How to Recover From Loss of Traction

Loss of vehicle traction over slippery conditions, or for whatever reason, is always dealt with in the same manner. The object is to maintain your original path by looking where you want your vehicle to stop, and resisting the natural urge to look at trees and other objects you don't want to strike, including pedestrians.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Understand that the process for recovering from a skid is the same for cars with front- or rear-wheel drive.

2. Maintain eye contact with a safe area where you want your vehicle to go.

3. Take your foot off both the gas and brake pedals immediately.

4. Shift to neutral, whether driving a manual or automatic transmission.

5. Wait, if your front tires are the ones sliding. The friction of the slide will slow the car until traction is restored.

6. Turn smoothly into the direction you want the car to go, if your rear wheels are the ones skidding.

Tips & Warnings

• This will work in most any vehicle on many surfaces.
• Always be prepared for the surface to be at its worst in the next 100 feet of your driving path.
• Do not slam on the brakes. Locked, sliding tires have no directional control. Vehicles with ABS (Antilock Braking System) brakes can, in most situations, step lightly and keep constant pressure on the brake pedal.

[valbowski1980]

on 12/26/2007 Shifting into neutral is a really bad idea.

[Cafa]

on 8/14/2007 Shift to neutral??? Oh my God...I can't believe someone suggested this.

on 11/22/2005 If your car starts to fishtail there are things you can do to recover.
Fishtailing is when the rear end of your car sways back and forth, side to side. It usually happens at high speeds and often with something in tow, such as a camp-trailer or U-haul.
Don't, under any circumstances, hit the brakes. You will definitely crash. Some would suggest you don't hit the accelerator either. I disagree. You need to accelerate out of a fishtail, especially if you have a front wheel drive car. Also, especially if you are towing, this is even more important.

If you have a manual transmission, you might need to downshift if you fear that you won't get any power out of the gear you are in. When in doubt, just smoothly accelerate and keep the wheel straight. Don't over-steer!

on 11/22/2005 At the edge of the grip, the acceleration and brakes control direction. It works like this:

1. Brakes: If you slam on the brakes, the weight of the car shifts to the front, and the back will probably lose grip. If you touch the brakes just a bit, some of the car's weight will shift forward, possibly creating more grip on the front.

2. Acceleration: If you push the pedal to the metal, you might spin (if you have a rear-wheel drive car). You may lose cornering ability if you have a front-wheel drive car. If you suddenly let go of the acceleration, the weight of the car may shift forward, and the rear grip may go away.

Conclusion: At the edge of the grip, smooth in and smooth out, whatever the maneuver. Don't be rough on it.

on 11/22/2005 When you are trying to avoid something (like the curb you're sliding into), don't look at what you're going to hit, but look at where you want to go.
This will help you concentrate on steering in the direction needed.