Driving in winter weather can be tricky. One minute you can be driving down the road on the way to your destination, and the next minute you feel that you are losing control of your vehicle on an icy overpass or a snowy side street.
It's important to know what to do to regain control of your vehicle starts to slide so that you can make it safely to where you are going.
The experts at Car and Driver offer the following guidelines for when the unexpected happens, and your vehicle begins to skid.
First, don't slam on the breaks. Slamming on your brakes can make the situation worse.
Instead, stay calm and ease off the gas.
In a front-wheel skid, the front tires should start to regain traction when you ease off the gas. As that happens, you can steer in the direction where you want your vehicle to go.
But, on the other hand, in a rear-wheel skid (this is when the rear tires lose traction and you think you are going to spin out), quickly turn the steering wheel in the same direction that the rear of the vehicle is sliding.
For example, if the vehicle's rear is swinging to the left, you should steer to the left.
If the vehicle's rear is swinging to the right, then you need to steer to the right.
Remember to continue to ease off the gas and not press the brake.
Then, once the rear wheels regain traction, you can steer in the original direction that you wanted to go in and get back on track.
That's expert advice to help you with your winter driving and reaching your destination safely.
Until next time, stay safe and be careful out there.
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