If your car starts to slide on ice, the safest response is to stay calm, ease off the pedals, and make smooth, small steering corrections in the direction you want the car to go. Abrupt braking, jerking the wheel, or sudden acceleration can turn a mild skid into a full spin.

Immediate actions on ice

  • Take your foot off the accelerator so the car can slow down and the tires can regain traction.
  • Keep your eyes focused where you want the car to go, not on what you are about to hit.
  • Avoid slamming the brakes; if you must brake, do it gently and progressively, especially if the road is very slick.

Steering a rear-wheel slide

  • If the back of the car swings left, gently turn the wheel left; if it swings right, gently turn right (often called “steering into the skid”).
  • As the car begins to straighten, smoothly return the wheel toward center to avoid overcorrecting and fishtailing the other way.

Steering a front-wheel slide

  • In a front-end slide (the car plows straight ahead when you try to turn), ease off the accelerator more firmly so the front tires can bite again.
  • Straighten the steering wheel slightly until you feel traction return, then steer smoothly—no sharp, sudden inputs.

What you should NOT do

  • Do not slam on the brakes; hard braking on ice often locks the wheels and removes your ability to steer.
  • Do not yank the steering wheel or make fast, large corrections, which can cause a spin.
  • Do not mash the gas pedal; spinning the wheels only reduces grip on ice.

Prevention and preparation

  • Slow down well below the speed limit in icy conditions and increase following distance so you rarely need hard braking.
  • Use winter or all-weather tires with good tread, and clear all windows so you can see and plan ahead.
  • If conditions are extremely bad (freezing rain, black ice reports), the safest choice is often to postpone driving altogether.

If you lose control and are heading toward another car, person, or drop-off, prioritize avoiding injury: aim for the “softest” impact possible (e.g., an empty snowbank rather than oncoming traffic). If there’s any danger of collision or injury, call emergency services once you are safely stopped.

TL;DR: Ease off the gas, don’t slam the brakes, look where you want to go, and steer smoothly into the direction of the slide until the car straightens out.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.