AVOIDING AND CONTROLLING SKIDS
Stunt drivers know how to control skids very well — in fact they use skidding as an essential part of their driving.
Racing drivers of all kinds are constantly battling with the controls of their high speed cars to corner hard or brake harshly. They know exactly when their car will begin to slide because they are skidding all the time.
They also have one big advantage — they can use all the road and there is no-one coming the other way that is going to smash into them.
SKID AVOIDANCE
Skid avoidance is regarded by all driving instructors as an essential element of driving but ‘skid-cars’ are not generally available at an affordable price, so skid avoidance is usually only dealt with in a theoretical way.
The ‘skid-car’ at Alconbury Driving Centre is a normal car permanently mounted on a steel cradle that has four wheels of its own. Each of the wheels is fitted to a pneumatic ram, controlled by the driving instructor.
When the instructor raises or lowers the wheels on the cradle it increases or decreases the adhesion of each of the car tyres.
- A ‘skid-car’ is therefore capable of simulating skids of all kinds.
- Drivers of all kinds can get the best out of it.
- Those drivers who have never skidded before will need a gentle introduction and that is what they will get.
- Drivers who are more demanding will get all they can ask for.
