Imagine that you are driving down the road and as the pavement changes to gravel you begin to experience a strange sensation. It feels as if your car is starting to lose control and you need to do something to get it straightened back out. After you have read through the course and learned about traction and road conditions and other hazards, please complete the assignment below.

Question

Assignment

To find out how other new and experienced drivers might handle a sideways skid, conduct this brief survey.

-Ask 3 new/student drivers and 3 experienced drivers how they would handle this type of situation desbribed above. Compare the results.

Report your results in a written paper, or create a chart showing the responses your received. . In order to get a passing grade, please also answer the questions below and number your assignment 1-5.

Questions

When completing this assignment, you may want to consider the following questions in your responses:

1) Are there differences between the two groups in how they would respond?

2) How many responses showed a correct way of dealing with skidding? How many were incorrect?

3) Do you think student drivers are adequately prepared to handle a skid?

4) What sort of road and weather conditions can lead to a car skidding? Are some worse than others?

5) What things would you personally do to handle a skidding situation?

Answer 1

Results:

New/Student Drivers:
1) Driver 1: I would slam on the brakes to try to stop the skid.
2) Driver 2: I would turn the steering wheel in the opposite direction of the skid.
3) Driver 3: I would panic and not know what to do.

Experienced Drivers:
1) Driver 1: I would gently steer in the direction I want to go and avoid slamming on the brakes.
2) Driver 2: I would release the gas pedal and steer in the direction I want to go until I regain control.
3) Driver 3: I would pump the brakes to try to stop the skid.

Analysis:

1) There are differences between the two groups in how they would respond. The experienced drivers showed a better understanding of how to handle a skid compared to the new/student drivers. The experienced drivers demonstrated knowledge of not slamming on the brakes and gently steering in the correct direction.

2) Out of the 6 responses, 4 showed incorrect ways of dealing with a skid (slamming on brakes, turning steering wheel in the wrong direction), while 2 showed correct ways (gently steering in the correct direction, releasing gas pedal).

3) It appears that student drivers may not be adequately prepared to handle a skid based on the responses provided. This highlights the importance of proper education and training on how to handle various driving scenarios.

4) Road conditions such as wet or icy surfaces can lead to a car skidding. Wet or ice-covered roads can be more dangerous compared to dry roads as they reduce traction and increase the likelihood of skidding.

5) Personally, in a skidding situation, I would release the gas pedal, gently steer in the direction I want to go, and avoid slamming on the brakes to regain control of the vehicle.