What are the self-rescue techniques for a car stuck and skidding in mud?
2 Answers
Self-rescue techniques for a car stuck and skidding in mud are as follows: 1. Throttle and steering control: Once the car is stuck in mud, stop immediately, then shift into reverse gear and back the car out of the mud. When reversing, pay close attention to throttle and steering control, avoiding rash actions. After safely reversing out of the mud, change the wheel direction, shift into a low gear, and use the engine's momentum to drive out of the mud. 2. Increase wheel traction: If the car is stuck in mud and cannot move forward or backward due to skidding, avoid using brute force. Continuously revving the engine will only make the situation worse. Use the car's jack to lift the vehicle, then place rocks, bricks, branches, firewood, wooden planks, etc., in front of and behind the drive wheels, or wrap ropes around the drive wheels to increase traction and help the car steadily drive out of the mud. 3. Reduce tire pressure: Lowering the tire pressure makes the tires flatter, thereby increasing the friction between the tires and the ground.
Last time my SUV got stuck in the mud after rain, I immediately switched to manual mode and started in second gear to reduce wheel spin. I made slight left and right steering adjustments to let the tires contact the ground at different angles, and also had passengers get out to push, reducing the vehicle's weight. When the tires were spinning and spraying mud, I avoided stomping on the accelerator, as that would only dig deeper. I retrieved rubber floor mats from the trunk and wedged them behind the drive wheels to increase traction, eventually backing out slowly. The lesson learned is to stay calm during self-rescue in mud—reducing tire pressure in advance can increase the contact patch and make escape easier.
