Wet roads, fallen leaves, ice or packed snow. In these conditions, skidding can happen in a flash. You can get shot even on dry roads. What do you need to watch out for and how can you keep your cool even when it's too late to prevent it?
What is a skid?
Before we get into the solutions, let's go over some terminology. You can tell when a vehicle is oversteering by the car turning more than you intended - this is known as a clock. It happens most often to rear-wheel drive cars when the rear tires lose grip and the rear of the car shoots out of the turn. You can tell it's coming by the vibration coming from the rear of the car.
What is understeer?
Understeer is when the front of the vehicle loses traction and is unable to follow the direction of travel that the driver determines by turning the steering wheel. In practice, this means that when you try to negotiate a corner, the vehicle drives straight out of the curve instead of following the trajectory you intended. In understeer you will feel a vibration coming from the steering wheel.
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What causes skidding?
Skidding can have several causes. Some of the most common include:
- Driving too fast into a corner: if you enter a corner at a higher speed than the vehicle can handle, the wheels may lose grip and skid.
- Poortyre condition: Worn tread or improper tire pressure reduces grip.
- Unsuitable surface conditions: Ice, snow, wet leaves or even oil on the road can put a vehicle into a skid.
- Inadequate vehicle load: An unevenly loaded or overloaded vehicle can skid more easily.
- Sudden braking: Especially on slippery surfaces, sudden braking can cause loss of grip and skidding.
- Changinggrip while driving: Changing from one type of surface to another (e.g. asphalt to gravel) can cause unexpected skidding.
How to handle skidding like a pro?
Skidding can be a problem not only for casual drivers, but also for those who have put in the miles. So being prepared to deal with such a situation is more than advisable. In general, the solution to a skid can be summarised as follows - stay calm, don't brake, hit the clutch and steer the car in the right direction.
Also find out if you have a front or rear wheel drive car, each type is susceptible to a different kind of skid. To resolve a front axle understeer, where the car doesn't turn enough, take the throttle off, depress the clutch and use the steering wheel to compensate for the skid. Turn the steering wheel in the direction the car is heading to restore tyre grip, if you had the wheels turned towards the corner you would continue to skid for a much longer period of time.
In a rear oversteer skid you will also need to take your foot off the gas, depress the clutch and turn the steering wheel against the stern. You have to react quickly, so no slow leveling, jerk the wheel as hard and as fast as you can. As soon as the car starts to straighten out, flatten the steering wheel and add throttle to prevent the car from rocking and skidding the other way.
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How to prevent skidding successfully?
- Adjust your speed: Before entering a corner, reduce your speed to a level that you and your vehicle can safely handle.
- Check your tyres: Check tyre pressure and tread regularly to ensure maximum grip. Of course, change to winter tyres in good time.
- Anticipate: Keep your eyes open and anticipate potential hazards to adapt your driving to the conditions.
- Improve your driving skills: practice makes perfect. So ideally, practice skidding in a safe environment so you can react appropriately to the situation.
Learn how to handle skids with the Safe Driving School
We still deal with skids in theory and there's no substitute for practice. That's what skid schools, or safe driving courses, are for, where, in addition to a good dose of theory, you'll have the chance to practice for a few hours on a special polygon. The surface of the polygon is modified to simulate, for example, an icy road and it will really slide.
Only here, nothing will happen to you or your car, and throughout the skidding you will have an instructor on the radio who will go through the situation with you step by step until you automatically react correctly.
The skid school takes place at several locations around the country. Among the most popular courses are those in Most, while you can also hone your driving skills in Vysoké Mýto, Hradec Králové, Jihlava and Ostrava.
TIP: If you have some penalty points on your driving record, you will find the skid school with points deduction useful, where you will not only learn how to handle crisis situations, but you will also be able to apply for a deduction of up to 4 points.
