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• Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a
time on two-lane roads. Reconsider before
passing the next vehicle.
• Do not overtake a slowly moving vehicle too
rapidly. Even though the brake lamps are
not flashing, it may be slowing down or
starting to turn.
• If you are being passed, make it easy for
the following driver to get ahead of you.
Perhaps you can ease a little to the right.
Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems — brakes,
steering, and acceleration — do not have enough
friction where the tires meet the road to do what
the driver has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying
to steer and constantly seek an escape route
or area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking
reasonable care suited to existing conditions,
and by not overdriving those conditions.
But skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your
vehicle’s three control systems. In the braking
skid, your wheels are not rolling. In the steering or
cornering skid, too much speed or steering in a
curve causes tires to slip and lose cornering force.
And in the acceleration skid, too much throttle
causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid is best handled by easing your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
Remember: Any traction control system helps
avoid only the acceleration skid. If your traction
system is off, then an acceleration skid is
also best handled by easing your foot off the
accelerator pedal. See Traction Control
System (TCS) on page 291 and StabiliTrak
®
System on page 292.
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