November 17, 2018
While the grey 2009 Toyota Corolla was jerking back and forth, Gardner had been trying to regain control.
She pushed as hard as she could down on the brakes, however, braking too suddenly can cause the wheels to lock, which in turn makes the skid worse. Not knowing this at the time, Gardner braked abruptly and overcorrected the steering wheel.
“All the sudden I lost control. I tried to gain it back, and it ended up flipping my car, because if you try to correct yourself while on gravel, it flips the car,” Gardner said. “And as instinct, I tried to correct it.”
Overcorrection is when a driver tries to fix what is happening by abruptly turning the steering wheel the opposite direction from where the car is going. Instead, drivers should lightly apply their breaks and slowly start moving the steering wheel to the direction they wish to go.
Infographic by Sidney Kiersch
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