Skidding — Utah Permit Test

A car may start to hydroplane at speeds over 35 mph, when the front tires ride on water instead of the road.

Above that speed the tires cannot clear the water fast enough, and steering stops connecting to anything.

Your car may start to hydroplane at speeds over 35 mph. Hydroplaning occurs when your front tires ride on water instead of the road.

If the rear wheels skid to the right, a driver turns the front wheels to the right.

Steering into the skid points the front wheels where the car is already going, which is what lets them grip again.

If your rear wheels skid to the right, turn your front wheels to the right.

A driver in a skid should slowly take their foot off the gas pedal and should not slam on the brakes.

Braking locks the wheels and the car keeps sliding. Lifting off lets the tires start turning again.

If you do skid, slowly take your foot off the gas pedal.

A driver correcting a skid should not steer too far, because that will make the car skid in the other direction.

Over-correcting swaps one skid for a worse one, and the second is usually the one that leaves the road.

Do not steer too far, though, as that will make the car skid in the other direction.

Black ice is difficult to see on a Utah roadway and appears more like a wet spot than a patch of ice.

Nobody slows for a wet patch. That is exactly why Utah loses cars to black ice every winter.

Black ice is difficult to see on the roadway and appears more like a wet spot than a patch of ice.

Once a car regains traction after a skid the driver should straighten out the wheels.

If the wheels are still turned when grip returns, the car darts the way they are pointing.

Once your car regains traction, straighten out your wheels.

The best policy is to keep a skid from happening by slowing to a speed at which the car can be controlled.

No skid recovery works as well as not skidding. Speed is the only part of this a driver chooses in advance.

The best policy is to keep a skid from happening:

Above what speed may a car start to hydroplane?

35 mph. Above that speed the tires cannot clear the water fast enough, and steering stops connecting to anything. Utah Driver Handbook 2026-2027, p.61: “Your car may start to hydroplane at speeds over 35 mph. Hydroplaning occurs when your front tires ride on water instead of the road.”