4.3 Skids, Hydroplaning, Anti-Lock Brakes & Driver-Assistance Technology

Why Skids Happen

Traction between your tires and the road is not always the same. The manual lists what reduces it: sand, gravel, uneven road surfaces, oil slicks or spills, increased speed and water on the road. As traction drops, the chance of skidding or sliding rises. Most skids start with a driver error: braking too hard, steering too sharply or accelerating too quickly on a slippery surface.

How to Recover From a Skid

The manual's basic rules:

1. Release the accelerator or the brake pedal, whichever you are using, to regain control.
2. Steer in the direction you are skidding. If the rear of the car slides right, steer right.
3. Look where you want your vehicle to go. Your hands tend to follow your eyes.
4. Press the brake only after you have traction again, when your tires are gripping the road.
5. Slowly accelerating (pressing on the gas) may help if your back wheels lose traction.

Expect to make small corrections as the car straightens. Overcorrecting, jerking the wheel too far the other way, can start a second skid.

Hydroplaning

As your speed and the amount of water on the road increase, your tires can ride up on a sheet of water and lose contact with the road. This is hydroplaning, and it can cause you to lose some or all control.

Prevent it: keep your tires in good condition, with good tread and proper inflation, and lower your speed on wet roads.

If you start to lose control:

• Take your foot off the gas.
• Do not apply your brakes.
• Keep your vehicle going straight.
• Slow down until you get control back.

Signs of hydroplaning include steering that suddenly feels light and an engine that revs higher as the drive wheels spin on the water.

Anti-Lock Braking Systems (ABS)

ABS helps prevent your wheels from locking so you can still steer. When the vehicle's computer detects that one or more wheels are locking, ABS pumps the brakes much faster than a person could. When ABS engages you may hear a rumble from the brakes and feel the brake pedal vibrate. Both are normal.

Check your owner's manual to learn which system your vehicle has.

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)

The manual's Section 7.H explains advanced driver assistance systems: features that help with staying in your lane, reducing blind spots, keeping a safe distance, avoiding crashes and parking. Examples include automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance and blind-spot warning. Used properly, the manual says, they prevent 40% of crashes.

Limits to remember:

• The technology may not work properly in rain, snow or fog, on hills or around curves.
• It responds differently from one vehicle to another, and even the dashboard icons may differ.
• Systems have many different names, and the names do not always describe what they do.

Always:

• Keep sensors clean and undamaged.
• Keep the software up to date and follow the manufacturer's recommendations.
• Learn the technology on any vehicle before you drive it, using the owner's manual or the dealership.

Most important: do not rely on ADAS to fully operate your vehicle. You are responsible for safe operation at all times and must keep checking traffic with your mirrors and cameras.

Other Vehicle Emergencies

These standard responses are taught in driver education:

• Tire blowout: hold the wheel firmly, keep the car straight, ease off the gas, and brake gently once the car is under control.
• Brake failure: pump the pedal, shift to a lower gear, apply the parking brake gradually, and steer to a safe area.
• Stuck accelerator: shift to neutral, brake firmly, steer to a safe spot, and turn off the engine only after you stop.

Preventing Skids in the First Place

• Slow down before curves, ramps and bridges, not in them.
• Brake and accelerate gently on wet, snowy or gravel surfaces.
• Keep tires properly inflated with good tread.
• Leave extra following distance, so you never need a hard stop.

Scenario Practice

• Your rear wheels slide left on a wet curve. Release the gas, steer left, look down the road where you want to go, and brake only after the tires grip.
• Your car starts hydroplaning through standing water at highway speed. Ease off the gas, do not brake, hold the wheel straight and let the car slow.
• Your car's lane-keeping assist chimes in heavy snow. Expect the system to be less reliable; keep both hands on the wheel and slow down.