WATCH OUT FOR SKIDS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 96, 24 April 1928, Page 20

WATCH OUT FOR SKIDS.

At this time of year when the roads are very frequently wet, it is well to remember that a skid may occur in spite of all precautions, but if the speed has been kept down it is not likely to prove dangerous.

One may be driving comfortably enough, say, at 25 miles per hour on a road which though wet is not slippery and run unexpectedly on to a piece of new surface; and the car may become suddenly unmanageable and slide about in any direction. A violent application of rear brakes will only make matters worse, and the best thing is to slow up gradually. Front wheel brakes, if fitted, will sometimes steady a car, but the best advice is to keep the speed down. When a skid does occur, it is well to release the clutch, for when the engine is disconnected from the road wheel it cannot accentuate the skid by driving the wheels round and causing them to slip in the direction of rotation. Suppose therefore, that the rear wheels) skid to the left, the cur will then be pointing to tho right-hand side, and if the wheels quickly regain their rolling motion-, which is likely when the clutch Is released, the car will head for the right-hand side of the road unless the front wheels are immediately turned to the left. This is known as steering into the skid, and it will do much to maintain the proper line of travel. Remember, it is easier to avoid a skid by careful driving than to correct one without Jutting anything.