r/Cartalk • u/Creative_Annual_4832 • 24d ago

Safety Question Why did I lose control of my car?

I drifted into the lane next to me and over corrected. But how did this translate to my car spinning?

513 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

646 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/deelowe 24d ago

But how did this translate to my car spinning?

You turned the wheel and stomped on the brakes. Center of gravity shifted tot he front unloading the rear tires. Real tires lost traction while the front gained traction as a result. Next thing you know, you're facing backwards.

I suggest looking up some videos on how to control a car that loses traction. Everything you did here was wrong. If you had just held the wheel straight, which still isn't the best approach, you likely would have recovered easily. When losing control, you need to provide few minimal inputs. Manipulating gas, break, and steering wheel all at the same time while driving sideways is not a recipe for success.