Tulsa Police: How To Avoid A Winter Wreck

Officers tell us one of the most important things people need to know when the weather gets slick, is how to control a skid.

Thursday, January 3rd 2019, 8:44 pm

By: News On 6


Police say most winter weather wrecks are preventable, if people will slow down, pay attention and not slam on the brakes or jerk the steering wheel when they start sliding.

Officers tell us one of the most important things people need to know when the weather gets slick, is how to control a skid.

People often hear, steer into the skid, but not everyone understands what that means, so driving instructor Jeff Downs breaks it down for us.

"If the back of the car is skidding right, you turn the steering wheel to the right," said Officer Jeff Downs, Tulsa Police.

"If the back of the car is sliding to the driver's side or left side, steer to the left or driver's side."

He says that combined with letting off the gas will help you get control much faster.

21-Car Crash Reported In Tulsa Area Due To Slick Roads 

Downs said says panic is another problem. People jerk the steering wheel or slam on the brakes or even hit the gas, but he says the smoother your motions inside the car, the smoother things will be on the outside.

"You don't want to jerk the steering wheel really hard, turn the steering wheel, smooth steering in puts into the car, so you're not bouncing yourself around in the car, nice smooth steering inputs," said Officer Jeff Downs, TPD.

He says people seem to go on auto pilot during their commute. They take the same route, go the same speed, know exactly how long it should take, so they don't always change their driving as the conditions change.

Even though it's been a lot of fun training with a driving instructor today, police say it's really serious business and these lessons can be life-saving.

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