Winter special: How to control your car if it skids on ice

If your rear wheels skid

1.       Remove your foot from the accelerator immediately

2.       Steer in the direction you want the front wheels to go. If your rear wheels are sliding left, steer left. If they are sliding right, steer right. You should always steer in the same direction that your rear wheels are turning.

3.       Sometimes your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you try to recover the vehicle, if this happens, ease the steering wheel toward that side. You may have to steer left and right a few times to try and get control back of the car. Try not to turn the wheels too abruptly or quickly as this can cause your car to skid even further.

4.       If you have standard brakes, pump them gently.

5.       If you have ABS do not pump the brakes, instead gently apply pressure to the brakes. Feeling the brakes pulse is normal.

If your front wheels skid

1.       Take your foot off the gas and shift the gears into neutral, but don’t try to steer immediately.

2.       As the wheels skid sideways, they will automatically slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Now put your vehicle into 1^st gear drive and accelerate very gently.