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This article appeared in The Telegraph newspaper on Friday 13th March 2009 and explains the value of taking a Skid Control Course  (11/2/10)

Become a safer driver - and enjoy every moment

Andrew Ledingham

Learning how to handle your car in a skid could save your life, but it's also great fun, says Andrew Ledingham.  By the time a young driver has managed to get a car on the road, they and their parents will probably be suffering from cost fatigue. This is a pity because, for around £100, the chances of having an accident can be dramatically reduced with a skid-control course. Unlike the Pass Plus scheme for newly qualified drivers; skid control training is not yet rewarded with lower insurance premiums. This is surprising, since 95 per cent of accidents involve a skid of some sort.

This is a great chance for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and godparents to provide a  gift that will be useful for a lifetime - indeed, a longer lifetime than might otherwise have been the case. It will also be well received: skid training is not only useful but fun, and will almost certainly be regarded by teenagers as deeply cool.

There are two main methods of making a car slide around at safe speeds. First, it can be mounted on a cradle that rides on four castor wheels. Hydraulic lifts at each corner are used to reduce the weight on the car's tyres, lessening grip and thereby simulating a variety of slippery surfaces, from rain to snow or ice. Second, a skid pan can be sprayed with water or treated with chemicals to make the surface slippery.

The two methods produce similar results, although cradles don't replicate the effect of vehicle weight transfer during acceleration, braking and cornering. Ultimately, the quality of instruction is more important than the methodology. But to put that into perspective, completing a course that is badly taught, with either method, is infinitely better than experiencing your first skid on the road, rather than in controlled circumstances. It is no exaggeration to say that lives may depend on it.

The standard skid-control course does what it says on the tin, so don't expect the syllabus to contain reverse-and-go, 180-degree "J-turns" - those tend to be the preserve of executive protection/anti-kidnapping courses. Standard courses contain two main types of training: skidding while cornering and skidding while braking.

Cornering exercises should teach you how to control -and preferably avoid - a front-wheel skid (under steer) and a rear-wheel skid (over steer) and show you the difference between unwanted over steer and a throttle-induced tail slide. Braking exercises are designed to overcome the typical driver's natural tendency to press the pedal ever harder approaching the scene of an accident.

A key skill that should be taught is cadence braking, repetitively pushing the pedal, but releasing it just before the point of front-wheel lock-up - something that is more likely on a slippery road. Drivers need to understand that they have no steering when the front wheels are locked, that steering returns as soon as you release the brakes, and that cadence braking therefore allows you to steer while braking.

Anti-lock brakes are an automated form of cadence braking, and require heavy and sustained pedal pressure, but drivers still tend to freeze in an emergency and forget to steer away from the impending accident; some don't even know what the pulses of an activated ABS system feel and sound like. Practice in a safe environment is vital.

This might seem a lot to learn in what, typically, will be a 30-minute stint at the wheel, but it's not. Within 10 minutes a driver should be familiar with correct braking and avoidance techniques; another 10 should suffice to understand the principles of under steer and over steer, and what you should do when it happens on the road.

Skid-control courses are available all over the country.  Remember, too, that skid training is not just beneficial for new drivers - it is invaluable for all road users, and especially useful in wintry conditions. When it comes to accident avoidance, there's just no substitute for experience.

Driving tips to stay safe in snow and ice      (7/1/10)

The winter weather has made for treacherous driving conditions across the UK.  This link to ROSPA (the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) details some of the ways you can reduce the risk to yourself and others when driving in wintry weather. http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/advice/driving/winter_hazards.htm

It is also worth considering taking one of our Skid Control courses.  If despite all your best efforts, you find yourself at the wheel of a car that has lost grip and is skidding out of control, you can implement the skills learned on this course and dramatically reduce the risk of a collision.