How to Avoid a Power Skid

Power slides happen when the rear of the car swings out of line.

Preventing your car from going into a power slide is a difficult skill to master. It involves instantly reacting to the car's movements and being aware of road conditions at all times. It is this driving awareness that is the difficult part to master, constantly watching for ice, snow or even oil slicks on highways during light rain. While power slides during drift competitions can be fun to watch, a power slide on the road while you're not paying attention to driving can quickly turn deadly.

Instructions

1. Approach corners slowly, gently braking instead of mashing the brakes at the last minute. During wet or snowy weather, a car's rear end is prone to swing out, particularly if your vehicle is rear wheel drive and fitted with drum rear brakes, which are less powerful than the vehicle's front brakes. When you hit the brakes hard, the weight of the car is transferred to the front of the car, and the rear tires are more likely to lock up, causing them to skid over the wet surface faster than the heavier front portion of the car can move. In these cases, the only way the rear of the car can go is to the side, sending the car into a skid.

2. Drive in a reactive manner when conditions are poor. Any time you drive, you should be paying attention to exactly what you are doing, but it is critically important to do so when driving in snowy or wet conditions. By being prepared to react and paying attention, you can avoid the situations that can lead to a power skid, or at least deal with them quickly before the car spins out of control.

3. Steer into the skid if your rear tires have broken traction and the car is skidding. While this may seem counter-intuitive, the best way to correct a power skid is to take your foot off of the gas, avoiding the brakes, and turn the steering wheel of the car all the way into the same direction that the back of the car is swinging. This prevents the front wheels from gaining sideways traction, which throws the rear of the car further into the skid. In extremely bad conditions, this will not completely correct a power skid, but it will minimize the damage caused by the skid and may help you to remain in your own lane of traffic.

4. Install new tires onto your vehicle, including snow tires during the winter. Many skids are caused by a simple lack of traction between the tires and the road surface. If you live in a northern climate where there is heavy snowfall during the winter, you absolutely cannot do without a set of good tires when the snow flies.

Tips & Warnings

• Take a defensive-driving course every few years to brush up your skills as a driver. Complacency is one of the biggest threats you face when you drive.

• Never attempt to intentionally put a car into a power slide. The lack of control can cause injury or death to you and bystanders.

References

• "Professional Driving Techniques: The Essential Guide to Operating a Motor Vehicle with Confidence and Skill"; Anthony Scotti; 2007
• "Drive to Survive"; Curt Rich; 1999
• "Survival Driving: Staying Alive on the World's Most Dangerous Roads"; Robert Deatherage; 2006