That safety course told me to steer the way I want to go in a skid. I always learned to turn into the skid so as to recover control. I’ve steered the way I wanted to go and ended up sideways, learned to turn very slowly into the skid until I recover traction then turn slowly to the target direction.
So there I was rushing up from Southern IL to get a bud to his wedding on a blizzardy night in my 68 Cougar. Luckily no other cars on the 2 lane highway, did 3 360 spins, managed to get it under control, and carried on at 35mph and no problems afterwards. Steering into the spin is what I did, I think. so much by instinct I cant even tell you what I did after the first 180. Saw a newscaster calling losing control and going off the road a slide out. New term for me.
I’ve never had to do it but the Patrol say if you go into a spin, put the shift in neutral, wheel straight ahead, and look in back of you. You’ll end up pointed the wrong direction but on the road instead of the ditch. I’d try it on a frozen lake but the way the weather is, I don’t trust the lakes anymore.
1 Like
It depends on the situation and the traffic, there is no one fits all situation. Sometimes if you unexpectedly run on to ice on the road, it might not be possible to prevent an accident. At that point, chose the best accident you can have. Sometimes turning into the skid will take you off the road, which may bet the best option if there is other traffic around. Turning the other way is going to spin you like a top but may keep you on the road whict may be best if there is no one to hit If you start to spin when going straight on on a slight curve it may be best to go into neutral to eliminate engine braking and steer gently with your fingertips to regain control.
A couple of times I deliberately took my rig off the road to avoid killing someone who did something stupid. The one time, I just needed a tow, the second time I rolled and totaled the tractor.
1 Like
I’m wondering if the change in method may be due to the introduction of antilock brakes.
It isn’t really a change. Picture yourself in a skid to the right. You look right because it is where you want to go and you steer right because you are turning into the skid.
I’ll add… if you are in a fwd car, add a little throttle. In a rwd car, you let off the gas.
And do everything quickly but smoothly.
3 Likes
All true, but without practice most folks won’t know what to do when a skid happens. And often, once it starts not much can be done. Prevention is the solution.
4 Likes
The problem with “turn into the skid” is that in a right-hand skid the rear of the car moves right, but from the driver’s perspective the car is rotating to the left, so some people think you should turn the wheel to the left. That’s why I like “steer where you want the car to go” better.
5 Likes
In an older car that doesn’t have font antilock brakes, you can lock up the brakes and the car will straighten itself out all by itself. It’s easy to practice this in the snow!
If you get hit in the back on the highway and you start sliding sideways down the road, if you are fast you can lock up the front brakes and it’ll keep your car going straight even though it is sliding sideways. If the rear keep spinning the car will straighten out in a couple of seconds. Braking is faster than turning the steering wheel all the way to one side. You can also do this kind of braking to recover a real wheel hydroplane disaster. You have to be very fast reacting for it to work and there still may not be enough time. If it’s done correctly the car will just keep going straight even if it is turned left or right to keep you on the road.
Where are you getting this stuff ?
2 Likes
Cool. Next time I’m driving a '93 Lumina I’ll keep that in mind. 
1 Like
Keeping straight may NOT be the direction that keeps you on the road… which is the point of correcting for a skid. If all 4 brakes are locked and the car is sideways to its motion, when you hit something, it will be to the more vulnerable side of the car, not the more protected front.
Plus, ABS was mandated by government regulation starting in September 2000 or 21 years ago. The average age of cars on the road is 11.5 years so the number of cars still operating without ABS is pretty small.
1 Like
He’s talking about those few years in the 90’s when some cars (mostly GM’s, if I recall) came with rear-only ABS. I suspect it was mainly so they could advertise they had ABS without paying for putting it on all 4 wheels.
So his theory is that if the rear wheels aren’t locked, and the fronts are, you won’t spin. It’s not the greatest theory, because once you’re already sideways you’re in trouble regardless, unless you know what you’re doing or your car is much newer, with a full traction control system that can help mitigate the skid.
1 Like
Being from the south and not driving in the snow since I retired from driving OTR even I know better than to listen to his nonsense.
7 Likes
Those cars were actually trucks. There weren’t any GM cars equipped with the rear-only ABS systems, just the trucks… and they were BAD… really BAD!
I’ve driven more than a few of those systems and they wouldn’t work as he describes. Theoretically they COULD, but they just didn’t.
GM installed a motor-based system called Delco ABS VI as standard on their small cars around 1993 or so. They were 3 channel systems, 2 front, one rear. They were optional on Saturns, Camaros and Firebirds. They actually worked pretty well. They didn’t work on the big cars or trucks so they designed a valve-based system for them.
1 Like
Well, I was wrong about the decade, but cars did come with rear-only ABS. Check this old article:
Ford replied with “Sure-Track”, adding it only the rear wheels of its Lincoln Continentals. GM did the same for 1972, with the rear-only “Trackmaster” available on Cadillacs and Oldsmobile Tornados.
1 Like
Way before my time! If it was offered on the Olds Toro, I’d guess it was offered on the El Dorado, same platform as it was Caddy’s tech leading model.
1 Like
From the internet, after all everything on the net has to be true, right. 
5 Likes
We were taught to pump the brakes, course I was on glare ice once, smack dab into a tree, brakes steering nothing would change the course of my car. Oh the 70’s. Just ended up with a small dent, in the hood as I hit it dead on, saw a bud delivering papers, pulled in the drive and got out to say to say hi, dang if he backed up without looking and hit my car in the same place. He was pissed, what are you doing pulling up behind me, Why don’t you watch where you are going? Got it fixed under insurance as he really did no additional damage, but he was did I do that?
You mean to say 
its not true. 
1 Like