Driving hints

[Hansi]

A few days ago, a good friend of mine had a bad car accident where the car started going sideways on the road after he had lost one wheel out of the paved part of the road, resulting in the car flying off the road and jumping on it's front and back bumpers for a long distance. This got me thinking about how many drivers, and ecspecially new drivers, really don't know what to do under difficult circumstances. So I decided to post up a few and then ask you to do the same so we can all learn for this.

# You lose a tire out of the paved road
- Calmly keep on with 1 or 2 tires out on the gravel which is in many cases there and when you have full control of the car, slowly turn into the paved section again. If you turn the car onto the road again very fast, you might end up like my friend there.

# Your driving on an icy road with tire tracks on it. If the tracks have water in them the car might start to float.
- Do not break but step on the clutch and let the car slow itself down and it will stop floating.

# Car starts spinning on an icy road or a dirt road
- Try to keep calm, turn the steering wheel the opposite direction to the one the car is spinning to and try to break slowly. If you slam on the brakes, it will just make things worse.



Please correct me if I'm wrong and post some hints of your own

 

[Wcnwzrd]

Biggest one I have is get rid of distractions (phone, radio, naggy passenger conversations) during adverse driving conditions (heavy fog, snow, ice, heavy rain, ect.)

 

[turbonutter69]

A few days ago, a good friend of mine had a bad car accident where the car started going sideways on the road after he had lost one wheel out of the paved part of the road, resulting in the car flying off the road and jumping on it's front and back bumpers for a long distance. This got me thinking about how many drivers, and ecspecially new drivers, really don't know what to do under difficult circumstances. So I decided to post up a few and then ask you to do the same so we can all learn for this.



# You lose a tire out of the paved road

- Calmly keep on with 1 or 2 tires out on the gravel which is in many cases there and when you have full control of the car, slowly turn into the paved section again. If you turn the car onto the road again very fast, you might end up like my friend there.



# Your driving on an icy road with tire tracks on it. If the tracks have water in them the car might start to float.

- Do not break but step on the clutch and let the car slow itself down and it will stop floating.



# Car starts spinning on an icy road or a dirt road

- Try to keep calm, turn the steering wheel the opposite direction to the one the car is spinning to and try to break slowly. If you slam on the brakes, it will just make things worse.







Please correct me if I'm wrong and post some hints of your own

Just to make clarify you would turn into the slide and not away from it.

 

[HDi fun]

The best way to learn how to correct a slide is to learn how to provoke one. Whether it's front, rear, four wheel, yaw, rotational or linear, once you work out what provokes it it's easy to learn how to control it.

Going further, if you know how to provoke such a situation it's easier to avoid getting into one in the first place.

Unless, of course - that's exactly what you want to do.

Where upon, it's ASP turned off and party time

 

[obi_waynne]

You really can't beat a skid control course where you can learn these essential skills in a safe controlled way.

If a wheel comes off you lose most control of the car and are pretty much at the mercy of circumstances. Avoid braking and throwing the weight forward if it is the front wheel. Check your wheels, tyres and nuts carefully on a regular basis and this should never happen to you.

 

[CitizenErazed]

skidding differs between the drive of the car. I remember doing the police skid pan, RWD was great fun skidding, holding the skids and stuff, the instructor said I drove like a rally driver cus whilst everyone else was struggling to have any control I was drifting across the whole skid pan Lol (rather easy on a skid pan TBF) Made me really want to get a RWD car. The FWD we were told you basically have no chance o correcting the skid and you may as well just sit back, but I found that if you take your foot off the accelerator, steer right into the skid, then foot back on the accelerator and gently steer back out again you can regain some control.

We didn't do 4WD or AWD

 

[RobBentley]

Had the Passat on sheet ice, which is perminant torsen all wheel drive and turning into the skid isn't hugely easy. I wants to go the correct way - but still sideways.

My Freelander Sport (Haldex reactive 4wd) is very easy to control. One sheet ice you can pretty much look like a pro powerslider, and put the back in toe whenever you feel like it. It's very very controllable.

 

[HDi fun]

Four wheel drive can sometimes work against you. As can ABS and other stability aids. But I'd still rather have 'em on board just in case I really do make a gorss error of judegment.

 

[nota]

You really can't beat a skid control course where you can learn these essential skills in a safe controlled way.

Wayne your advice is absolutely spot on.

The stark reality for too many novice drivers is that the first-ever time they will attempt skid control is not in a controlled and safe environment, but when they're literally fighting for their life in an out of control car.