Skids and braking — Michigan Permit Test

If your vehicle begins skidding, take your foot off the accelerator and turn the front wheels only enough to point them where you want to go.

Over-steering in a skid makes the car spin the other way.

Take your foot off the accelerator.

After correcting a skid, be prepared for a secondary skid in the opposite direction, and again turn the wheels the way you want to go.

A car that swings back often overshoots, so the first correction is rarely the last.

Be prepared for a secondary skid in the opposite direction.

With anti-lock brakes, apply the brake with hard, firm pressure from the start and hold it until you stop; vibration or pulsing is normal.

Anti-lock brakes pump themselves, so your job is to press hard and steer.

With anti-lock brakes, apply the brake with hard, firm pressure from the start and maintain this pressure until you have stopped.

Without anti-lock brakes, apply the brakes just hard enough not to lock the wheels; if they lock, release pressure and apply again — threshold or controlled braking.

Locked wheels slide and cannot steer; rolling wheels can.

If the wheels do lock, release pressure and apply the brakes again.

To prevent a skid in a vehicle with standard brakes, use steady pressure without locking them, so the wheels keep turning and you keep steering control.

Turning wheels can steer; locked wheels just slide.

To prevent a skid in vehicles with standard brakes, use steady pressure on the brakes without locking them.

When driving on snow or a slippery road, slow down gradually, and test your brakes lightly to get a feel for the road.

A gentle test shows how much grip you have before you need it.

When driving on snow or a slippery road, slow down gradually.

Your car starts to skid. What should you do first?

Take your foot off the accelerator. Over-steering in a skid makes the car spin the other way. What Every Driver Must Know, p.63: “Take your foot off the accelerator.”