After the Skid

This winter, I slid off the road and into the median, trapping my family’s car in three feet of snow on a zero-degree day.

Yikes.

I borrowed the car for a cardiologist appointment, and was driving back home on the closest thing we have to a highway in my town, riding the high that comes along with a clean bill of health at the doctor’s. Not five minutes after leaving the appointment, I went too fast around an icy curve, foolishly keeping up with the flow of traffic that had better tires and better luck than me. I felt the car stutter, just a little, and overcorrected – first one way, then another. I tried to brake. My attempts to regain control of the vehicle only made the situation worse, and after a few frustrating, tense seconds, I was stuck.

Taking stock, I was lucky. Even though I skipped across a lane of traffic, the other vehicles were beside or in front of me, so I avoided a collision. I was wearing my seatbelt, as I always do. When I lost control of the vehicle, I was well-rested and focused on driving – mentally and physically prepared to do something about it, even if I ultimately did the wrong thing. The vehicle stayed upright, and was drivable after the tow truck driver we called pulled it from the snow. My back was a touch sore, but ultimately felt fine. A kind woman pulled over a few minutes later to make sure I was unhurt and warm, and a police officer also checked on my safety. My experience, like any experience with a fast-moving vehicle, could have been devastating. I’m grateful it wasn’t. I value my own health, but I truly don’t know how I would bear the weight of being responsible for long-term harm, or even the death, of another as a result of irresponsible driving. It would be the sort of thing I would spend the rest of my life making up for.

I took driver’s education back when I was first learning to drive, three years ago now. I remember feeling, after learning about all of the habits and skills that one must develop to become a defensive driver, fragile and out of my league. I wondered how I would remember everything I learned; if I wanted the responsibility that came with the privilege of being behind the wheel; what I could expect other drivers to know if they hadn’t gone through driver’s education to learn tips and tricks that often were not intuitive.

Even with driver’s education, I’ve made plenty of mistakes on the road. I believe those mistakes were only low-consequence because of what I was taught in my course.

Beyond skills, driver’s education has given me a mindset of growth; the tools to become a better, safer driver are out there, and it is imperative that we seek them out. While my dad and I were waiting for the tow truck, I was looking up how to handle a skid as a driver, to hopefully ensure that it never happens again. Of course, I had been driving too quickly (even though I had been traveling below the posted speed limit!), overconfident in road conditions and the condition of my vehicle. I also both overbraked and oversteered in my attempts to problem-solve, two things that made my slip go from an awkward situation to a truly dangerous one.

I’ve learned that I should have simply taken my foot off of the pedals instead of braking, and tried to subtly steer the car towards a target – a point further down the road – ahead of me. If that didn’t work, after a few seconds, I should have begun applying the brakes slowly. I also was told by a friend used to driving on Colorado mountain roads in winter that downshifting can help with a slip, and I’ll be checking to see if our family vehicle has the paddle shifting she said can make that happen, even though our vehicle isn’t a manual. This knowledge will empower me to be a safer driver, and it was easy to find and freely available.

Beyond this, I’ll be asking my dad to practice skid recovery with me and limiting my winter driving while I’m home for the holidays. We’re also replacing the family car’s tires, to give all of our family’s drivers the best chance at safety on the road we can.

The well being of myself and those I interact with on the road is invaluable. After my accident, I am recommitted to driving with that fact in mind. It’s only right. And I hope others will learn from my mistakes alongside me, taking to heart the importance of always seeking to become a safer driver.