver’s seat Steps to handle a skid  warning! It’s a cold morning and you’re in a hurry to make it to work  on time. You suddenly feel the vehicle isn’t responding  when you turn the steering wheel. You press the brake.  The back of the car swings to the right — you’ve hit ice!  What should you do?  Think about the road  conditions before you start  to drive. Will the weather  conditions make the road  slippery? You should be able  to avoid skidding by making  safe choices in the first place.  The most likely cause of  skidding is poor driving skills. Skids can happen any time the tires lose grip on the road. This  can be caused by slippery surfaces, as in the scene above, or  by changing speed or direction too suddenly. Environmental  elements like rain and ice contribute to skidding, but poor  driving skills are the main cause of skidding. The way to avoid  skids is to use your  see-think-do  skills. In slippery conditions,  slow down. The illustration shows what happens  to your car when it skids and how you  can regain control. The numbers in the  illustration correspond to the following steps:  Skids happen when  drivers: • slam on the brakes  • slam on the brakes and  steer at the same time • go around a corner  too fast  • accelerate suddenly. 1. You’re driving straight, but you fail to  notice the patch of black ice ahead.  2. As you drive over the black ice, the  rear of your vehicle skids to the right.  Ease off the accelerator, and look and  steer smoothly in the direction you  want to go. (In this case, steer to the  right.) Don’t brake — this will make  the situation worse.  3. Now the rear of your vehicle skids  to the left. (This is likely caused by  overcorrecting in Step 2.) Stay off the  accelerator, and steer smoothly in the  direction you want to go. (In this case,  steer to the left.) You may need to  repeat Steps 2 and 3 until you regain control.  4. Once you’ve regained control,  continue driving with caution.  117