The rear of your vehicle starts to skid to the right on an icy road. Which way does the manual tell you to steer?
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A.
Steer opposite to the direction of the skid.
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B.
Turn the steering wheel to the right. Correct
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C.
Firmly press the brakes until the tires regain traction.
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D.
Hold the wheel straight until traction returns.
The answer is "Turn the steering wheel to the right."
The manual's skid-recovery rule is to look and steer in the direction you want to go, which is the same direction the rear of your vehicle is sliding. Choice A is the trap for drivers who learned the rule as 'turn into the skid' and read 'into' as 'against the direction it is sliding'; the manual has you steer the same way the rear is already going.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Steer opposite to the direction of the skid.
The manual is explicit: steer the same way the rear is sliding, not the opposite way. This answer falls back on the old 'steer against the skid' rule of thumb, which inverts the direction the manual actually specifies.
C. Firmly press the brakes until the tires regain traction.
The manual says do not use your brakes when skidding; braking risks locking the wheels and losing all steering control. This answer applies the panic instinct to stomp the brake pedal on ice, which the manual explicitly rules out for skid recovery.
D. Hold the wheel straight until traction returns.
Holding the wheel straight leaves the sliding rear uncorrected; the manual tells you to steer the same direction the rear is sliding. This answer borrows the tire-blowout advice about holding the wheel tight and avoiding jerky steering moves, misapplying it to a skid.
This question tests your knowledge of Emergencies in Pennsylvania. Source: Pennsylvania Driver Manual, "If Your Vehicle Starts to Skid," p.61..
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