Locked wheel skids are usually caused by:

• A. Steering too aggressively when turning
• B. Sudden acceleration on dry pavement
• C. Braking too hard at a high speed and locking the wheels
• D. Using ABS improperly

Answer: (C)

Locked wheel skids happen when the brakes are pressed with more force than the tires can grip, causing the wheels to stop turning and slide instead of rolling. When the wheels lock, the tire loses its ability to generate traction through rolling, so you lose steering control and the car can’t be steered out of the slide. This is most commonly seen when braking hard at higher speeds; the brake pressure can overwhelm the tire’s grip and the wheel locks up, especially on dry pavement where the tires have strong friction but can still be overwhelmed by sudden, heavy braking.

Antilock brakes are designed to prevent this lock by modulating braking pressure, so you should brake firmly and let ABS do its job if your car has it. If there’s no ABS or it’s not functioning, braking too hard can cause the wheels to lock. Steering aggressively during a turn or sudden acceleration on dry pavement can cause other types of skids or loss of control, but they don’t describe the wheel-locking scenario where the tires stop rotating. Using ABS improperly isn’t typically what causes a locked wheel skid, since ABS’s purpose is to prevent that specific situation.