RICHLAND, Wash. – As we start to head into snowy weekends on the pass and move deeper into winter – icy conditions will start to become a part of life again. When winter weather hits knowing how to avoid, and in the worst-case scenario get out of a skid could save your life.
Mick Tompson with the Hanford Patrol Training Academy works with local officers and Hanford Site workers on what to do using what’s called a skid car.
The car has a special attachment that lets instructors, like Tompson, adjust how much friction the tires are able to get through hydraulics.
Tompson said in icy, slushy or very rainy conditions the absolute best thing you can do is slow down. Slowing down helps your car’s wheels keep traction.
He said it’s all about managing the tire’s grip; what he calls the contact patch. When a car starts to skid it’s usually because the part of the tire that touches the ground gets smaller, reducing to about the size of a handprint according to Tompson.
The course he teaches trains people how to avoid skidding before it happens and where to move the wheels for the best grip.
When the back end starts to skid it’s called oversteering. Tompson said you can avoid doing unintentional donuts on the road by slowing down before turning and being prepared to counter-steer.
“The car is actually designed to (counter steer), but I don’t want anybody to do Jesus take the wheel. No, you need to drive, it’s not going to save you,” he said.
Counter steering requires turning in the direction the back end is skidding to give the contact patch on the tires more to grip with. Tompson said the amount of contact goes down when the wheels are turned in the wrong direction.
“I know that I may skid, I’m going to break in a straight line, separate the controls, as soon as I start my spin or turn, I need to counter-steer. also get my eyes looking where I’m going,” he said.
He said most people he teaches have trouble with looking where they plan to drive when they panic. Looking up at the road and in the direction, you want the car to go helps your instincts when driving.
Understeering is the other focus of his lessons, that’s when the front of the car starts to slip and won’t go in the direction you steer the wheel. Tompson said when this happens you should look where you’re trying to go, steer less, and break gently to regain control.
“So what I do is put one full turn of the wheel in, or three-quarters of a turn, but the rest has to be done with your feet, and I know that sounds funny, but you need to apply smooth brakes to get the traction you need,” he said.
One thing you can do now before snow hits the ground is check your tire pressure. Making sure it’s correct can help you avoid flat tires and help with keeping the right amount of traction when the road gets icy.
