What can I do to avoid a car skid?

A: www.ehow.com

Instructions

Slow down your vehicle, this is especially important during inclement weather situations. If you are driving on a road with lots of traffic, you may also need to decrease your speed. The more cars there are on the road, the more likely one of them will have to stop or brake suddenly causing the cars behind it to go into a skid.

Avoid following the vehicle in front of you too closely by following the two-second rule, according to the Rules of the Road website. This will allow you to have time to steer your car out of harm's way and give you enough time to brake safely. During inclement weather, you should stay at least four seconds behind the car you are following.

Drive slowly around curves in the road, especially if it is an unfamiliar road. Since most skids are the fault of the driver, maintaining a safe speed is imperative especially while traveling in new areas.

Allow plenty of extra time when approaching a stoplight or stop sign. Remember that the distance required to brake doubles in bad weather when there is rain or ice on the streets.

Tips & Warnings

•    The two-second rule is easy to use; simply notate an object in the distance, such as a telephone pole. When you see the car ahead of you pass the object, start counting two seconds, you should not pass the object until the time is up. A simple way to do this, is to say this sentence out loud, "Only a fool breaks the two second rule," according to the Rules of the Road website. If you pass the object sooner, reduce your speed. Double this time to four seconds during bad weather conditions, or repeat the sentence twice.