Straightforward steps will usually control skid

Press, 1 September 1989, Page 38

Straightforward steps will usually control skid

By

NEIL CLARKSON

Skidding and jack-knifing are dangers all drivers face. Even the most cautious of drivers may one day find his or her vehicle sliding out of control on loose metal roads, or in wet or icy conditions. Regaining control of a skidding car can usually be achieved by several straightforward steps. The essential thing is to turn the front wheels in the direction of the skid. If the rear wheels are sliding left, turn the steering wheel left; ii the rear wheels are sliding right, turn the steering wheel right Turning the steering wheel the wrong way will make the car spin out

Keep your foot off the brake. Touching the brakes will only make the skid more difficult to control.

Use the accelerator very gently to keep the driving wheels under power. The moment the car is moving in a straight line, steer it back on to its original course. Trying to correct a skid hastily or with violent movement of the steering wheel will only make It worse. Be gentle In the movements. Overcorrection could lead to the car fishtailing. Fishtaiiing is where the rear of the car sweeps out of control from one side to the other.

Drivers should recognise the conditions in which skids are most likely to develop and take extra care. Loose seal is a danger area, particularly on corners. Tar-seal can also present problems, particularly after light rain, snow, or in frosty conditions. Spilled oil on the road also poses a hazard. The earlier a skid is detected, the easier it will be to correct. Drivers of articulated trucks, and vehicles towing trailers or caravans, face the danger of jack-knifing. Jack-knifing is the descriptive term used when the caravan, trailer or trailer unit on a truck swings out of alignment, pivoting on the coupling. Drivers who are towing should take particular care because there is little motorists can do to correct a Jackknife once it starts.

A survey of British articulatedtruck drivers indicated that 42 per cent had experienced jack-knifing. Of these drivers, 73 per cent said they were unable to recover from it Jack-knifing can be caused by any one or a combination of several circumstances: • When braking normally on a slippery surface, even at a slow speed. • When the driver must cope with an emergency and applies the brakes hard, particularly on a slippery surface, a bend, or on loose shingle. • When the brakes are unbalanced, grabbing or affected by leaking oil or brake fluid. • When one or more tyres are worn, or when the tyre pressures are uneven. • When a driver approaches or enters a bend too quickly and then brakes. The surface need not be slippery to cause jack-knifing in these circumstances.

• When a driver engages a low gear when the vehicle speed is too high. • When the load distribution is uneven, or overhangs. Jack-knifing is particularly dangerous because drivers have little chance of correcting it, and the vehicle stands a good chance of crossing into the opposite lane, endangering oncoming traffic.

Jack-knifing usually begins when the rear wheels of the towing vehicle skid out of line. The whole vehicle therefore loses alignment and the jack-knife occurs — much like a closing pocket knife. Tests indicate that once the angle gets above 15 deg. the jack-knife is effectively uncontrollable. Strides in braking technology have gone some way to reducing the chances of jack-knifing. Systems preventing the drive wheels from locking have reduced the risk markedly. Of those who had experienced jackknifing, 42 per cent said emergency braking was responsible, eight per cent cited cornering too fast, 38 per cent maintained bad road conditions were to blame and 12 per cent gave miscellaneous reasons.