Your car begins to skid on a slick road. What does the manual tell you to do with the gas pedal?
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A.
Hold it in place until the wheels straighten
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B.
Press it steadily to keep power to the tires
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C.
Take your foot off the accelerator Correct
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D.
Pump it quickly to help the tires regain grip
The answer is "Take your foot off the accelerator"
The manual lists taking your foot off the gas as the first move once a skid starts, along with not slamming the brakes. Option B is the trap: a driver who has heard 'don't brake in a skid' reads that as permission to stay on the throttle, and the manual actually pulls power off before anything else.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Hold it in place until the wheels straighten
Holding constant throttle prevents the weight shift the tires need to recover grip. This answer confuses the steering step of straightening the wheels with what the gas pedal should be doing.
B. Press it steadily to keep power to the tires
Keeping steady power to the tires prolongs the skid instead of ending it. This answer reads 'do not hit the brakes' as permission to keep the throttle applied.
D. Pump it quickly to help the tires regain grip
Pumping the accelerator does nothing to restore traction and adds a slip-grip cycle. This answer borrows a pumping technique from pre-ABS brake advice and applies it to the wrong pedal.
This question tests your knowledge of Adverse Conditions in Texas. Source: Texas Driver Handbook, "Steering Out of a Skid," p.48..
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