What to do if your car slides on black ice
When your car hits black ice, the steering suddenly feels weightless and the road noise goes quiet. Your natural instinct—to slam on the brakes—will make the spin worse. Do these three things instead.
If you only do three things
- Take your foot smoothly off the gas pedal—and do NOT slam on the brakes.
- Look with your eyes at the open lane space where you want the car to go (not at the ditch or tree you are trying to avoid).
- Steer smoothly in the direction you want the front of the car to travel until your tires regain grip.
How to recover from a slide on ice
- Stay calm and take your foot off the accelerator immediately. Letting the wheels roll freely at road speed is the fastest way for rubber to find traction again.
- Do NOT stomp on the brake pedal. Locking or braking the wheels while sliding sideways removes the last bit of steering grip.
- Keep your eyes locked on the center of the lane where you want to go. Human hands naturally steer toward whatever your eyes are looking at.
- If the back of your car is fishtailing out to the right, turn the steering wheel smoothly to the right (pointing the front wheels straight down the road). As the car straightens out, bring the wheel back to center so it doesn't whip the other way.
If you must stop right before an obstacle (How ABS feels)
If a crash is unavoidable and you must brake hard on snow or ice, modern cars have Anti-Lock Braking Systems (ABS).
When ABS activates on ice, the brake pedal will buzz, vibrate rapidly under your foot, and make a loud grinding or ratcheting sound. That is normal—the computer is pumping the brakes 15 times per second so your front wheels can still steer around the obstacle. Keep steady pressure on the pedal and steer around the hazard.
Related guides
- Car stuck or stranded in snow right now: What to do if you slid into a snowbank or ditch.
- Driving in snow for the first time: Preventing skids before they happen.