How can you avoid wheelspin when you're driving on an icy road?
- A Drive at a slow speed in the highest gear possible
- B Use the parking brake if the wheels start to slip
- C Brake gently and repeatedly
- D Drive in a low gear at all times
Why this is the answer
If you’re travelling on an icy road, extra caution will be required to avoid loss of control. Keeping your speed down and using the highest gear possible will reduce the risk of the tyres losing their grip on this slippery surface.
Why the other answers don't fit
- B
- Use the parking brake if the wheels start to slip — The parking brake locks the rear wheels, which turns a slip into a skid.
- C
- Brake gently and repeatedly — Braking is not what causes wheelspin. Power going to the driven wheels is.
- D
- Drive in a low gear at all times — A low gear sends more turning force to the wheels, which is exactly what makes them spin.
Where this comes from
- Driving: the essential skills — section 5, section 12
- The Highway Code — rule 231
Rule numbers link to The Highway Code on gov.uk.
Where this question comes from
The question, its options and the explanation are reproduced word for word from the DVSA revision question bank under licence. The licence requires them to appear unaltered, so we cannot reword them and neither can anyone else — that is why you will meet the same wording on other sites. Everything else on this page is written by Theory Hub: the explanation of why each wrong answer is wrong, the topic guide and the revision notes.
Asked in: Car
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