Your vehicle begins to skid. How should you steer to regain control?
-
A.
Hold the wheel straight and brake hard
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B.
Steer into the direction of the skid Correct
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C.
Steer sharply opposite the direction of the skid
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D.
Let the wheel go so it centers itself
The answer is "Steer into the direction of the skid"
Ease off the gas or brakes and steer into the direction of the skid until you regain traction. Choice C is the trap for drivers whose gut says point the wheels away from where the car is sliding, the same instinct that makes new drivers oversteer on ice.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Hold the wheel straight and brake hard
Hard braking in a skid can lock the wheels and take away what little traction you still have. This answer carries the straight-line panic-stop reflex over to a car that is no longer traveling in a straight line.
C. Steer sharply opposite the direction of the skid
Steering against the skid points the tires away from the direction the car is actually traveling, which fights the vehicle's momentum. This answer follows the beginner instinct to aim the wheels away from the slide, the opposite of what the manual says to do.
D. Let the wheel go so it centers itself
Releasing the wheel gives up all steering control at the moment you most need it. This answer overapplies the general warning against jerky corrections to mean don't steer at all.
This question tests your knowledge of Emergencies in Illinois. Source: Illinois Rules of the Road, "Skidding," p.87..
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