If you’ve experienced losing control of your car, you’ll know how unsettling it is, regardless of where it happens and at what speed. 

Whether you've encountered this feeling or are simply trying to avoid it in the future, this article will help you understand the causes and how to avoid them. We’ll also give a brief overview of what to do if you find yourself skidding

What Exactly Is Skidding, And What Causes It?

Skidding is when your car's tyres lose grip with the road surface, and instead of rolling along in the intended direction, slide across the road, either forwards or sideways. 

Skidding can happen on any surface, regardless of its level of friction, and there are very few surfaces, with the right tyres and driving style, where skidding cannot be avoided. 

In most situations on the road, skidding is caused by one of the following situations:

• Excessive braking 
• Excessive steering input
• Loose or icy road surface 

How to Prevent your Car from Skidding

It’s always a dangerous situation to lose control of your vehicle, regardless of how or when it happens, so it’s essential to know how to prevent a skid before it happens.

Brake and Steer Smoothly

Excessive braking or harsh inputs to the steering wheel don’t give the tyres enough time to adjust to the desired direction or speed, and as such, can easily cause them to lose traction.

You can see this when watching rally drivers take corners; they use harsh braking and steering to make the rear of the car lose traction, enabling them to take the corner faster. I wouldn’t recommend trying this yourself, though!

Don't drive with worn tyres

The tread on your tyres enables them to grip even through wet or loose surfaces. If you don't replace them when they are worn out, the lack of tread depth will drastically affect their grip.

The law states you should not drive with tyres that have a tread depth below 1.6mm, but the recommended point to change them is 3mm. It’s also important to select the right tyre for your car and driving style.

For more information on tyre types, find the best tyres for your car in our guide.

For an easy way to break down the cost of tyres, check out our pay monthly tyre options.

Drive to the Road Conditions

If you manage your speed according to the road conditions, it should be possible to avoid skidding. Make sure to leave plenty of space behind the car in front, and slow down more for corners and roundabouts.

Did you know that your car’s stopping distance roughly doubles in the wet? Wet and especially icy roads can have much less grip than dry roads. Similarly, mud or gravel on the road can easily cause a loss of control if not accounted for.

Take into consideration also the type of road you are on; a single-track country lane adjacent to fields is much more likely to have mud and debris on it compared to a main road. Similarly, a road that passes by a building site may well have loose sand or gravel present.

How to Control a Skid

In some cases, the road condition can be unexpectedly poor, or you may need to make an emergency manoeuvre that results in a skid. It’s important to remember the key steps on how to control a skid and minimise the danger:

• Gently reduce the input that caused the skid, be that braking or steering
• Avoid harsh braking
• Steer into the direction of the skid, for instance, if the rear of the car is moving to the left, steer left
• As the car starts to straighten, reduce the steering angle to match the car's position
• Regain control, and assess if it is safe to continue our journey

Author - Joseph Law

Joseph has been writing about cars for over seven years and writing for Bumper for over two, blending his passion for automobiles with a talent for storytelling.

Joseph has written about engineering and cars for Autozilla, Komaspec, and several engineering manufacturers. When he's not writing or tinkering with one of his cars, Joseph dreams of owning an Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale.