Your rear wheels start to slide to the left on ice. Which way should you turn the steering wheel?
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A.
To the left, the direction the vehicle is trying to go Correct
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B.
To the right, opposite the direction of the skid
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C.
Straight ahead, and hold that position
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D.
Sharply toward the shoulder to stop the slide
The answer is "To the left, the direction the vehicle is trying to go"
For a rear-wheel skid, steer in the direction the vehicle is trying to go. If the rear slides left, steer left. B is the trap: a driver used to 'correcting' by opposing the slide picks the mirror-image direction, which is the exact reflex the steer-into-the-skid rule exists to override.
The traps in the wrong answers
B. To the right, opposite the direction of the skid
The manual says to steer in the direction the vehicle is going, not opposite it. This answer applies a mirror-image correction reflex, the exact instinct the steer-into-the-skid rule is written to override.
C. Straight ahead, and hold that position
Holding straight will not recover the skid; the manual calls for active steering into it. This answer freezes the wheel in place, on the habit that doing less avoids making things worse.
D. Sharply toward the shoulder to stop the slide
Aiming for the shoulder is not the recovery method; the manual sets the direction of travel as the target. This answer treats the shoulder as an escape route, borrowing from off-road-recovery lore not in the skid rule.
This question tests your knowledge of Adverse Conditions in New York. Source: New York State Driver's Manual, "Chapter 10 - How to Drive in Winter," p.64..
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