What should you do if your vehicle starts to skid?

When your vehicle starts to skid, the appropriate response is to steer into the direction of the skid. This technique helps you regain control over the vehicle. For instance, if the rear of your vehicle is sliding to the left, you should turn your steering wheel to the left. This action aligns the front wheels with the direction of the skid, which helps to stabilize the vehicle and prevent a complete loss of control.

Steering into the skid encourages the tires to regain traction with the surface of the road. By doing so, you can counteract the oversteering or understeering that led to the skid in the first place. This method can be particularly effective on slippery surfaces, such as wet, icy, or snowy roads.

Brake hard or accelerating in this situation could worsen the skid. Sudden braking can lead to more sliding, as it transfers weight and can cause the tires to lose grip completely. Accelerating may further destabilize the vehicle, leaving you with less control. Thus, steering into the skid is the safest and most effective way to respond when your vehicle begins to lose traction.