What is the safest action to take when your vehicle drives over black ice?
- Calmly remove your foot from the accelerator and steer in the direction you want to go ✓
- Accelerate hard
- Brake hard while maintaining steering
- Ease off the accelerator and steer immediately to side of the road
Answer: A. Calmly remove your foot from the accelerator and steer in the direction you want to go
Calmly remove your foot from the accelerator and steer in the direction you want to go.
Why this is the answer
The handbook's skid steps say that when you drive onto black ice and the rear skids, you should ease off the accelerator and steer smoothly toward where you want the vehicle to go. It also says not to brake, because braking makes the situation worse. The calm, smooth steering input helps you regain control instead of adding a sudden change. That matches the choice about calmly removing your foot from the accelerator and steering in the direction you want to go.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. Accelerate hard — Accelerating hard adds speed and does not follow the handbook's instruction to ease off the accelerator on black ice.
- C. Brake hard while maintaining steering — Braking hard is specifically discouraged in the skid steps because the handbook says braking will make the situation worse.
- D. Ease off the accelerator and steer immediately to side of the road — Easing off is right, but steering immediately to the side of the road is not what the skid steps direct; they say to steer smoothly in the direction you want to go.
Remember it
On ice, think smooth: ease off the gas and aim your steering where you want to go, not where you are sliding.