What to do if your car skids

Driving on wet or icy roads can easily lead to dangerous situations while you are driving. One of the most common such situations is skidding. While it can be scary to handle it on your own, understanding what you need to do to help yourself get your car out of a skid safely is something anyone who gets behind the wheel needs to know.

In fact, two different types of skid are most common. Oversteering is a situation that occurs when you turn the steering wheel, but the rear of the car starts to fishtail or out of bounds. The rear of your car will move back and forth in a turn and this can easily cause you to lose control.

As soon as you realize that your car is turning over the steering, you need to immediately release the gas pedal. You also shouldn't apply the brakes, so if you've already braked, you'll need to release them slowly. For those who drive a manual transmission, you should make sure the clutch is disengaged. Once you've done this, you'll want to go into a skid, which means you'll turn the steering wheel in the direction you actually want the car to go. Once the car starts moving in the right direction, remember to counteract the steering to make sure it stays on the right track without skidding again.

Another type of skid occurs when ice, water, or snow on the pavement causes the car to make a much tighter turn than you were actually trying to make. This is due to lack of traction and is most commonly seen when turning onto the street when the roads are icy. If this type of skid occurs, you need to make sure you don't jerk the wheel in the other direction. Instead, release the brakes and try to get the car back on track. A slow, controlled turn will often help your car regain traction, helping to pull the car out of a skid safely.

If your car begins to skid, the main thing is not to panic. Simply releasing or avoiding the brake and carefully turning the handlebars is a much safer option than slamming on the brakes and jerking the handlebars.