Learning how to handle your car in harsh conditions

With winter fast approaching the UK, many places have seen heavy rainfall over the last few days. This rain fall can quickly cause flooding on the roads and make for some unpleasant driving experiences. As the days and nights get colder this rain can then turn to ice and driving on ice can easily turn in to an accident. Although you can never prevent all accidents, understanding how your car drives and what to do in the event of a skid or aquaplaning, for example, can often save you from having a bump.

Firstly you always need to access the road conditions before you drive and if it is not safe to do so, then don’t drive. If you do find yourself in a situation where you are losing control of the car, you need to remain calm. Many people panic and try and turn the wheel the opposite way and this can make the skid worse. If the car is aquaplaning but you are going in the right direction, then you should remove your foot from the brake and accelerator pedal and let the car slow down, it will often grip the road within a few seconds giving the control back to you. If the car is skidding then you are advised to steer in the same direction as the skid to get the tyres to grip.

Advanced driver course will help to teach you the techniques of how to get out of situations like this.