Safe driving and emergencies
Your rear wheels begin to skid on an icy road. What should you do first?
- Ease your foot off the accelerator, stay off the brakes, and steer in the direction of the skid. Correct answer
- Brake hard to stop the slide as quickly as possible.
- Turn the wheel sharply away from the direction of the skid.
Why
In a slippery-surface skid the tires have lost their grip, and anything abrupt makes it worse. The handbook's sequence: slowly take your foot off the accelerator, do not use the brakes, turn the steering wheel in the direction of the skid, and try to get a wheel onto dry pavement. Hard braking locks the wheels, and a vehicle with locked wheels skids no matter which way you turn the steering wheel. Steering sharply away from the skid is the instinct that spins the car. Prevention matters more than recovery: slow down before curves and intersections, avoid fast turns and quick stops, shift to a low gear before a steep downhill, and stay away from ice patches, wet leaves, oil and standing water.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is Ease your foot off the accelerator, stay off the brakes, and steer in the direction of the skid.
The rule behind this one
Safe driving and emergencies in California goes through the whole topic, with the page of the California Driver's Handbook behind every rule.
More on safe driving and emergencies
- Your vehicle starts to hydroplane on a wet freeway. What should you do?
- You must drive through heavy fog. Which lights should you use?
- A child is under 2 years old, weighs less than 40 pounds, and is shorter than 3 feet 4 inches. How must the child ride in your vehicle?
- A front tire blows out while you are driving at highway speed. What should you do?