We would all love perfect driving conditions, but life just doesn’t work that way! Rain, snow, sleet and mud can get in the road making it a dangerous place, especially for those that are driving a big RV or towing a travel trailer or fifth-wheel. However, there are steps to take to help prevent you from skidding all over or even off the road.
You will want to be an even more defensive driver than you usually are. Being a defensive driver you will want to drive slower than the posted speed limit, slow down well head of turns and curves, move into new lanes gradually and use your signal to warn other drivers of your intention.
Most skids occur because of fast acceleration or braking hard. So avoid those actions by looking at the road ahead of you and adjusting your driving from there. If there are bad road conditions then, again, you should be driving slower in the first place.
If you do go into a skid here are some tips to help you recover safely and gain back control of the road:
- Don’t slam on the brakes. First take your foot off of the as pedal and start to pump the brakes, even if they are anti-locking, to slow down.
- Don’t over-steer. Steer in the direction the rear of the RV is sliding and keep pumping the brakes.
- When you feel like you’ve gained control, straighten your wheels and continue on.
Skidding can happen in a blink of an eye and be pretty scary, but you need to remain calm in order to remember and use the above steps.
If you’ve ever had to recover from a skid, how did it go? We would love to hear any tips to be a safer RV driver! Just comment below or stop by ExploreUSA RVSupercenter today!
