If you find yourself in a skid:
- Brake lightly.
- Stay off the brakes. ✓
- Brake abruptly.
Answer: B. Stay off the brakes.
If you find yourself in a skid, stay off the brakes and instead slowly lift your foot off the accelerator while steering in the direction of the skid.
Why this is the answer
The handbook lists the steps for a skid in order: ease your foot off the accelerator, do not use the brakes, and turn the wheel in the direction of the skid. Braking during a skid is what the handbook warns against, since a locked wheel skid usually comes from braking too hard when going too fast. The way to regain control is to let the tires roll and steer, not to slow the wheels with the brake pedal.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Brake lightly. — Light braking still means using the brake pedal, and the handbook's skid steps say not to use the brakes at all — you are told to release the accelerator instead.
- C. Brake abruptly. — Braking abruptly is exactly how a locked wheel skid starts, according to the handbook, and it is the one action the skid steps tell you to avoid.
Remember it
In a skid, your foot comes off the gas and stays off the brake — steer where the back of the car is sliding.
Official handbook: California Driver Handbook (DL 600), Section 8: Safe Driving, p. 60