Driving on ice. Driving on snow. Driving in the rain. Even just driving on dry pavement. Anyone can find themselves in what I call a “collision situation.” Someone runs a red light, swerves into your lane, or two other cars start to tangle right in front of you.

In a split second, you go from enjoying a nice relaxing drive to being behind the wheel of a car spinning out of control… Or is that it? Does it have to be out of control or is there a way to maintain at least partial control?

My sister Gwen and I were talking a while ago about this type of situation. He was traveling to the Whistler ski resort on a winding mountain road, in the dead of winter, for about an hour a day each way. The newspapers had just published a story about another death on the road. A car had tried to pass another car in a blind corner and collided head-on with an oncoming car.

My sister’s comment was that she was afraid to drive on the freeway because there was NOTHING you could do in a situation like that. Her opinion was that you had better give up.

I could not believe it! I looked at her in amazement and said “there is ALWAYS a way out!” I told him that even on a two-lane road, there is usually room for three cars to pass, even if two of them have to use part of the shoulder. Even in the worst case, you could crash into the side of the mountain instead of going straight on. (worst possible collision)

But I thought that Gwen had expressed a thought that many drivers have. Unless everything goes according to plan, they feel like there’s not much you can do. That’s completely false and you don’t have to be a stuntman to get out of most situations.

So I told him to think that no matter what, there is ALWAYS a way out. There is always a gap that will be created. Even if it’s a small one that sticks out the sides of the car as you go, there’s always a gap. It doesn’t have to be very big.

But maybe you just turn a corner a little fast, or hit some ice in the winter. If you find yourself sliding sideways down the road, or even doing a 360, just look and go where you want to go. (this will cause it to ‘steer into the skid’ like we were told to do… which I always found confusing…) You may be looking out the passenger side window for a second, or even out the rear window, but keep looking and directing where you want to go.

The next step is to never, never, never give up. Keep fighting for control and you’ll probably be done with it.

I told Gwen to work on changing her thinking too. To start thinking while she drive that there is always a way out of anything that happens. Even if there isn’t, you have a much better chance of getting away unscathed with this mindset than with the old one.

So remember the three keys to get out of a collision situation with minimal damage:

1. There is ALWAYS a gap. Wait for it and wait for it to open.

2. Look and steer where you want to go.

3. Never, ever give up.

Let’s go with the fun.

Be fast, be safe, be precise.