Driving Off the Pavement

Serious accidents can result from driving off the pavement. To avoid this, pay attention to your driving. If you must drive off, or are forced off, there are certain things you can do which may save your life:

	Do not panic.
	Hold your steering wheel tightly.
	Steer straight ahead.
	Stay on the shoulder.
	Ease up on the accelerator and brake gently.

When you can safely do so, turn back on the road at a low speed.

Engine Fire

If your engine catches fire, stop the car as soon and as safely as possible and exit the roadway.

Turn off your engine and get out and away from your car as soon as possible.

Acceleration Skid

Acceleration skids usually involve only the rear wheels and happen when the wheels lose traction on the road surface.

To maintain control of your vehicle, ease off of the gas pedal and straighten the front wheels.

Locked Wheel Skid

Locked wheel skids are usually result of braking too hard at high speeds and locking up the wheels.

The vehicle will skid no matter which way the steering wheel is turned until you release the brakes, which will unlock the wheels.  Straighten the front wheels as the vehicle begins to straighten itself out, then gradually slow the vehicle until you are at a safe speed to continue driving.

REMEMBER, ABS BRAKES ARE A VERY EFFECTIVE WAY OF BRAKING HARD IN AN EMERGENCY, WITHOUT SENDING YOU AND YOUR CAR INTO A SKID.

Skidding

When your car skids, this is what you can do to get your car back under control:

	Do not brake suddenly and avoid abrupt movements of the steering wheel.
	Gently turn your front wheels in the direction of the skid if you are driving a rear-wheel drive car. If you drive a front-wheel drive car, release the gas pedal and straighten up your steering wheel.
	As you start to regain control, you may safely slow the vehicle by very gently pressing and releasing the brake pedal if you don’t have an antilock brake system  (ABS).
	If you do have an antilock system, apply pressure to your brakes slowly.

The best thing you can do to avoid skidding is to slow down when approaching possible danger spots, and to be prepared for the unexpected. Do not accelerate, brake, or change lanes when riding on slippery spots such as gravel, sand, or oil slicks. If the wheels keep rolling freely at the same speed in a fairly straight line, you are not likely to skid.

Hydroplaning

The first half-hour of rainfall is the most dangerous since roadways become extremely slippery due to the mixture of oil deposits and water on the road surface.

Hydroplaning takes place when you are driving on these wet slippery roads.  Your car will seem to rise off the road surface and slip wildly out of control. 

At speeds up to 35 mph, most tires will wipe the road surface the same way a windshield wiper cleans the windshield. As your speed increases, tires cannot wipe the road as well and start to ride on a film of water, just like a set of water skis.

In a standard passenger car, partial hydroplaning starts at about 35 mph and increases with speed to about 55 mph, at which point the tires may be totally on top of the water.

When this happens, there will not be enough friction to brake, accelerate, or corner. A gust of wind or a slight turn can create an unpredictable and uncontrollable skid.  In this situation, the best thing to do is to take your foot off of the accelerator and let the car slow down.

An important precaution against hydroplaning is having a good set of tires with deep treads.