Worcestershire, Throckmorton Airfield, Bishampton, Pershore, WR10 2JH.
West Mercia Police Driver Training Unit.
Available only to IAM and RoADA Members.

Current cost £101 per person.
A course needs 3 people, so members can either make up a group of 3, or put their name forward to the Skid Pan co-coordinator, who will organise a group when we have sufficient numbers.
Courses are only run on Monday to Fridays (excluding bank holidays).

Enquiries and bookings for skid control training from Worcestershire Group Members and Associates ONLY to Paul Crump; Skid Pan Coordinator. Cheques will be required in advance, made out to "WGAM" to confirm bookings.

For Other Groups please book direct on tel. 01386 561902.

Skid Control

Having attended the skid control course at Throckmorton along with two other Worcestershire IAM members. I would like to thank the West Mercia Police for running the course. We are very fortunate to have access to this facility as it is not available to the general public.

The course consisted of a short discussion on the causes of skidding followed by a few hours of intense practice learning the techniques for controlling the various kinds of skid. The entire course was great fun as well as a highly valuable experience.

Peter Cadogan

The cars used at Throckmorton have a cradle that enables the front and/or rear wheels to be independently lifted off the ground. The advantage of this method over skids pans that rely on road covered in oil and water is that the cradle can simulate all the conditions where skidding can occur. It can also simulate driving a front or real wheel drive vehicle by raising either the rear or front wheels. Although the cars have ABS fitted this can also be switched off.

I would imagine that the vast majority of people do not know the limits of the car that they drive and simply do not know what it feels like to be involved in a skid. Skid control training is all about learning:

• To recognise a skid early enough to be able to do something about it.
• To control your instinctive reactions.
• To practice sufficiently so that your muscles learn the appropriate responses.

There are numerous reasons why a car skids out of control. Wet roads, the condition of the tyres, gravel, mud, ice or snow can be a significant contributory factor. However, by far the most common factor is inappropriate speed for the road conditions. To minimise the risk of skidding always make sure you are driving at the appropriate speed for the road conditions.

There could be situations where you find yourself to be skidding even though you had been driving at an appropriate speed. Microclimates where ice patches could still be present after a cold night, diesel spills or even gravel that has fallen from a lorry can all create situations where a skid is possible.

It cannot be stressed strongly enough that you must not attempt to practice the techniques described here except in a proper skid-control training area under qualified instruction.

Types of Skid

• Understeer
• Oversteer
• Four-wheel skidding
• Skidding while accelerating
• Straight line skidding
• Aquaplaning