The skills of skid pan driving are essential both for safety and fun. It does not matter the level of driving skills and experience you have; skidding pan driving will undoubtedly be of help at some point. Assuming you are driving alone and the weather changes unexpectedly, it is now heavily raining, snowing and icy, and the visibility and traction are negatively affected. At this point skidding is unavoidable, in fact, it is now a survival skill! Skidding can help save your life in such a circumstance. It is vital to learn the Skid Pan Driving skill since the benefits will be immense as described herein;
Types of Skids
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Wheel Spin. This occurs when the driver accelerates the car too fast leading to loss of traction by the wheels. The wheels rotate at a faster rate than the actual movement speed of the car. How to solve the skidding? It's simple, slow the acceleration until the wheels recover the traction. Wheel spin can, however, be vital when driving of slippery grounds, the spin allows the wheel to do away with the slippery material; mud, snow, ice, to achieve sustainable traction.
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Oversteer skid. The skidding occurs when the rear side starts sliding sideways due to loss of traction by the rear wheels. It occurs when the front tires carry so much weight compared to the rear wheels as a result of the application of instant break. To solve the problem, just accelerate slowly until the rear wheels regain traction. This is common with heavy vehicles such as trailers.
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Understeer. This is the direct opposite of oversteer. It occurs when the front tires lose the grip and swindles, especially when negotiating a corner. The skidding results from negotiating a bend at speeds that are too high. This also happens; when accelerating on a hill since much weight is left on the rear wheels, making the front side to slide and when you break instantly when negotiating a corner. The solution to the problem is not in steering but rather on the pedals, either reduce or increase the acceleration until traction is achieved.
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Wheel Lock Up. This occurs when the car continues moving while the wheels are locked due to instant braking. When the brakes are applied too fast, the wheels stops moving earlier than the car stopped moving. The solution to this is to stop braking and do it in a gentle manner.
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Counterskid. This type of skid occurs as a result of inadequate correction of an oversteer skid. The rear skids are frequent, and if not corrected they result into an uncontrollable situation. The solution would to focus on the road and steer straight into your path to avoid losing the track.
Benefits of Learning How to Skid.
Learning how to can be transformational and necessary due to the following associated benefits;
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Boost Confidence
Learning the skills of skidding improves the driver's confidence to handle every situation they may encounter on the road regardless of how life-threatening they may appear. The skidding experience allows you to adapt to the challenging skid situation and even turn it into fun. Additionally, learning the skills will help you to avoid driving situations/environment that may result to skidding.
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Learn the types of skid pan driving
The driver becomes more conversant with situations that may lead to skidding and how best to avoid the skidding. The skills are vital as they ensure you are skilled in driving in challenging environments without panicking.
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Learn How to control the Skid
In case your vehicle starts skidding, you just need to compose yourself and handle the situation; learning the different methods to avoid skidding is helpful.
Conclusion
Skid Pan Driving skills necessity cannot be overemphasized. At one point in your driving experience, you may encounter a skidding experience. The skills on how to handle the situation will come in handy to help you overcome the situation.
