Petrol, diesel and electric car owners have been told to press one crucial button to deactivate an important safety feature under these circumstances this winter. Traction control is one of the vital safety features, cutting tyre spin, which helps prevent vehicles from spinning.
The tool should almost never be deactivated, especially during the winter when rain and ice are at a premium on UK roads. However, experts have stressed that there are many situations when turning off traction control could be beneficial. If motorists find themselves beached in snow, ice or mud, allowing some wheelspin could be crucial to gaining purchase and rolling free.
Experts at BigWantsYourCar.com said: “Traction control is designed to stop wheelspin and keep the car stable, which is essential in everyday driving.
“But in extreme situations such as being stuck in mud, snow, ice or loose gravel, allowing the wheels to spin can actually help a car to break free.
“In those conditions, switching traction control off briefly can make the difference between staying stranded and getting moving again.”
Motorists will usually find the traction control switch button on the car steering wheel, instrument panel or centre dashboard. The feature can be easily identified with a logo of skid marks behind or abbreviations such ESC, ESP or ASR.
In some modern vehicles, the setting can also be deactivated through the vehicle’s digital on-screen infotainment system. To stop motorists accidentally turning off an important safety tool such as traction control by mistake, road users are likely to need to press and hold down the button for a few seconds.
However, motorists should turn the feature back on for everyday driving to ensure they are always safe behind the wheel.
BigWantsYourCar.com added: “It is important to remember that traction control should only ever be disabled in specific scenarios where you are stuck and need extra wheelspin to regain momentum.
“For normal driving, particularly in the rain or on icy roads, it is a vital safety feature that should always remain on. The system will react to a skid faster than any driver can and will often prevent a minor slide from turning into a serious accident.”
