Skidding - Front Wheel Skid
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This is caused by braking too heavily, entering a corner too fast (here a front wheel skid is also known as ‘understeer’), accelerating too hard (front wheel drive cars) and poor tyre condition. You may wonder why I haven’t mentioned poor road conditions, such as ice. The reason is because your general driving should always take road conditions into account so that ice on its own, for example, shouldn’t be a reason for a skid. In icy conditions you should be driving in a way to make allowance for a slippery road.
That said, I do live in the real world and accept that, sometimes, things catch us by surprise - hence the lesson on how to control skidding.
You will know you are in a front wheel skid by the noise (screeching or scuffing) and loss of steering control - that is to say, you can turn the steering wheel in any direction and the car will not respond. Pretty scary!
To regain control, remain calm and try to keep the wheels in the direction of the skid. Most importantly you should immediately remove your feet from all the pedals - this way the engine braking will help you regain control. Try to anticipate the direction of the car once you have traction back - which may be surprisingly quick!
