Skids and hydroplaning — Alabama Permit Test

A vehicle skids when its tires lose their grip on the road; do not brake until you regain control of your forward direction, because braking only increases the skid.

Braking in a skid locks the front wheels and takes away your steering.

Since braking will only increase the velocity of the skid and cause the loss of steering control when the front wheels lock, do not apply pressure on the brake until you regain control of your forward direction.

In any skid, the main idea is to keep the rear end from outrunning the front, either by slowing the rear wheels or speeding the front ones.

A skid is the back of the car trying to pass the front.

With any vehicle skid, the main idea is to keep the rear end from outrunning the front.

In a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, easing off the gas lets the engine act as a brake on the rear wheels, slowing the slide so the front end can catch up.

Taking your foot off the gas slows the back wheels without locking them.

With a conventional rear-wheel drive vehicle, when you ease off the gas, the engine acts as a brake to slow the rear wheels slightly.

In a front-wheel-drive vehicle, stepping lightly on the gas increases front-wheel speed so the front can catch up with the sliding rear and straighten out the skid.

Pulling with the front wheels drags the car back into line.

STEPPING LIGHTLY ON THE GAS WILL INCREASE FRONT WHEEL SPEED, so the front end can catch up with the sliding rear end and straighten out the skid.

If there is not enough room to step on the gas, disengage the transmission by pushing in the clutch or shifting to neutral, and steer in the direction the rear of the vehicle is skidding.

Steering the way the back is sliding lines the front up with it again.

The next best action is to disengage the transmission, either by jamming in the clutch with standard transmission vehicles or shifting into neutral with automatic transmission, and steer in the direction the rear of the vehicle is skidding.

In a standard passenger car, partial hydroplaning starts at about 35 mph and increases with speed to about 55 mph, where the tires may be totally on the water.

Above that speed the tires ride on water like skis and lose their grip on the road.

In a standard passenger car, partial hydroplaning starts at about 35 mph and increases with speed to about 55 mph, at which point the tires may be totally on the water.

If you are hydroplaning, take your foot off the accelerator and let the car slow down; if you are totally hydroplaning, release the accelerator and ride out the skid.

Braking or steering hard on water does nothing but start a spin.

The best thing to do is to take your foot off the accelerator and let the car slow down.

To prevent hydroplaning, have good tires with deep treads; when water is deeper than the treads, complete hydroplaning can be expected above 50 mph.

Tread channels water out from under the tire so the rubber can touch the road.

To prevent hydroplaning, it is most helpful to have good tires with deep treads.

Your car starts to skid. When should you brake?

After you regain control. Braking in a skid locks the front wheels and takes away your steering. Alabama Driver Manual, p.71: “Since braking will only increase the velocity of the skid and cause the loss of steering control when the front wheels lock, do not apply pressure on the brake until you regain control of your forward direction.”