Skidding
Uploaded by adaTude on Aug 18, 2002
To skid means to slide or slip (without revolving) over a surface, because of loss of traction.
Skidding caused over 24,000 accidents in 2001. Out of these 24,000, about 200 caused death, 7,000 caused personal injury, and 17,000 caused property damage.
Applying the brakes or accelerator too hard, spinning the wheels, and going around a curve too fast can all cause you to start skidding? Other factors that contribute to skidding include how well your vehicle holds the road, traction (what makes the car “stick” to the roadway), road surface - (Is the road asphalt or concrete? Rough or smooth? The rougher it is, the better the wheels hold), vehicle velocity, and road conditions (Icy, snowy and rain covered roadways prevent your tires from holding as well), weather, lighting, condition of tires (A deflated tire has too much play and an over-inflated tire will skim across the road. A new tire with a lot of tread will grip the roadway better. An over-heated tire will get soft and lose its grip), the type of vehicle, steering input (novice drivers will sometimes overreact when they start to skid, turn the wheel too far in the opposite direction, and start skidding again), suspension system, speed and direction of the vehicle - (The faster you go, the more energy your vehicle has to use before it comes to a stop. If the road is heading east, and you are going North, you will have a better chance of skidding.), vehicle load, etc.
The most important thing you should remember when you start to skid is not to panic, if you don’t panic you’ll be able to remember what to do. The key to controlling a skid is steering, not braking, so you should always steer gently into the skid.
Your front wheels skid when you brake or accelerate hard, or if your vehicle has front-wheel drive. If your front wheels start to skid, focus on the take your foot off the brake or accelerator, and de-clutch on a car with a manual transmission/shift to neutral on a car with automatic transmission. If the front wheels have been turned before losing traction, don’t move the steering wheel (when the wheels are skidding sideways you’ll have more braking force). You should only straighten out the steering wheel if there is limited space or sharp curves. In that case, you would not release the brake pedal. Wait for the front...