1995 Pontiac Firebird Owner's Manual - Page 166

Loss of Control Let's review what driving experts say about what happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering foot and acceleration) don't have enough friction where the If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your off the the tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked. accelerator pedal and quickly steer way you want the vehicle to go. you start steering quicklyenough, your If In any emergency, don't give up. Keep trying to steer vehicle may straighten out. Always ready for a be and constantly seek an escape route or area of less second skidif it occurs. danger. Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice, gravel, or other material is on the road. safety, you'll For Skidding want to slow down adjust your driving to these and In a skid,a driver can lose control the vehicle. of conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable surfaces because stopping distancewill be longer and care suited to existing conditions, andnot by vehicle controlmore limited. "overdriving" those conditions. But skids are always While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try possible. your bestto avoid sudden steering, acceleration, or The three types skids correspond to your Pontiac's of braking (includingengine braking byshifting to alower three control systems. the braking skid your wheels In gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to slide. aren't rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too You may not realizethe surface is slippery untilyour much speed or steering a curve causes tires to slip and vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning clues -in lose cornering force. And the acceleration skid in too such as enough water, or packedsnow on the road to ice much throttle causes the driving wheels to spin. make a "mirrored surface"-- and slow down when you have any doubt. A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal. Remember: Any anti-lock brakesystem (ABS) helps If you have the traction control system, remember: It helps avoid only the acceleration skid. avoid only the braking skid. If you donot have traction control, if the system is or off, then an acceleration skidis also best handled by easing your foot the accelerator pedal. off 4-15